“Food for us comes from our relatives, whether they have wings or fins or roots. That is how we consider food. Food has a culture. It has a story. It has relationships.”-Winona Laduke
Filipinos are well-known for their love of food—no matter how wildly exotic this particular food might be. In fact, Filipinos are rather known to be one of the world’s most adventurous eaters—so much so that some of their favorite food staples and classics can be regarded as a gastronomic or epicurean adventure by itself. One of the finest examples of Filipino ingenuity when it comes to the skill of conceiving new dish ideas is the sisig.
A ubiquitous presence during drinking sessions and at times, family gatherings, the sisig is a savory dish that originated all the way from Pampanga. As Filipinos are known to put their meats into a total utilitarian use, no part of the pig goes to waste which is why more often than not, ingredients may include pig ears and intestines apart from the meat. Today, contemporary renditions of the dish have expanded to include other kinds of meat such as beef, fish, and chicken. Vegetarians are not left out as well considering that a modern take on sisig makes tofu the main ingredient of the dish. Seeing as there is quite a lot of interpretations to this local dish, it can be quite a challenge to figure out which restaurants and eateries would serve you the best one. Undoubtedly, you can find them in Pampanga, but if you are not up for a road trip, there are some sisig joints in Manila that would cater to your sisig fancy as well.
To help narrow down your list in the search for the best sisig place, we have rounded up a list of restaurants you should definitely try:
1.) Manam
For some individuals (particularly non-adventurous eaters) sisig can be quite of a challenge to eat. After all, it is not every day that you get to eat sautéed pig ears in spices. However, if you wish to broach yourself into the world of exploratory eating, it is best if you start with a sisig restaurant that does it right such as Manam’s. For sisig newbies, the dish is easy to chow down and is quite delectable and tasty that you would soon forget you are eating pig’s ears and intestines.
2.) Sisig sa Rada
Known for being notoriously cheap and overhyped, Sisig sa Rada is undoubtedly the best cheap sisig you can get in the metropolis. Be wary though as the lines can get rather long and as early as 10 AM, you can already see patrons starting to queue. While Sisig sa Rada had its humble beginnings, it rose to popularity with its famous sisig which left office workers around the area clamoring for more. So, if you are on a budget and are looking for a Filipino favorite, best try this well-known and loved sisig joint.
3.) Gerry’s Grill
Depending on your taste, Gerry’s Sisig is undoubtedly one of the best offered in the Philippines. And the best thing about them is that they have branches peppered all over the country. So, regardless of whether you are in Manila or not, you will always get to sample one of the best sisig dishes offered in the country. As Gerry’s is rather serious about how they cook their sisig, you can expect a delicious burst of flavor with every bite which is less greasy and a lot crunchier. Indeed, the perfect match to your cold beer.
4.) Sisig Hooray
If scrumptious and delectable sisig available to-go is what you have in mind, then you might want to consider Sisig Hooray’s Barkada Siza Pork Sisig. It will set you back by only a hundred and fifty pesos; you can share the yummy goodness with your officemates and your friends.
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