New Filipino restaurant Romulo Café to open in London
Filipino restaurant Romulo Café is set to open its first outlet in London this week.
The 70-seater restaurant will offer a taste of the Philippines in the heart of Kensington on 24 March.
The menu at Romulo Café will offer many of the signature dishes of its sister restaurants in Manila, from bar snacks including tinapa roll, chicken inasal, and chicharon to traditional Filipino dishes, fresh vegetable lumpia, pork sisig, Tito Greg's kare-kare and adobo Romulo style.
The kitchen is led by British-born chef Lorenzo Maderas, a graduate of Westminster Kingsway College who has worked at Sushi Samba and for James and Chris Tanner.
The restaurant is divided into four separate dining areas: the General's Bar, the Ambassador's Lounge, the Diplomat's Dining Room and the CPR Library, which can also be converted into a private dining space.
Romulo Café was first established in Manila in 2009 by their granddaughter Sandie Romulo-Squillantini and her husband Enzo Squillantini where it has since expanded to three branches (with a fourth on its way).
The London branch's owner granddaughter, Rowena Romulo, commented: "Opening a branch of Romulo Café in London means a lot to me and my family. My grandfather's open and warm character enabled him to touch the lives of many people, across countries and cultures. If his currency was journalism and international diplomacy, my sister and I, our friends and cousins, have tried to touch lives through the medium of food.
"I hope that Romulo Café in London will make a true statement, not just about how good Filipino food is, but about how we see ourselves as Filipinos. Wherever we are in the world, we hold our heads up high. Our restaurant is for all Filipinos and anyone who loves good food in London."
