Chef Rhea Rizzo of Mrs. Saldo’s pours her heart and life experiences into the menu at her latest pop-up at Rockwell’s Balmori Suites.
Despite being located a few kilometers away from the metro, Mrs. Saldo’s in Silang has gotten the great achievement of being hailed by Manileños as a top destination restaurant—a dining spot worth seeking out for flavors and experiences not easily found in the capital.
Replicating the charm of its original home is no easy nor straightforward task, but it’s a challenge that chef Rhea Rizzo aces time and time again—in collaborations and recurring pop-ups in Metro Manila. She continues on that track with her latest venture: the ongoing Nayam pop-up at Rockwell’s Balmori Suites.
Open until January 5 and named after the Tamil word for grace or subtlety, Nayam is a new avenue for the Gaggan-trained chef to serve up everything from existing Mrs. Saldo’s favorites, returning numbers from old pop-ups, and completely new creations—all with the same vibrant flavors and refreshing ways of revisiting Asian classics that have come to define her craft.
It also functions as a platform of sorts for chef Rhea to corroborate her life experiences as a whole. “I’d describe Nayam as the culmination of all the things I have learned as a creative, a business operator, and a curator,” she explains.
Chef Rhea doesn’t shy away from the opportunity to do pop-ups they allow her “to be more creative, and give birth to these concepts that are living in my head,” she tells The POST. “Pop-ups also give me an opportunity to address the distribution gap and be closer I guess to those who are curious about the brand, or to those who really want to try our food, but find Silang a bit far.”
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“On top of that, it’s a great and quick feedback loop when it comes to gathering data,” the chef continues. “Even if it’s my third time doing this, I am still learning so much about preferences and which concept resonates with who.”
In coming up with the lineup for Nayam, Rhea looks to past and present works—from her current tasting menu in Silang, and from other collaborations that have become fan favorites. She then gives them tiny tweaks to suit her updated sensibilities. Elsewhere, she fashions new creations based on her many travels.
Rhea’s spectrum of influences is nothing short of eclectic, as she looks back on dishes that had left “indelible imprints” on her brain from past trips (especially to the likes of Hanoi, Hoi An, Seoul, Ubud, and Penang, among others).
Western techniques are also incorporated strategically into her work, drawing from her French culinary training. She utilizes ingredients and combines elements from these different parts of the globe in ways that are playful but ultimately cohesive, and always with results as vivid in flavor and expressive in personality as chef Rhea herself.
What’s on the Menu at Nayam?
Chef Rhea presents starters that tickle the taste buds from multiple angles—think Oyster Blade BBQ over smoked whipped cheese with a mango yuzu kosho; Grilled Prawn Whipped Aligue on sourdough; rempeyek kacang-esque Dilis & Peanut Chips with a kaffir lime aioli; Peanut & Bagoong Korean Fried Chicken with dilis and yuzu yogurt; and Banh Mi Toast with pork jowl, chicken liver inasal, atsara, and annatto jus.
This free-spirited attitude carries over to the mains. Crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside Duck Confit is served over a rich, spiced sauce in the style of that of the Indonesian curry called gulai ayam. The French classic that is sole meunière is reimagined as the dish of Barramundi in beurre noisette, scented with kaffir limes and lent brininess by capers.
The Pan-Fried Salmon is a standout. Paired with a Goan curry sauce, crispy chunks of saba, sambal mata for even more zing, and pickled onions, it’s precisely the kind of dish that offers a party in tastes and textures. Even the bistro favorite of steak and fries gets Mrs. Saldo’s-fied in the Makhang Pepper Demi Steak Frites, its juicy, medium-rare slices of beef laid over a deeply savory sauce infused with citrusy, woody notes of Makhang (mắc khén) pepper.
Chef Rhea also gives the diner plenty of scrumptious reasons to leave room for dessert. The Mango Coconut Sticky Rice gets a velvety upgrade with the addition of a white chocolate and coconut ganache, while the Earl Grey & Chocolate Cake is anything but textbook with its topping of a lapsang suchong meringue.
For the traditionalists, there’s the Sticky Date Pudding in a rightfully sweet and sticky toffee sauce. Even more ravishing is the Chai Ice Cream served as a popsicle, accompanied by saffron-scented creme Anglaise, pistachios, and rose petals. And those looking to heal their inner child will want to consider the Auro Dark Chocolate Tart filled with a rum chocolate mousse and honeycomb.
What Nayam offers, as with the rest of chef Rhea’s repertoire, is a tapestry of the tastes that have come to define her life experiences, expressed through her own xenophilic and imaginative lens. It’s the same principle that has guided her direction in Silang and through her various projects over the years—and now, we see it shaping Nayam to become a brilliant and captivating venture to be remembered in the years to come.
Nayam is located at the Balmori Suites, Rockwell Center, Makati. It is open until January 5, 2027.
