My Sialo Experience: Chef Ron's One-of-a-Kind Degustation Menu

I rarely write anything these days, but this event with the remarkable Chef Ron of Cebu, Philippines, is just too good to pass up!

Last night, we were invited to partake of Chef Ron's 8-course degustation dinner menu at Sialo. As this was the 2nd invitation in a short span of a year, expectations were pretty high.

In his first ever degustation dinner at his home in 2017, he blew us away with his 'strange' (sometimes kilay-raising even) creations that married unlikely flavors that, somehow, blended perfectly on the tongue.

What surprise has he prepared for us now? Will he be able to top what he did last time? What new ingredients has he discovered? What changes to his service sequence has he implemented at Sialo?  Where will his big imagination take us this time? With Chef Ron, you just have to be ready with an open mind and an adventurous tongue.

For this dinner, Chef Ron said his new tasting menu will highlight local dishes with a twist and feature mostly ingredients and plants endemic (or at least very common) in Cebu. He wants to explore, elevate and champion modern Cebuano cuisine. And the way he did it? Proud to say that he did not disappoint. Let me show you.

Sialo's table setting for the night

Loved the simplicity, symmetry and play of glasses. Very basic and clean, not cluttered at all. As the overhead lights hit the table, it's like looking at and being dazzled by stars. You don't really get its sense of purpose until you sit down and feel the ease and coziness of the arrangement. By becoming simpler, his table setting has gone more elegant. Something to note for our own table set ups at home, yes? Impressive. Made me more excited for the dishes to come. 

Amuse-bouche (say as 'amoozboosh') is an appetizer meant to "amuse" the palate before a meal

To start, Chef Ron's 4 types of amuse-bouches. From left: yogurt sphere with gotu kola; goat cheese with red pepper puree; red watermelon and pickled goat cheese with basil; and smoked anduhaw pate with sour cream, dill, and truffle caviar

My personal favorite was the yogurt with gotu kola - which is said to be very common, you may even find it at your own backyard ;) Didn't expect the mix of yogurt and this plain green thing to be so refreshing. Sweet with a bite of bitter. Such a healthy mix. And of course, the smoked anduhaw with truffle caviar is a winner, too. The mouth is simply amused by the love affair of the anduhaw and caviar - which, as we say, are both a "catch".

Sialo's version of Cebu's Soup No. 5

Chef Ron personally calls this the "Love Soup". As he tells us, the meat- which he had to wake up very early for and buy at Carbon market since it gets sold out very fast - is cooked for 6 hours, then pureed and fused with herbs and spices, then added to the broth which was separately cooked.

Admittedly, I had to drum up some courage in taking the first spoonful. I mean, my imagination is just running wild! I may be a homegrown Cebuana, but I have never, ever, developed the taste for this local favorite, Lansiao -- (let me say this fast:) tender meat literally made of bull testicles and genitalia or penis chopped into smaller parts. So there!

But amazingly enough, Sialo's Love Soup is gooood! The broth is thick and still exotic to the tongue but none of the yucky aftertaste at all. Maybe because the meat was pureed and has transformed to a better-looking element? Haha. Or maybe it was tamed by the local herbs thrown in. Whatever, I ate the whole serving and told the mind to shusshh! Only you, Chef Ron, has made me do so. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing 

Sialo's beet root salad with vinaigrette, goat cheese, and gotu kola

Not a fan of beetroot either, despite its great reviews for its high nutritional value. But somehow the right mix of dressing, cheese and greens gave it such an interesting flavor, i cleaned up the bowl! As caught on cam, see that happy diner 

Heart of palm (ubod) fettuccini, with zucchini, parmigiano-reggiano, and the amazing popcorn powder

The most surprising dish of all. The dish that made us all go-- "What the -- this chef's brain must be out of this world." Bravo to his creativity and limitless imagination.

Who would have thought that ubod (heart of palm), when properly dressed, could pass for a fettuccine? Only a fashion designer-chef would! And then, sprinkled with popcorn powder of all things! Popcorn powder as a pasta element is certainly a first for me and I loved it! In fact, I forgot all about table etiquette and crossed over to the Yab's plate to scrape off some of it, too - it's that good!

A mix of gin, ginger, lavender, lemon peel, jasmine, galanggal, lemongrass and rosal, through an infusion siphon

This hot shot is said to be a palate cleanser. The chef made us drink this before proceeding to the main courses. As if we needed one from all the wines we've been drowning our system. But, I discovered to my delight, this beauty is Not to be missed. One of the best cocktails I've ever tasted (better than Dill or No Dill, promise!). Who would've thought that our dalagang Rosal could get along with Gin so well?! Tempted to get another shot then another, but on the third one, the chef whistled a warning. Oh well, everything in moderation then. But how could one resist when one shot could easily clear the mind? So refreshing.

Sialo's Deconstructed Kinilaw - Yellow fin tuna cured for 24 hours with dill, vodka, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, pepper corn, with coconut-calamansi jelly

The Yab's favorite. The only time I heard him make a commentary on the table. Then after, while driving, still muttering, "Oh, that tuna..." This man, who likes his food straightforward, and nothing fancy, just gave a rare nod of approval! As he said, at first, you don't know what to make of it, but towards the end, as the tuna graciously starts to melt on your tongue, boom! Suddenly, a burst of heady flavors.

Sialo's sous vide pork belly, with heritage carrots, rice crackling, celery and apple puree

Chef Ron disclosed that the meat had to be cured for 24hrs then slow-cooked for 36 hours. Wow! Talk about the right blend of passion and perseverance. This tells me that while most big dreams require bold imagination, it must also be tempered by patience. The result? Meat-oh-so-tender-and-tasty! The saltiness balanced by the sweetness of the purees. If we weren't already a bit full as of this time, we would have shed all gracious manners and asked for a big pot of white-calorific-rice!

Sialo's masareal sorbet, with cucumber done 3 ways (smoked, pickled in vanilla syrup, and jelly)

Another one of those "How did you ever come up with this combo?" moment. So we had to ask the chef, how did you know that cucumber and masareal would pair so well? Chef Ron has his story: when he was a kid, he used to eat his cucumber with peanut butter. Jaws drop. Bananas and peanut butter, yes. But cucumber? Why didn't we ever experience that before? That would have been interesting, yes? As for me, I have a newfound respect for the local delicacy masareal. I don't eat much of it anymore because of its over sweetness and hard texture. But then again, when pampered and subjected to a proper makeover, this oh-so-soft-sorbet is just deliciously gorgeous!

Sialo's millenial budbud (sticky rice), with mango, mango and lemon puree, cocoa crumble, coconut-ginger sorbet, and coconut-white chocolate foam

My. Absolute. Favorite. The budbud with mango is a Cebuano dessert staple but this-- this I haven't tasted anything quite like. After the first bite, I thought - okay, we've found the entry to win all competing food entries. Chef Ron definitely saved the best for last. Just indescribable -words don't do it justice-- you Have To Taste It. You know that feeling after traveling to so many beautiful places, there is that even deeper thrill (even relief) of coming home, of finding the warmth, familiarity and comfort of a deeply missed loved one like no other? This is it. This is home. This is love grown. Familiar yet different. A love transformed you never expected. Not too sweet anymore, but still melts in the heart, and very easy on the stomach.

In fact, we were so happy that after a moment of silence savoring the food, we couldn't help but give a spontaneous round of applause to Sialo's Chef Ron. Speechless but stomachs full and hearts overflowing.

To Chef Ron of Sialo, congratulations!  Thank you so much for the honor and privilege of making us a happy part of this awesome journey. As a friend, I am so inspired by what you have accomplished. More than your talent and creativity, I am amazed by your heart, dedicated passion, generosity, and sense of purpose. As a business woman, I can see that Sialo has definitely evolved -- your months of research, study and practice have given your sequence a beautiful structure, you've nailed your timing and food portioning (this time, we were able to eat it all - wohooo!), all the while maintaining your creativity and spunk. Honestly, your menu is unlike any other - unexpected, original and something that we are definitely proud to call #modernCebuanocuisine. You've masterfully done a makeover and elevated what is common to something we can dream about. So to your question, YES - you are ready! Just do it :)

As defined by Wikipedia: "Dégustation is the careful, appreciative tasting of various food, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature dishes in one sitting."

To my fellow happy guinea pigs, the night was made more awesome having spent it with you guys! Thank you for the stories, time, shared laughter, shared love, sense of adventure and contagious enthusiasm for Chef Ron's wild imagination and even wilder food! 

By appointment only

To everyone reading this blog, this is one experience I am very happy to recommend. If you want something uncommon, truly Cebuano, delicious, healthy and exclusive - SIALO na. Chef Ron is worth it.

Introductory price at P2,000 per head, minimum of 8 persons, maximum 25. Eight courses. Additional charge applies for wine pairing. By appointment only.