Chef Rhea Rizzo’s Nayam menu reads like a culinary passport, transporting you to places around Asia where she has fond memories of. From Korean fried chicken reimagined with the flavors of kare-kare to Vietnamese bún chả transformed into crispy pork belly lumpia, each dish reflects her flair for taking familiar favorites somewhere unexpected. Thai street food, Indonesian sambal, Goan curry, and French cooking techniques all find a place alongside distinctly Filipino ingredients and flavors. Personal, playful, and rooted in the joy of discovery, Nayam is Rizzo’s way of turning food memories into something entirely her own.
Find out the stories behind some of her pop-up dishes.
Wagyu Oyster Blade. Smoked Whipped Cheese. Mango Yuzu Kosho. Pickled Labanos
“The inspiration behind this dish is quite layered. It’s Moo Ping, which is this street food grilled pork skewers you’ll find in Bangkok, but I decided to go with beef instead. And [it’s also inspired] by this dish I tried in one of my favorite restaurants in Melbourne, where my son goes to university.”
“The pickled labanos was something we created for our recent collab with Dominion Cellar with chef Carlos, and the mango yuzu kosho was something I learned from my boss, chef Shun-san in Bangkok.”
Dilis & Peanut Chips. Kaffir Lime Aioli
“It was during a YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) event in Ubud, and we were all staying in this beautiful resort where every night they would give us three complimentary snacks, and the rempeyek was one of them. I am not really a snacks person nor am I a late snack eater, but I ended up devouring all the rempeyek and saba chips every night, that I would even leave a note with housekeeping asking if they could give me more. So we experimented with our own version. And since I’m Pinay and we like our dips, we made a kaffir–calamansiCalamansiA small, tart citrus native to the Philippines, with thin green skin and juicy, sour-sweet flesh. Squeezed into sawsawan, marinades, noodle dishes, and cold drinks, calamansi brightens everything it touchesGo to Calamansi Glossary aioli.”
Thai Chicken Wings & Papaya Salad
“This is an iteration of our stuffed Thai chicken wings from our bang bang tasting menu [at Mrs. Saldo’s in Cavite], and I wanted to offer something easy without the fuss. So I guess it’s like the more laidback cousin of that particular course. I usually get crap from my lovely friends that I don’t have enough salads on my menus, so I thought of adding the papaya salad (which I learned in Bangkok) on top of the wings!”
KFC – Kare-kare Korean Fried Chicken
“One of my recent trips was in Seoul a few months back, and I was gung ho in finding the best fried chicken that I could find. The first ones were a bit disappointing, but finally, on our last day we were rewarded with I feel like one of the best fried chickens of my life. We ordered so much and we were only two people because I wanted to try the entire menu (we ended up bringing our leftovers on the plane, I know I know).”
“Anyway, the one I really liked the most was the one that was inspired by the chef’s childhood memory and that stuck with me. I like a good kare-kareKare-KareA celebrated Filipino stew of oxtail, tripe, and vegetables in a thick, nutty peanut sauce tinted golden with annatto. Served with a side of bagoong alamang to balance the mildGo to Kare-Kare Glossary so I thought why not use the ingredients that make kare-kare a kare-kare and turn that into a Korean fried chicken?”
Nam Tok Thai Beef Salad
“This was an easy memory. First time in Chiang Mai, and I swear you will really find gems in these street food tours that I usually sign up for (I find it to be the most efficient way of jumping right into the market culture of a city). Anyway, best Nam Tok of my life which is this grilled beef salad that they serve with toasted rice, herbs and liver. And because I need more salads, this is it.”
Buncha a la Saldo’s. Nuoc Cham. Rice Noodles
“This was an idea that came to mind from our most recent family trip to Hoi An and Hanoi. Dave, my husband has been nonstop telling me that the best buncha is in this restaurant inside the Capella, and he booked us lunch there. Sometimes he’s not right, but he really nailed this one. It was really the best bun cha I’ve tried, and this is sort of an homage to that, but I made it a bit more Pinoy by turning it into a lumpia and instead of grilled pork. We made it crispy pork belly.”
BMT (Banh Mi Toast). Annatto jus. Atchara Salad. Chicken Liver inasal.
“The best one was the one we tried in Hanoi, and I remember barking at Dave to help Ate move the karitela so it would face the people lining up as it was a tiny street and she was struggling a bit. The Banh Mi has pork, the veggies and a liver spread. So I made my own pork etag by marinating it in amazake for two days, curing it for two and smoking it for a total of 8–12 hours depending on the cut that I find that day. I made chicken liver mousse but incorporating it with Bacolod inasal flavours and making our atchara. To make it more Pinoy, we serve it with annatto demi-glace, and we serve it on our house-made sourdough toast.”
Duck Confit. Gulai Ayam. Yogurt Cucumber & Mint. Sambal Embe
“I went back to my French roots here, and we confit our duck legs however using Asian aromats and spices. We then serve it with this rich yellow curry that I learned making in Penang, and to cut through the richness of the curry and the duck, it has a yogurt cucumber and mint–-almost like a raita. And then for texture and another way to cut through the richness of the duck and curry, we serve it with Sambal Embe, which is something I learned when I was living in Indonesia.”
Barramundi. Kaffir – Fish Sauce Beurre Noisette. Capers. Sourdough Croutons
“This is an Asian iteration of one of our best sellers in Silang. Yes, this was inspired by the Sole Meuniere of Voltaire in Paris where I also had the best sweet potato puree of my life. But to make it “Nayam” we added kaffir and fish sauce to add more umami.”
Salmon. Goan Curry. Sambal Matah. Deep fried coconut saba. Kremes
“This was an iteration of this curry dish I did for my collab with Agni when I did Western India. Because it’s Goan curry, with Goa being a coastal region with Portuguese influences, I added banana that we grill first in coconut (something I learned by watching this guy in Or Tor Kor market in Bangkok) then we deep fry that in almost like a tempura batter to add texture.”
“I wanted something again to cut through the richness of the salmon and curry but still coconut based ergo the sambal matah, which again something I learned living in Indonesia and finally for added texture, kremes which is something you can find in an Indonesian Ayam Goreng, and also I have seen it on a Malaysian/Singaporean Nasi Goreng.”
Makhang Pepper Steak Frites.
“Because I love a Steak Frites but I wanted an Asian version of it. Going back to our family trip in Hanoi, I dragged the family to go with me on a street food tour. Problem was it started to rain really hard, and I was with our special needs daughter and our son who doesn’t like getting mud on his shoes (but he did very well and didn’t complain).
Anyway, our guide was like ‘you need to try these Vietnamese mountain pepper that’s hard to find, and I know someone.’ So, instead of making the comfortable decision to just go back to the hotel for the family to not walk in the market in the rain, I dragged them all so I can get my hands on this pepper. This is the result of that.”
NAYAM by Mrs. Saldo’s is located at The Balmori Chef’s Table, Ground Floor, The Balmori Suites, Hidalgo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati. It will run until January 5, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rhea Rizzo is the chef, owner, and founder of the restaurant Mrs. Saldo’s.
Nayam by Mrs. Saldo’s is a pop-up led by Chef Rhea Rizzo that will run until January 5, 2027.
It is located at The Balmori Chef’s Table, Ground Floor, The Balmori Suites, Hidalgo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati.
By just looking at the dishes and knowing what ingredients they’re made up of, one can already infer just how well-traveled Rhea Rizzo is. Nayam’s menu, then, is a reflection of her well-traveled her palate and food sensibilities are as well.
Yes. There was the barramundi and kaffir dishe served with a fish sauce beurre noisette, capers, and sourdough croutons. This dish was a riff on the Sole Meuniere of Voltaire in Paris, but her version uses kaffir and fish sauce to add more umami to the original sweet potato inspiration.
There was also pan-fried salmon and goan curry, which was served with sambal matah, deep fried saba, and kremes.
There was the Wagyu Oyster Blade (served with smoked whipped cheese, mango yuzu kosho, and pickled labanos), Kare-kare Korean Fried Chicken, and Duck Confit (with gulai ayam, sambal embe, yogurt, cucumber, and mint).
