The Borderless Cooking of Mrs. Saldo’s Restaurant
Good food is best enjoyed with great company. With the country’s influx of culinary offerings, it’s always exciting to try something new. Restaurateurs and chefs have become more adventurous and creative in what they offer.
What a time to be alive to experience all of these!
At the heart of Silang Cavite, is Mrs. Saldo’s, a perfect destination for people who are drawn to culture, design, nature, and of course, good food. Entering Mrs. Saldo’s brings a similar exhilaration to seeing a country for the first time — from its gates inspired by Kyoto architecture, a jungle-esque half-a-hectare space inspired by Ubud, Indonesia, or its bistro setting reflective of the Napa look and vibe.
These design elements compliment its global menu of comfort food and staples, done with creative fusion. It’s a true escape that slows down time and gives you the space to enjoy the company who you’re with. The restaurant is only a few hours away from Manila, but at the same time, it feels like you’re a world away from the hustle and bustle of reality.
The Brain Behind Mrs. Saldo’s
Rhea Rizzo is the brain behind Mrs. Saldo’s. While her journey to the kitchen wasn’t a straight line, the joy of cooking found its way back to her. Now, she feels she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.
Growing up with a lola who was very good at cooking dinuguan and fried chicken, she developed an early liking for the craft. She imparts wanting to cook for friends and family since she was eight: “In fact, I had a dream of opening the house up to our neighbors selling champurrado,” she shares.
More than a decade after being a full-time mother, and then starting a marketing company, the calling to the kitchen found her once again when she watched an episode of culinary name, Chef Gaggan Anand. She sent him an email asking for an internship and this led to a very immersive, tough, and thorough stint in Thailand. Her experience with Chef Anand was then followed by further exploration in Ubud in Bali, Indonesia.
“I pursued a culinary degree after my hotel and restaurant management course. Right after that, I started working in a hotel, but you know, life happens and throws a curveball at you. My daughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.”
“As a mother, she is my priority. It took about ten years of building that network of help that she needed, even until now. When I was finally comfortable with that support system for her, I started a marketing company for restaurants, another necessary bus stop I think that led me to where I am today.“
Culinary Creativity
As a creative at heart, she describes her cooking as both borderless and intentional. Her cooking is reflective of her experiences travelling, training, and just experiencing life with people she loves:
“Being a creative, when you try so many cuisines around the world, or dishes from different places, it just ignites something inside of you.”
Whether it’s like a memory – say with my grandmother’s dinuguan with fried chicken and there’s a light bulb moment – oh, this combination works with this spice, or with this technique, right? It can be a classical French technique, but using Asian ingredients.”
One of Mrs. Saldo’s best-sellers is the Thai Fish Curry, centered around the Hamachi fish that’s airflown from Japan.
“The star is definitely the fish, and it’s quite a fatty fish, so how do we cut through the richness but still highlighting its flavor. We serve it with a light Thai curry sauce and for an Indonesian twist we serve it with a peanut sauce using this Bumbu Bali paste. And then for texture, we add fried shallots and for freshness, lots of cilantro, mint and kaffir.
This is what I learned from my stay in Bangkok. Herbs are not used as garnish. It’s a huge component of the dish. And then we finish it off with curry cilantro oil just to heighten the freshness.”
Another crowd favorite is the Crudo, served with ikura (red caviar) from Japan, with wakame (algae) and citrus yuzu curd. The slices of hamachi are on top of a puff pastry underneath, playfully mixing textures and taste.
Barramundi is also part of the restaurant’s best sellers: “It’s pan-fried barramundi with crispy skin and then we serve that with a beurre noisette, which is essentially “almost” burnt butter – when you cook butter to the point before it turns black and inedible, it starts to smell and taste like hazelnuts. For texture, there’s fried croutons made with our sourdough. And finally for acidity, there’s lemon and capers.”
Beyond Success
Rizzo acknowledges that following dreams and passions bring in tough moments. It may be enough to make you stop, and sometimes, it will:
“But I love what I do and because of that, I am able to weather through those challenges and hopefully, continue on this path. Every dream at some point becomes a matter of conviction.
At least for me, one definition of success is to make that decision to never let fear stop me. I think it’s very important to pursue this dream and see where it takes me.”
Get to know more about Mrs. Saldo’s and its delectable cuisine on IG and FB.
