NYC Filipino Food: Sizzling Sisig is an Adventure for Pork Lovers at Maharlika in the East Village
October 10, 2013
Looks pretty good doesn’t it? Tastes pretty damn good too. Want to know why its an adventure? Because that pork fried rice-looking concoction actually contains four pig parts: ear, snout, cheek and belly. And surprisingly, they’re all delicious in their own way. They go through a three-tiered cooking process, first being braised to seal in flavor, then grilled over charcoal for some char and then fried to crisp them up. What results are a melange of pork bits some fatty and crisp, some meaty yet tender, some a little funky. If you’re skeptical, rest assured, there are so many flavors and textures at play in this dish, you’d never know you were eating all these random pieces of pork if no one told you.
The pork arrives at your table in a sizzling skillet and then you pour an egg on top and mix it up, letting it cook with the heat of the skillet, and then mix in some garlic rice. And since Filipino food is really a fusion between Malaysian, Spanish and Chinese cuisine, this is more than just fried rice, it’s actually an amazing cross between paella, fried rice and whatever rice-laden Malaysian dish is garlicky, sweet and spicy. Make sure to pour some of the house made chile-infused vinegar on top of your sisig, it really helps cut the fat. Head to Maharlika if you want the full intro to Filipino food, they’ve taken a lot of the Filipino basics and updated them with a modern twist. Think Filipino versions of fried chicken and waffles and eggs benedict at brunch and amazing dishes featuring prawns in red curry and pork belly fried to perfection. Ask for Nicole or the Chef Miguel, co-owners, and tell them Lawrence the NYC Food Guy sent you. This place is also the sister restaurant to Jeepney, the Filipino gastropub I wrote about recently because of their incredible, hands-free feast, Kamayan Night. If you haven’t done that yet, it’s time.
111 First Ave near 7th Street
New York, NY 10003
646.392.7880
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October 10th, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Lawrence,
I love me some pork. Maharlika’s sisig is amazing! For an even more indulgent treat crumble on some of the complimentary Chicharon Balat ng Manok–chicken crackling.
October 11th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
This stuff is amazing, and you are spot-on about it being more than just fried rice — it’s a lot more exciting and on a new level than the greasy fried rice you get at your neighborhood Chinese take-out!
If you’re ever here for brunch, I highly recommend trying their mango-stuffed French toast. It looks and tastes even better than it sounds!
Thanks as always for sharing!
Christine
foodcomalogs.blogspot.com
November 5th, 2013 at 8:23 am
[…] for pork lovers, the dish above, Sizzling Sisig ($14), is served at brunch and dinner. If you’ve been following my last few posts, you’ll know that sisig is a Filipino pork head fried rice served in a sizzling skillet. […]