NYC Filipino Food: Sizzling Sisig is an Adventure for Pork Lovers at Maharlika in the East Village

Date 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.

Maharlika Website

111 First Ave near 7th Street

New York, NY 10003

646.392.7880

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Category Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Maharlika, MANHATTAN Comments 3 Comments »