Yes Philippines NewsMagazine UK Edition - Issue 1

6
ISSUE 1
From Banker to
Restaurateur
Rowena Romulo's Journey
to Conquer London?
The Romulo Café Way
By Sadeka Sarra Fabillar Mesalucha
Conquests carry a different meaning in the food industry. For
restaurants, it is more than just paving the way for a superb
impression BUT cementing an indelible name.
IT w asn?t solely a career shift w hen a
54-year old banker t ook a det our and
braved t he m ot ley hurdles t o ent er
t he w orld of food service in 2016. For
Row ena Rom ulo, it w as now or
never.
Fuelled by her high regard for Filipino food and
det erm inat ion t o enrich her fam ily´ s herit age as
w ell as t o expand, int ernat ionally, t he successful
Rom ulo Café in Manila, she m ust ered all her
courage and em barked on an am bit ious m ission
t o not only pave t he w ay for Filipino cuisine in t he
est ablished London food scene but m ost
im port ant ly, m ake it st ay.
Surely, am bit ion requires m ore t han hard w ork; it
dem ands a great deal of st rat egy and t ons of
passion. From hiring a UK consult ant t o devising a
business plan, present ing it t o her fam ily in t he
Philippines, and t hen having t o find a suit able
spot ? Row ena had t o keep rem inding herself of
t he goal so she w ouldn?t get cold feet .
?The first locat ion w e set our eyes on and m ade a
bid for t urned us dow n because t he landlord w as
not fam iliar w it h Filipino cuisine and he w as
unsure as t o w het her t his w ould be a success or
not ,? she says.
She and her t eam w ere not oblivious t o t he fact
t hat locat ion is crit ical for rest aurant s. They had
t o execut e a conscious decision t o m ake a
significant invest m ent
in an area t hat w as
close t o m ajor Filipino
hubs such as Earls
Court and Our Lady of
Vict ories Church, and
associat ed w it h key
Brit ish landm arks and
est ablishm ent s like
Kensingt on Palace,
Holland Park, t he
Em bassy Row , Palace
Green, Royal Albert
Hall, V&A, and London
Olym pia.
?We have never
claim ed t hat our food
is t he definit ive t his or
t hat dish; rat her, it is
t he fam ily rendit ion of
Filipino favourit es or,
ever so oft en, our
innovat ive t w ist on
dishes using Filipino
ingredient s and
cooking st yles,?
Row ena and Co-Part ner Chris Joseph w it h t heir Tim e Out 2018
London Aw ards for Most Loved Rest aurant s - Runner-Up in t he
ent ire London and Best Rest aurant in Kensingt on
Aft er six m ont hs of searching and surveying, a
Kensingt on sit e w as m ade
available! Not
even t ough
propert y lease
negot iat ions
w ould hinder
t he rise of t he
first out post of
Rom ulo Café in
t he Brit ish capit al.
A Unique
Com prom ise
Rom ulo Cafe in t he heart of Kensingt on in London
Row ena didn't sail
unready. The
challenges did not
surprise nor daunt
her.
Confident of her t eam , she w as up for som e
?donkey w ork?t o convince food lovers and
rest aurant -goers in London t hat Filipino food is
t he big t hing. Moreover, alt hough t he m ission w as
t o t ake Rom ulo Café and all t he good it had t o
offer t o Kensingt on, st ill t he bell loudly rings, ?it ?s
London?, and t here w as alw ays t he risk t hat t his
Philippine set -up could m isfire.
So, m aking a unique com prom ise w as t he nam e
Row ena Rom ulo w it h her Lola Virginia's pict ure
behind her w hose recipes w ere t he inspirat ion for
Rom ulo Cafe's m ult i-aw arded Filipino cuisine
of t he gam e? m aking Rom ulo Café blend int o t he
London landscape on t he one hand and st and out
on t he ot her.
?There w ere m ajor m odificat ions w e had t o m ake.
The int eriors m ade by Filipina Karen
Soriano-Hrist ov, are a depart ure from t he black
and w hit e/ m onochrom e form ula of our
rest aurant s back hom e. There is also a bit of
quirkiness, as you w ould find in any real hom e
w hilst it s spirit belongs t o t he legacy left by m y
grandfat her, Carlos P.
Rom ulo, t hrough t he
phot ographs and
m em ent os t hat adorn t he
rest aurant . The out com e
is an appealing space t hat
bridges Filipino cult ure
w it h t he localit y,
revealing a rich sense of
personal and fam ily
hist ory.?
Aft er furnishing t he
rest aurant , Row ena?s
t eam w as confront ed
w it h a m ore arduous
challenge? set t ing up t he
London m enu! She explained t hat t he m enu
could not be as ext ensive as t he rest aurant s in
t he Philippines largely due t o ingredient s not
being available in London. It also becam e
im perat ive t o alt er t he present at ion of som e of
t he dishes t o ensure t hat t hey w ere not just
delect able but at t ract ive t o Filipinos and
non-Filipinos alike, given t he broader cust om er
base in London.
Row ena has fait h in t he uniqueness of Filipino
cuisine. For her, it is a m esm erizing com binat ion
Continued on page 7.....