Luzon Eats: The Four Best Sisig Restaurants in Metro Manila

“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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Discovering the Philippines: Four Reasons Why You Should Include Pampanga in Your Itinerary

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

The Philippines is such a vibrant and diverse country that if you ever have the fortune of visiting it, you should never miss going to its many different cities and provinces. You will be pleasantly surprised as to how one place can significantly differ from another and considering that the country is a melting pot of many cultures, there would always be something unique about every place you visit. One particular and notable Philippine province you should visit is Pampanga.

 Nationally considered as the country’s gastronomic capital, Pampanga has a lot more to offer than simply its epicurean delights—although that is part of the allure.  Apart from the many activities you and your family can enjoy, such as the adventure activities in Alviera, the province is also known to be culturally diverse.
So, if you ever thought of visiting the Philippines, here is why you should include Pampanga in your itinerary:

1.)    Hot air balloons and various aerial exhibitions 

If you have a penchant for watching aerial activities, you would definitely enjoy the hot air balloon exhibit in Pampanga. Once every year, the sky gets painted with a multitude of colors as various hot air balloons coming in different shapes take off to the sky. If you wish to see this event, be sure to include Pampanga on your list of places to go around February as the event is held during that time of the year.

2.)    Get a taste of the traditional Filipino dessert Halo-halo

While you can get Halo-halo virtually anywhere in the Philippines—from high-end restaurants to street food carts, none of them can rival the sweet taste of Kabigtig’s Halo-halo which can be found only in Pampanga. The dessert is said to match Razon’s rendition of the famous sweet and cold dessert, and for that reason alone, it is worth a try. Kabigting’s version teases your taste buds with a myriad of unexpected flavors, and you get a bit of a surprise too as not all Halo-halo desserts come with yema, a sticky toffee-like ingredient.

3.)    To visit Alviera 

If you have ever thought of booking a family vacation and are unsure of where to go, worry no more as Pampanga is the ideal spot for you and your family. Apart from the array of restaurants and food stalls for you to sample, Pampanga hosts a wide range of adventure parks, and one of them is Alviera which is located in Porac. Kids and kids at heart will love this adventure park as there are a lot of activities to choose from—those that test not only your physical strength but endurance as well. Be sure to bring extra shirts with you though as spending majority of the day in this adventure park is bound to get you sweaty.

4.)    To get a slice of history and culture 

Filipinos are known to be devout Catholics and seeing as religion plays an integral role in most Filipinos lives, it would be easy to see it so heavily ingrained in their culture and history. Pampanga’s annual practice during the Lenten season, in fact, is a testament to that. Apart from the string of old and gothic churches you can find in the province, religious rituals are still being practiced until today. One noteworthy ritual is when a local man would have himself crucified on a Good Friday as penance for his sins or as an offering to God. Either through morbid curiosity or genuine fascination, this has been the cause why tourists visit the province.

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PLACES TO VISIT ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO PAMPANGA

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In the year 1571, the Spaniards discovered the beautiful province of Pampanga in the Philippines making it the first Spanish province in the Philippines. Located in Central Luzon and flanked by Bataan and Bulacan, this place is well known for being the gastronomic capital of the country—what with the various food delicacies and native food you feast your taste buds on. In fact, the place gave itself the moniker “The Place of Kakanin” for having the best in native and food delicacies. However, Pampanga is not only famed for its great tasting and scrumptious food. Unbeknownst to most, Pampanga is a place teeming with adventure and travel opportunities—even ones that you can cross off on your bucket list. 

On your next visit to this delightful place, be sure to visit the places below so that whether you are staying in Holiday Inn Clark Pampanga, or any hotel that you may be billeted in, you will be guaranteed a trip to this place like no other. 

1.)    MUSEO NING ANGELES 

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For art enthusiasts and history buffs alike, Museo Ning Angeles is the place to be. The museum opened its doors to visitors just in the year 1999, and it features an array of various dioramas, photos, paintings and artworks that represent the pride of the town. Another reason to visit is the fact that just four years ago, the National Museum of the Philippines acknowledged the museum as an “Important Cultural Property of the Philippines. For visitors desiring a place to relax, fret not as the museum features a coffee shop brewing the town’s finest beans. 

2.)    ZOCOBIA FUN ZOO

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For the kids and the kids at heart, Zocobia Fun Zoo is an incredible start to your vacation in Pampanga especially to those who have a soft spot for our four-legged friends. Zocobia Fun Zoo is a place everyone can enjoy as this fifty-hectare zoo theme park features an animal show which showcases tricks performed by a monkey, pot-bellied pig and a poodle. After catching the show, you are free to feed and pet the different kinds of birds and wild animals. Of course, you should never leave the zoo without trying their Zooc ride—the first and only gravity car in the Philippines, a fun ride that has a unique braking and steering system which would allow you to move continuously down the 400-meter track.

3.)    SAN GUILLERMO CHURCH 

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For those desiring a location with a touch of history, San Guillermo Church should be one of your stops as it is one of the oldest churches in Pampanga. What sets this church apart from the rest is that it was able to survive natural calamities that had once struck the town such as when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991 which had then buried half the size of the church. It had taken many years before the church was fully restored to its original structure and today, locals and travelers visit the church to pay homage to its resilience and the town’s efforts in restoring it. 

4.)    MIYAMIT FALLS 

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Adventurers and trekking aficionados will appreciate the picturesque scenery of this place and will relish the opportunity for trekking. Miyamit falls look both wild and beautiful—a real place for an adventure where the locals known as the Aetas will show you the reins in their way in the wildlife. Of course, before you can revel in the beauty at the peak, it requires quite an effort from you with more than four hours of walking and discomfort, but once you have seen the magnificence of it all, you can honestly say it will be a rewarding experience. 

5.)    DINOSAURS ISLAND 

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Take a trip back in time—back to when human beings did not exist in Pampanga’s well-known destination called Dinosaurs Island. The perfect stop for kids and school children during an educational tour, this island features dinosaurs such as the velociraptors, t-rexes and so many more. As the dinosaurs are equipped with animatronic features, they are quite realistic upon close encounter making it quite an extraordinary experience. Additionally, the dinos come with real sound and body movements which would make the entire encounter as close as it can get to the real thing.