Dish guide ·
Sisig, Explained: Why the Plate Arrives Still Sizzling
Chopped, seasoned, and served on cast iron hot enough to keep cooking at the table. Sisig is the dish our customers name most after sinigang and pancit. Here is what it is and the four ways we serve it.
Sisig is chopped meat seasoned sharp with calamansi and chilli, served on a cast iron plate straight off the fire. The plate is the cooking vessel. It arrives at the table still sizzling, the edges of the meat crisping against the iron while you eat, and it is normally topped with an egg that cooks in front of you as you stir it through.
Where sisig comes from
The dish belongs to Pampanga, the province north of Manila that Filipinos call the culinary capital of the country. The word sisig originally referred to sour snacking, food eaten with vinegar or calamansi. The sizzling version served today was popularised in Angeles City and spread everywhere Filipinos went, which is why you can now eat it 7,000 kilometres from Pampanga, opposite Dubai International Academy.
The four sisig on our menu
No pork is served at Pinoy Tambayan, so our sisig is built on beef, chicken, tofu and bulalo. Nine of our Google reviewers mention the beef sisig by name.
Beef Sisig
AED 39
Chicken Sisig
AED 35
Tofu Sisig
AED 27
Bulalo Sisig
AED 51
Sisig as a meal for one
The sizzling plates are built for sharing over rice, but the solo versions come as a complete set with rice and a drink. The Beef Sisig combo at AED 27 and the Chicken Sisig combo at AED 25 are both marked best sellers on our own printed menu, which is the honest signal of what people actually reorder.
How to eat it
- Break the egg into the meat the moment it lands and stir while the plate is still angry. The residual heat cooks it.
- Squeeze the calamansi over the top before the first bite, not after.
- It is rice food. Every main comes with one free rice, and sisig is the reason that rule exists.
- Tell us when you order if you want it milder or with more chilli. The kitchen adjusts.