By Bryle B. Suralta
If you happen to be in Makati City, specifically in the Bel-Air area, and trying to find a good place to have lunch or dinner, then dining at the Romulo Café should be a must. After all, if it’s good enough for world diplomats and celebrities, then it’s probably good enough for you.
From US Ambassador Sung Y. Kim to local stars like Dingdong Dantes and Angel Aquino, and even former presidents Noynoy Aquino and Fidel Ramos, many distinguished personalities have dined at the café.
Many of the recipes are credited to the family matriarch, the late Virginia Llamas, the late foreign secretary and writer Carlos P. Romulo’s better half.
As her husband, the great statesman Carlos P. Romulo, invited delegates to their home, she would create her own version of famous Filipino dishes to accommodate foreign tastes. Affectionately called “Lola Virginia,” her signature dishes are still served at Romulo Café branches today.
One such dish is the Crispy Squid, deep-friend squid glazed in a savory chili-honey-garlic mix. Journalists also got a chance to savor the restaurant’s Tinapa Rolls, made from smoked fish with tomatoes and red egg in a crispy lumpia wrapper.
You should also try the Chorizo Empada. It may seem like your run-of-the-mill empanada, but what’s inside will surprise you—the restaurant’s succulent and signature longganisa filling.
Another favorite among regulars is the Paco Salad. Served fresh with fern fiddle, cherry tomatoes, red egg and scallions, the salad is topped with lechon kawali or bacon bits, and comes with a special calamansi vinaigrette dressing.
Romulo Café is also known for its pasta dishes. But their best by far is the Shrimp Pasta with Aligue Sauce.
Topped off with sauted shrimp in garlic and olive oil, this spaghettini is as sinful as they come. Meanwhile, the creamy Aligue (crab roe) sauce packs that rich, fatty and satisfying flavor to complete the dish.
For the main course, one can’t-miss dish is Lola Virginia’s Chicken Relleno. This roasted chicken’s tender core is stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo and peas that are sure to leave a riot of flavors and textures in the mouth.
Be sure to order the Pesang Apahap (Filipino seabass) as well. It may be a relatively new dish, but it possesses that old-fashioned salty and savory taste Filipinos have grown accustomed to. This dish is steamed in a ginger stew with bok choy and miso paste on the side.
Another dish you might recognize is the Ginataang Langka. Romulo Café offers their own version, adding a touch of class to the cusina classic.
If you’ve never had bistek Tagalog, you’re surely going to love the café’s version of it, the US Angus Beef Steak Tagalog. Angus beef is the juiciest and most tender meat out there, and when you cook it in soy sauce and calamansi, you’re going to get that delicious, home-cooked flavor most Filipinos love. The thinly sliced US Angus Ribeye is topped off with onion rings and is best served with Pandan Rice.
Lastly, cap your meal off with a reinvented Filipino Christmas staple, the Cochinillo. Take a bite and listen to the sound of the crispiest Conchinillo crack in your mouth. The roasted suckling pig is served with the restaurant’s special lechon sauce.
As for desserts, the Mango Pavlova’s meringue base and creamy mango filling will leave you refreshed and longing for summer. What’s more, it’s topped with strawberries, kiwi and more mango!
The full Romulo Café experience also wouldn’t be complete without the Suman sa Latik, fried sticky rice served in a shot glass with muscovado and coconut milk sauce.
From appetizers to desserts, the menu offers the best of Filipino cuisine through Westernized taste without compromising that original Filipino flavor. The Romulo name may be synonymous with Carlos and his diplomatic efforts, but with Romulo Café, it is defined by Lola Virginia’s cooking.
The Manila branches of Romulo Café are owned by Sandie Squillantini, the late statesman’s granddaughter, and her husband, Enzo. They are located in Quezon City, Alabang and Makati. Meanwhile, Sandie’s sister, Rowena, runs the Romulo Café branch in Kensington, London.
