Discovering Romulo Café

CEBU, Philippines - Carlos Peña Romulo was born on January 14, 1899 in Intramuros, Manila. His father Gregorio was a Filipino guerilla fighter of the Philippine revolutionary government under Emilio Aguinaldo during the Filipino-|American War. He witnessed his grandfather being tortured by American soldiers that left a lasting impression on him, thus begun the beginnings of a rebel as he called it.

He finished elementary in Tarlac and entered the University of the Philippines where he earned a bachelors degree in 1918 and a master of arts from Columbia University in 1921. He returned to the Philippines and worked as an English professor and chairman of the English department of the University of the Philippines from 1923 to 1928.

Carlos Peña Romulo served as secretary of then Senate president Manuel Quezon from 1922 to 1925 and as member of the Philippine Independence Mission before he was appointed University of the Philippines regent in 1929.

He served as aide-de-camp to General Douglas MacArthur. He wrote a series of articles about Japanese imperialism and on Southeast Asia political situation which earned him the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for distinguished Correspondence. He likewise served as the secretary of foreign affairs from 1950 to 1951 before being appointed as Philippine ambassador to the United States. He was the first Asian who served as president of the United Nations General Assembly .He was also credited to be America's most trusted Asian spokesman.

Fast forward…today.

Sandie Romulo Squillantini, granddaughter of the late Carlos Peña Romulo wanting to pay tribute to her grandfather while perpetuating his legacy, opened a restaurant, simply called Romulo Café.

Designers Ivy and Cecilia Almario masterfully decorated the entire restaurant in black and white which flawlessly compliments the framed black and white photos that depict the multifaceted life of the late Filipino diplomat.

The well-thought out menu showcases family recipes popularized by her grandmother Virginia Llamas Romulo during family reunions and special occasions. The delectable Lola Virginia's Chicken Relleno stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo and peas and the General's Chicken baked with special herbs and smothered in garlic are a must.

Other worth mentioning dishes include Lola Felisa's crispy all vegetable canton, Tito Greg's kare-kare, oxtail and tripe stew in a peanut-based sauce, served with steamed vegetables and bagoong, crispy tadyang, twice cooked beef ribs, boneless crispy pata binagoongan, deboned crispy pata served with eggplant and tomato bagoong sauce, and the chicken-pork adobo Romulo style. For dessert, the suman sa latik in shot glasses got everyone's approval.

Should Manila be on your radar soon, take a break for lunch or dinner and go to 148 Jupiter Street in Bel Air Village Makati or at Scout Lazcano in Quezon city and delight yourself with history around you while savoring well-kept secret recipes from the glorious past of Carlos Peña Romulo. (FREEMAN)