Tilaw

Headline: Tilaw — Authentic Filipino flavors. Buffet bargains. Lively vibes.

Restaurant Category: Casual Filipino restaurant & bar; Saturday breakfast buffet £12.49; generally good-value a la carte.

Menu Highlights:
– Adobo wings and Lumpiang Shanghai (spring rolls)
– Lechon kawali / crispy pork belly; sisig; garlic rice
– Beef Mami (hearty beef noodle soup)
– Chicken skin/chicken nachos
– Saturday breakfast buffet faves: beef tapa, longganisa, pork tocino, TJ-style red hotdog
– Turon for dessert; homemade ube ice cream and ube colada
– Filipino beer (e.g., Red Horse)

Service Highlights:
– Friendly, accommodating, family-run feel; attentive for many diners
– Warm, cozy interior with modern-meets-traditional decor
– Lively vibe with music and a bar; occasionally live singers
– Good value; portions often generous (especially at the buffet)
– Nice touches like occasional freebies; suitable for private events and buffet-style gatherings

Notes:
– Service can be slow at times; a few diners found front-of-house unsure about dishes or pork content
– Desserts arrived late for some
– Occasional stock gaps (e.g., cocktails, soup; advertised champorado missing at one buffet)
– Live singing can be loud and make conversation hard
– Mixed food consistency: one visit had dry/tough, small-portion crispy pork; honey-garlic chicken leaned sweet with light garlic; one comment on sour-tasting spring rolls; halo-halo described as just okay
– Customer toilet was out of order/leaking on one visit

Logistics:
– Located around/behind Romford Mall; signage and the “Closed” door sign confused some while it was open
– First-timers may find it tricky; surrounding mall feels a bit run-down, but inside is pleasant

Paragraphs:
Customers come for the authentic Pinoy comfort food and that lively, homey vibe. Inside feels warm and welcoming, with music and a small bar that add to the buzz. Diners enjoy value-for-money plates like lechon kawali, sisig, and garlic rice, plus snacks such as adobo wings and lumpia that many rave about. The Saturday breakfast buffet for £12.49 draws folks in—even from London—for crowd-pleasers like beef tapa, longganisa, tocino, and those TJ-style hotdogs. Others mention hearty bowls like Beef Mami, and sweet endings such as turon, along with fun sips like an ube colada or a cold Red Horse.

Diners enjoy the buffet’s flavors and price, although a few mention advertised items not showing up (like champorado). Portions are generally generous, especially at breakfast, and some guests even got freebies, which left a nice impression. The space itself feels cozy despite the mall being a bit tired outside.

Experiences with service and consistency vary. Many found the team friendly and attentive, but some customers claim service ran slow, desserts arrived late, or staff weren’t sure about ingredients—especially when asked about pork. A couple of visits ran into stock issues (no cocktails, no soup that day), and one mentioned a toilet outage. Food-wise, people love the wings, nachos, and crispy pork belly, although a few had off days—like a dry, small crispy pork portion, a honey-garlic chicken that leaned too sweet, or spring rolls that tasted off. The music adds energy, but when live singers are on, it can get loud for table chatter. Finding the place can be a little confusing the first time (even the door sign said “Closed” during one visit), but most say it’s worth it once you’re inside and settled.