Recognition that Romulo Café London has firmly planted the flag for fine Filipino food abroad has come with its inclusion in the 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide, the A-list of top restaurants in London and the UK.
Romulo Cafe was opened less than 2 years ago by owner Rowena Romulo as the first international branch of her family’s successful restaurant business in Manila. Her aim was to bring ‘a taste of the Philippines to the heart of Kensington’ while paying homage to the memory of her grandfather, the late Filipino statesman and diplomat, Carlos P. Romulo.
The 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide was launched at the 15th annual TATLER Restaurant Awards held in the Ballroom at the Savoy, London on Monday, 30th October 2017. The champagne and canape reception was hosted by Kate Reardon, Editor-in-chief of TATLER, and Jeremy Wayne, TATLER Restaurant Editor. Attending the event on behalf of Rowena Romulo and Romulo Café were Chris Joseph, Director and co-owner, and Gina Consing McAdam, Marketing & Communications Director.
To compile the guide, Wayne said TATLER had ‘scoured London for the best. From Haggerston to Heathrow, from Fulham to Finsbury Park, we bring you the cool, the cosy, the classic and downright unexpected.’
In the guide, Romulo Café is described as ‘modelled on a comfortable Filipino house and delivering delicious Filipino food with modern flair…Cocktails, complex and highly Instagrammable, are paired with dishes such as prawns with crab roe and green beans, or pork-belly sisig with pickled apples to great effect.’ It went on to single out Romulo Café’s ‘family friendly feel’.
Besides Romulo Café, other new entries to the guide include Jean-Georges at The Connaught, Mere (whose patron is BBC MasterChef judge Monica Galetti) and Henrietta in Covent Garden, now sharing the limelight alongside TATLER favourites such as Chiltern Firehouse, Yautcha and Wild Honey.
TATLER contributor Mark Captain and Gina Consing McAdamChris Joseph said, ‘It is remarkable that Romulo Café has been included in the 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide. This is the go-to list for discerning foodies in an undisputed, extremely competitive food mecca. This can only mean that Filipino food is truly making itself known in the UK. It’s a solid win for Philippine cuisine. This is down to the hard work of the team, Rowena’s brilliant leadership, head chef Lorenzo Maderas’ fabulous talent, and of course the truly great support we’ve had from our fellow Filipinos as well as an increasing number of international foodies.’
Rowena Romulo, speaking from the 14th Filipina Leadership Global Summit in Toronto where she received her award as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World’, said, ‘My family and I are so proud that Romulo Café London is included in the 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide.
‘I know that in Manila, my sister Sandie Romulo Squillantini and brother-in-law Enzo Squillantini are always so delighted when Romulo Café, which they founded, is included in Philippine TATLER Dining. I would like to think that this shows that in the UK we’ve been able to carry on this legacy of good Filipino food as a window to the Philippines’ exceptional history, culture and people. Naturally, I think of how proud my Lolo would have been.’
The much-awaited 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide is a shiny supplement to society bible TATLER, which traces its origins to 1709 as a literary and society journal. The magazine’s current version has been published since 1901. The Philippine edition of the magazine (Philippine TATLER ) has been a major arbiter of society and culture since its launch in Manila in 2001.
The 2018 TATLER Restaurant Guide will be distributed in the latest issue of TATLER, out on 2nd November in the UK.
Romulo Café in London is located at 343 Kensington High Street W8 6NW. It is open 7 days a week, from Monday to Sunday, serving lunch, merienda and dinner.