Romulo Cafe & Restaurant, Kensington - Restaurant Review

Location: Kensington High Street
Price: ££
Food: 5/5
Style Points: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

The Story

Firstly I have to state that this was my last restaurant review of 2019 and is without a doubt one of the best of the year. Romulo Café & Restaurant is one of Kensington’s best kept secrets, offering authentic Filipino cuisine and delicious well thought out cocktails.

The lovely owner Rowena Romulo, granddaughter of the Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier, journalist and author Carlos P. Romulo of whom the restaurant is named after, aspires to make her restaurant the number one destination for Filipino food through heirloom recipes and dishes handed down from generations past. As Rowena passionately explained to me, Philippine cuisine is a reflection of the countries history and colonial past, blending together cuisines like Spanish, Malay and Chinese. The result is a unique amalgamation of flavours that beautifully blend together. The space itself is bright and colourful, with shades of lime green and grey throughout. The overall look is smart and contemporary.

The Food?

The menu has a selection of entrees, noodles and rice dishes, sharing plates, and smaller tasting plates. We ordered a selection from each which came out when the food was ready and first up was the Sizzling Chicken Inasal Sisig - Diced Chicken Thighs Marinated in Annatto, Ginger, Green Chili, Garlic, and Lemongrass.

As the name suggests, the plate arrived at our table sizzling on a hot plate and smelling divine with aromatic and fragrant flavours. Our server drizzled more of the beautiful annatto on top, an orange coloured condiment from South America that has a similar flavour profile to smoked paprika. This dish was a revelation and a fabulous introduction to Filippino food. The juicy chicken was spicey, smokey, sweet, and even creamy from all the wonderful ingredients. You certainly feel the Spanish influence in this dish and it is a must try from the menu.

We tried a couple of signature cocktails whilst we waited for the food - The Batangas Bad Boy which had 10 Year Talisker, 10 Year Laphroaig, Cigar Infused 23 Zacapa Rum, Dry Vermouth & Orange Bitters. Served in a potion bottle along with a display cigar to emphasise the cigar element, it was a delicious whisky based cocktail and had strong smokey flavours that beautifully infused the drink.

We also tried Imelda’s High Heels - Stolichnaya Vodka, Strawberry Puree, Crème De Framboise, Crème De Mure Topped with Prosecco. Served in ceramic white high heel, it was a really delicious fruity cocktail and definitely one for the ladies to savour.

Another highlight was the Confit Duck Leg Bao Bun - Crispy Duck served with Home-Made Bao Bun, Plum Sauce, Jicama and Cucumber. I really liked the way this dish was presented and I enjoyed the fun element of making the bao buns yourself. There was plenty of crispy moreish duck to fill the buns up and the treacle-like plum sauce was gorgeous with the duck and crunchy veg.

The sharing Scottish Salmon Tamarind “Sinigang” Stew was also another standout dish. Salmon Fillet with Morning Glory, Okra, Daikon and Aubergine in a Savoury Tamarind Flavoured Stew. Salmon is my favourite fish but I had never had it in a stew before. I really enjoyed the Asian flavours from the tart tamarind broth that had a real strong pungent flavour that reminded me of my travel across South East Asia trying local delicacies. There was plenty of soft flaky salmon to go around and it was a comforting bowl of fish stew.

Time for another cocktail and we tried Smokey & Stormy and Mango Martini. The former had Woodford Reserve, Elderflower Liqueur, Grand Marnier and served in a whisky flask to pour into a smoked infused glass. My favourite cocktail of the evening, it was silky smooth and perfectly balanced with sweet and smokey flavour notes. The mango martini didn’t pack as much of a punch as I was expecting but it had great mango flavour from the puree.

After a really satisfying start and middle, we moved onto the third and final act - dessert. The desserts all looked enticing including Mango Float - Layers Of Graham Crackers & Whipped Cream Topped with Fresh Mangoes served with Mango Ice Cream. As incredible as this dessert sounded we decided to seek the recommendations of Rowena and she urged us to try the Ube Cheesecake and Sans Rival.

Ube is a purple yam species found in the Philippines and is an essential everyday ingredient used in houses up and down the country. The cheesecake was striking in look, dark purple in colour from the ube with splashes of vibrant purple from ube jam. Topped with sweet young coconut and gorgeous coconut ice cream, the cheesecake was simply divine. I’m not usually a lover of cheesecake but this cheesecake had a real depth of flavour and this is thanks to the ube which has a type of natural sweetness that can’t be matched by normal sugar.

I loved ube so much in fact that I had a delicious Coconut Ube Latte made with creamy coconut milk and ube to give it a vibrant purple colour. My guest had the

The Sans Rival is a more modern Filipino dessert made with dulce de leche buttercream, cashews, chewy and sweet meringue. Another fabulous dessert and really decadent from the silky buttercream and the sweet meringue. Two great desserts that reflected the standard of the rest of the meal.

Price?

As a meal for two including dessert and a cocktail each you would be looking at around £70-£80 which is very reasonable given the portion sizes, quality of food and the location in the affluent area of Kensington.

Overall?

I had never tried Filipino food before my visit to Romulo Cafe & Restaurant but if all food tastes like this then I would happily eat this cuisine every day of the week. The food is full of different flavours that just seem to work perfectly together and each dish gave me something new and unique in flavour. I also really like the tapas style eating so you can try various different dishes and share the food like a family. The portions are of a great size so you are guaranteed to be satisfied and the cocktails are of a really high standard.

All in all if you haven’t tried Filipino food before then Romulo Cafe & Restaurant is THE place to go for lovingly made authentic food from the Philippines.

Book your table at Romulo cafe and restaurant.
Address: 343 Kensington High St, Kensington, London W8 6NW
Phone: 020 3141 6390
Closest tube station: High Street Kensington

Her Favourite Food x

My meal at Romulo was complimentary, all opinions are my own.

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