Local is luxury.
Gastronomic Proposition
Sialo is an ongoing exploration of identity, place, and memory, expressed through ingredients native to Cebu and its surrounding seas. Our work is rooted in the belief that local cuisine can evolve without losing its sense of origin, and that dining can be both thoughtful and transformative.
Guided by a modernist and progressive approach, we create dishes that are deliberate yet playful—sometimes challenging, sometimes familiar—shaped by emotion, cultural memory, and shared narratives. Technique serves intention, allowing ingredients to speak while recontextualizing them for a contemporary palate.
At Sialo, the dining experience is designed to engage the senses and encourage reflection, questioning established notions of tradition while respecting their foundations. Through this process, we aim to contribute to a forward-looking Cebuano cuisine—one that is rooted in place, conscious of its responsibility, and open to the future.
Philosophy of Responsibility
The cuisine at Sialo is driven by a philosophy of responsibility—to place, to memory, and to the future of Cebuano food. Guided by a modernist and progressive approach, the kitchen works with ingredients found in Cebu and its surrounding seas, not to preserve them in time, but to allow them to evolve. Technique is used as a tool for clarity rather than excess, with each dish shaped by cultural memory, emotion, and intent. Through this approach, cooking becomes both an act of creation and of stewardship, contributing to a contemporary Cebuano cuisine that remains deeply rooted in its origins.
What they’re saying
EXCELLENTTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Beautiful restaurant with great food and a lovely atmosphere. I really enjoyed my visit and will definitely be coming back. Excited to try their new tasting menu soon!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really enjoyed the dining experience! The taste is faithful to the Cebuano identity, but the surprises are from the presentation and the burst of flavors are from the mains and the desserts.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 5/5 stars! Sialo Restaurant truly exceeded my expectations! The food was superb – a bold yet thoughtful recreation of Cebuano dishes that showcased each course with precision and creativity. I loved how every dish was well-portioned, allowing us to savor the 13-course meal without feeling overwhelmed. One suggestion for improvement: adding some decorative touches or greenery to the entrance would elevate the overall ambiance of this hidden gem. Nonetheless, the exceptional food and service make Sialo a must-visit for anyone looking to experience authentic Cebuano cuisine. Highly recommended!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. You will not find a better restaurant that treats almost forgotten Cebuano ingredients with such reverence, playfulness, and great technical skill. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and chatting with the chefs who you could tell are passionate and knowledgeable about their craft. No one else in Cebu is at Sialo's level!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. unbelievable, no words. definitely Michelin star worthy facility.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very good experience. I get to taste everyrhing about Cebuano cuisine but with a twist and innovation. Presentation is superb and very creative. Though, most of the food are plantbased, I hope they serve more meat and uses lean part of the meat for the main course. Also, i hope that the "sakit sa baboy" dish, they use lean cut of pork instead of pork belly because, the pork cut used was so fatty that we didn't finish it. I might end up naming the dish "sakit sa tangkugo" coz of highblood😅 Overall, we enjoyed the experience. Im happy that there is a tasting menu in Cebu that highlights Cebuano cuisine😀Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very nice experience! The taste was clean but the connection to the local food culture is the best part.
EXCELLENTVerified A must Visit in Cebu!! A fantastic night of foods, fun and culinary cultural experiences. Recently booked a Hikay 18 course menu for my 6th year anniversary with the wife, and had a really enjoyable night! First of all I would like to acknowledge how accommodating the entire Sialo staff were upon arriving. Miss Candice the manager was exceptional towards my wife and I. The Cebuano inspired food was delicious, made with locally sourced ingredients, and upon presenting the difference dishes the staff will give a rundown on the dishes ingredients and a little bit of Cebuano cultural meaning of the dish itself. Marvi and Racquel presented the dishes throughout the night and done a fantastic job, very knowledgeable and answered my questions about the dishes as I’m a foreigner and not familiar with the Bisaya terms. I can see the passion of the head chef in briefly chatting with him and hearing him chatting to the other tables, and it shows through the positive, professional attitude of the staff, the food and general atmosphere of Sialo. Would recommend for foodies and non foodies alike, something different to do when you’re in Cebu City! 11/10 (:Posted onVerified Putting Visayan food culture front and centre Sialo is a very nice fine dining restaurant and we had a lovely experience there. It bookended our week long journey eating through Cebu. The 23-course degustation told us a story of Visayan food culture and ingredients. We enjoyed the welcome snacks that paid homage to Pongko-Pongko. We particularly liked the canapé-version of Tuslob Buwa, the ‘brain gravy dip’ which became our favourite Cebuano street food. There was lots of foam, spuma, gels and “caviar” for those who like molecular techniques. We’re a little past the age where we would rave about molecular techniques and high levels of construction and plating. But the test was whether it was delicious or not. And it was. The chicken ‘macaroni’, where the ‘pasta’ was made from chicken broth set into a gel, was particularly pretty and scrumptious. The heirloom corn mousse was sweet and appetising, and I liked how it was carved to look at a charred corn cob. The squid stuffed with rice in ink was nicely umami, and reminded me of a dish we had in a traditional Catalan restaurant. Even though 23 courses were a lot, thought was clearly given to balance and we were still able to eat dessert. The calamansi garden dessert was particularly stunning to the eye, and my inner child loved the cotton candy foliage. We had a good time. We’ve had 100+ Michelin stars of dining experience and have stopped counting or caring for stars. Rather, I look for and appreciate restaurants like Siola and chefs like Ron who care about their roots and put it front and centre in a fine-dining setting.Posted onVerified Fabulous innovative fine dining This is a great place for a special dinner and I did it on the last day of my holiday. The sixteen course menu was a bargain and about a fifth of the price something like this would cost me back home. Not a single course was a miss, indeed they were all delightful and all contained several elements. Special mention to the rainbow on my plate I was encouraged to lick in two directions. And to the “three soups” which were a play on three of the most common soups in Cebu - only one of them had been made into noodles. Service was impeccable - from the moment they gave me directions and came to find me as I was lost to my final extremely delicious halo halo dessert.Posted onVerified Unique Fine Dining This place is good for fine dining where we can be able to taste the unique ingredients and flavor of their foods. I highly recommend it to everyone , it is a family-friendly restaurants.Posted onVerified 13 course meal! Food was great, each dish unique with local ingredients being used. It was a good and unique experience! We spent the entire evening there (first course started at 7:30pm and last one ended at 11:30pm).Posted onVerified A whole new meaning to Local Food experience! Just love everything about the degustation dinner prepared by no less than the Master Chef himself, Ron V! Thanks to a high school friend for the invitation, we were treated to a whole new level of dining. Chef Ron put a whole new meaning to local food experience! Have never tried eating “kinilaw” before (I am not into “raw fishes”) but Chef Ron’s unique take on “deconstructed tangigueng kinilaw” is simply brilliant. First ever experience too to try takyong, and I say it Chef Ron has a genius mind in balancing the different taste to tempt your palate. Love the talinum and banana blossom salad! Is there anything in the degustation dinner I do not love? TBH, none! The dinner was made more perfect with the perfect closing of a whole new budbud experience. The food were simply excellent, and not to mention that the presentation was a work of art. Definitely World-Class! I just hope more people will get to experience Chef Ron’s expertise, he is absolutely going places with his mastery in Sialo!Posted onVerified Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a culinary rebel!!! I've been following Sialo on social media for some time now and, to be very honest, have been highly skeptical since most "modern gastro fusion" in these parts usually mean a culinary version of the Emperor's new clothes. However, I jumped at the chance to join a tasting experience after a few weeks of talking with Ron, the brains and palate behind Sialo. Experience is the right word because there is no formal restaurant to speak of. Sialo is like a throwback to the speakeasy bars at the turn of the century... a secret place for people in the know. This experience is set inside the owner's atelier located in a sleepy neighborhood. The moment you step in, you see Ron hunched at the table, doing the last preps of the evening. The air is filled with the heady aroma of Asian spices... particularly lemongrass and ginger, wafting from the vacuum coffee maker beside him. I was particularly happy that the guests tonight were people I actually knew but haven't met in decades, so it was a memorable reunion of sorts. The degustation experience started with the amuse bouche, the palate opener composed of a yoghurt sphere with rose petals (crumbed and dehydrated) followed by goats cheese with red pepper puree and local basil, then a type of vegetable tartare: crispy quinoa with spheres and foam... the last spoonful tinapa mousse with cranberry caviar. I wish the tinapa was toasted or grilled slightly to bring out its smoky and nutty flavors and lift this dish a little more since it was the last on its course, but that's just my preference. To cleanse the palate, this starter was followed by a warm shot of the wickedly delicious gin infused with lemongrass, galangal, lemon, and sampaguita (local jasmine)... best drank quick and warm since the flavors tend to mellow when it cools down. This was followed by an interesting spiced soup of coconut milk and mango... warm and toasty with a slight heat that is carefully balanced, The next course was the beautifully plated Beetroot Three Ways (picked in orange juice, confit, marinated in olive oil) with orange segments, a kind of snow and nasturtium leaves. I am a big fan of beetroot and the curing of the beetroot mellowed the taste and textures, which perhaps could appeal to people who haven't had this before (beetroot is not a commonly found ingredient in the Philippines). Another hit was the Ubod (heart of palm) Fettuccine with popcorn powder and Parmigiano Riggiano (or just plain parmesan) crisp. I had mixed reaction to this dish because I absolutely loved the ubod and the crisp. However, the popcorn didn't add anything to this dish... it felt gimmicky and the dish would have stood on its on as Ubod Fettuccine with Parmesan Two Ways. Next course was the beautifully plated Deconstructed Kinilaw... beautifully cured tanigue (often translated as wahoo but includes certain types of mackerel and bonito) topped with separate layers of coconut and calamansi jellies. Often, Cebuano kinilaw is soaked in the marinating liquid (vinegar and/or calamansi), which breaks down the tissue and cooks it to the point of being mushy. However, this deconstruction preserves the integrity of the fish but each mouthful gives you the familiar tastes of this iconic dish. The most intriguing dish, Taklong (Forest Snails) with arugula puree and arugula foam. This was my first time to eat it but the way it was carefully cooked made it taste familiar... like sea clams. The sauces gave the dish a much needed counterpoint to the rich snails, while the interesting cadena de amor flowers,(flowers of a common weed vine in the Philippines). Except for a little scale that was in one of the snails, this was a pleasant eating experience. That dish was the introduction to the main course: sousvide pork belly with vegetables and dehydrated rice.... this was a party on a plate, where the flavorful pork (marinated then sous vide for a total fo 4 days)... I have been cooking sous vide for some time now and this dish is a perfect example of a beautifully cooked meat. Textures of sunflower petals and sprouts added bursts of freshness to this rich dish. The dehydrated rice gave an interesting feel of eating lechon with puso... Maybe Ron could think of incorporating the flavor of coconut leaves in future versions. To cool things down, the next course was an interesting combination of Cucumber done 3 ways and Masareal ice cream. While I wasn't much of a fan of the cucumber (I felt that it needed a bit more freshness to temper the richness of the previous course) but, for me, the Masareal Ice Cream was a hit as it fully captured the nuances of my favorite Cebuano dessert, which is normally made from ground fresh nuts, water and sugar. The final course was, for me, the most exciting.. the pièce de résistance which had everyone ooh-ing in delight. The budbud with tsokolate, sikwate powder, coconut and ginger sorbet and mango caviar recreated the traditional breakfast experience of eating budbud with local cocoa (sikwate) or salabat and a slice of mango. The combination is a no-brainer, actually, since it is actually found in other similar desserts in other parts of the Philippines (like the calamayhati of Iloilo or moron of southern Cebu)... but it is the exquisite pairing with the modern take of the paired flavors that elevated this experience. Sialo is an exciting feature to the Philippine culinary scene. Each dish carefully reflects the dedication and passion of a man who absolutely loves what he is doing. It is by no means quick (reservations have to be done 7 days in advance because that's how long it takes to prepare each experience and whenever a slot can have at least 6 people). It is a work in progress (not all dishes worked for me as a general degustation journey... a few of them could need to be packed with more flavor or some of the elements have already melted by the time it reached the table) but you know that you're one of the privileged few who are invited to join a passionate maverick on his way to make a mark in the food scene of the country.Posted onVerified Savoring the splendor @ SIALO Exquisite dining experience! Each serving is a symphony of tasting, seeing, and hearing the burp or lip-smacking satisfaction. With the touch and feel of a fine culinary artist, chef Ronald dishes out these delights like your mouth is a masterpiece and your stomach is where your soul is. To eat is to believe, or to see for yourself when you get the chance to sit like royalty at the table of Sialo.Posted onVerified Elevated Filipino food. First molecular gastro experience I've ever had. Fun times, fully exceeded my expectations. That soup was ridiculous, dessert was awesome. Probably coming back.Posted onVerified Impressive Degustation Dinner Unique impressive gastronomic meal you will ever have and worth the experience!This budding chef is definitely going places!
Location
Sialo
prefix, from Greek sialon, word-forming element meaning saliva or salivary glands; in Cebuano, the vernacular spoken in the Southeastern part of Cebu.