Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Reviewing Romulo

Matthew Steeples reviews Romulo Café in Kensington; it serves the finest Filipino cuisine and is well worth trying

 

Romulo Café bills itself as providing “a taste of the Philippines in the heart of Kensington” and that it certainly does. Here you’ll find not only authentic cuisine but also a truly warm and welcoming atmosphere and an experience that is genuinely unusual.

 

One of four restaurants – the other three being in the Philippines – owned by the same family, Romulo Café is inspired by the owner’s late grandfather, Carlos P. Romulo, a Pulitzer Prize winner, president of the United Nations General Assembly and ambassador to the United States of America. Framed portraits of “Mr United Nations”, as he was affectionately known, guide the décor of the building and a neon caricature of him stands proud at the entrance.

 

Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
Carlos P. Romulo with his Lincoln in Washington
Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
Rowena Romulo

 

Owned by former Citibank and J. P. Morgan banker turned restaurateur Rowena Romulo, Romulo Café seats 70, is situated close to the newly opened Design Museum and opened in March 2016. It serves food that combines the culinary traditions of Spain, America, Malaysia and China and aside from the pork and rice dishes one links Filipino cuisine to normally, there are such things as Lola Virginia’s chicken relleno (£14) – roasted chicken stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo and peas; Tito Greg’s Kare-Kare – beef (£16) or seafood (£18) stewed in a peanut based sauce with steamed vegetables and artisan shrimp paste. Homemade Filipino ice cream is a must try for dessert and for those looking to sample a selection of starters, be sure to go for ‘The General’s Combo Platter’ (£17.50). It features barbecued pork, chicken inasal, tinapa rolls, camaron rebosado and patotim with atchara.

 

Aside from a substantial and varied wine list, it is for cocktails that Romulo Café excels. One, ‘Imelda’s High Heels’ pays homage to Imelda Marcos and thus, naturally, comes served in a vessel shaped as a shoe; another, the ‘Batangas Bad Boy’, is accompanied by a cigar. Filipino spirits including Don Papa Rum, made from cane sugar from Negros plantations; Calamancello, homemade limoncello made with Philippine lime, and San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen, the “original Philippine beer” are also available.

 

Of the restaurant, Rowena Romulo concludes:

 

“We set up Romulo Café as a way to honour and help continue my grandfather Carlos P. Romulo’s legacy through food, as he and my family have always been so proud of Filipino cuisine and how food forms such a central part of Philippine culture, transcending class or creed. It’s true that every single Filipino loves to eat”.

 

“Now that we have expanded Romulo Café to London, we hope it will help to raise the profile and appreciation of the Philippines through our cuisine. And maybe it will also help to introduce my grandfather and his amazing work to a new generation”.

 

Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390.

 

Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
Lola Virginia’s chicken relleno
Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
Imelda’s High Heels cocktail
Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
Batangas Bad Boy cocktail
Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
A caricature of Carlos P. Romulo welcomes diners at the restaurant’s entrance
The Steeple Times
The Steeple Times
We research and background check our articles. If you believe we have made and error in some detail please get in touch, we seek always to write the truth and stand against a press owned by a self selected few. Please help us, we will accept all your likes, subscriptions and anonymous suport. The Editor and his team at the Steeple Times.

1 COMMENT

  1. While living in mainland Europe I had a Filipino friend (Gloria) from Manila who taught me how to cook rice properly and pork adobo. Essentially belly pork slow cooked in a pot. The sauce used was a thick, dark and very glossy one in appearance and tasted heavenly! However, we couldn’t buy it where we lived so we used to drive to Paris and stay with her sister Lou Lou in 18th arrondissement for a few days and buy the special sauce (a few bottle) from a Filipino outlet there. Well I will most certainly try Rowenas’ place. Love the decor, the Imelda shoe and the food looks incredible!!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

£1 per week Supports The Steeple Times

Help journalism to remain honest & independent. You can make a difference to the world today.

3,573FansLike
2,068FollowersFollow
16,731FollowersFollow
4,962SubscribersSubscribe

Subscribe For DAILY NEWS

Please subscribe, like and share this unique site, it helps us tremendously. The Steeple Times in return will send you an email at noon each and everyday, that we sincerely hope you will enjoy & look forward to seeing in your inbox.

AD
Advertisement

Trending Now

Getting One’s Goat – A Cheesy Conundrum – Goat vs Goats vs Goat’s vs Goats’ Cheese

Matthew Steeples explores conundrum of how to describe cheese made from goat’s milk and shares thoughts of Susie Dent to Alan Rusbridger, Christine Hamilton, Jay Rayner, Matthew Jukes, Mic Wright, Nigella Lawson, Matthew Wright, Tom Parker Bowles and Samantha Markle on goat cheese.

Most Popular Articles

The Phil & Matt Show

Phillip Schofield filmed smoking shisha with his alleged ex-lover Matt McGreevy (and pictured in bed thereafter); another image shows the pair together in photograph...

Was Mucky Minx Meghan Markle A ‘Yacht Girl’ For ‘Randy Andy’?

As author Kirby Sommers suggests that the then Meghan Markle likely spent time with Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein before she met Prince Harry, we again highlight the mucky, murkiness and mendacious manner of this alleged “yacht girl.”

SchofieldLite

‘Politicalite’ suggest Phillip Schofield orchestrated his ‘mass coming out’ after a former ‘This Morning’ runner had gone to the press about a supposed relationship...

Meddling Meghan Markle Expose – Attwood, Hopkins & Steeples

Expose interview with Matthew Steeples by Shaun Attwood and Jennifer Hopkins about the former Meghan Markle watched over 73,000 times in 16 hours since it aired; Steeples condemns hapless Prince Harry and his meddling menace wife.

Ampika Pickston

Oldham born divorcee and former glamour model Ampika Pickston describes herself as “feisty, fun loving and warm hearted”. Now based in Hale Barns, Cheshire...

Justice for James Scurlock

Power of social media proven after senseless killing of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a controversial bar owner named Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump.
[td_block_6 custom_title="Most Liked..." sort="popular7"]