Senor Sisig

By: Aeron Lancero

Magandang araw sa inyo lahat. And hope you are enjoying this wonderful summer season we are having. For most, I believe they love it but I know a few FilAms that feel it’s a bit too hot and that they do not want to get burnt… I will say though I love the heat and that I am able to explore more things outdoors. That said, I am sharing with you all a place you should find when you visit San Francisco. It is a brilliant concept, and I believe someone may do this here in Illinois soon.

It is a food truck called “SENOR SISIG” It is a fusion of the hot Filipino dish in the U.S and also in the Philippines “SISIG” and Mexican. And what they have to offer is legit good.

They have the sisig tacos, sisig burrito, sisig fries, sisig nachos and, of course, the sisig with rice.

The choice of sisigs are pork, chicken and tofu. They are doing well, and the notoriety is outstanding as they were featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives who is hosted by the celebrity chef GuyFieiri and shown on The Food Network. Honestly I did not hear about them until a friend who knows I share stories here that I should visit them. That, I did. Now it’s a little tricky for the non-tech savvy person but the best way to find them is through their website www.senorsisig.com, or really the best way is through facebook and twitter. They’re in different places, almost every day, but there are a few spots they frequent often.

About the group:

If anyone has redefined contemporary street food in San Francisco, it’s longtime pals Evan Kidera and Gil Payumo’s Señor Sisig fusion food truck. With their special twist on a Filipino happy-hour dish sisig, Señor Sisig took the portability of their favorite Mexican taqueria dishes and melded the two together to reflect their diverse palette and down-home appeal. Though sisig is traditionally made from parts of the pig’s head bought from the butcher to make use of the entire pig, Señor Sisig’s more palatable version uses the meatier pork shoulder.

Taken from his father’s family’s recipe in Pampanga, a region renowned as the “breadbasket” of the Philippines for its legacy in culinary traditions, Chef Gil marinates the pork shoulder for over 24 hours in a special blend of spices and charbroils the meat until it is packed with succulent juicy flavor. He then uses it as the base for most of the dishes. Not a pork lover? They also have an outstanding version with chicken and tofu, every bit as filling as its porky counterpart.

But how did this culinary crossover happen? Though they both met in high school in Daly City, California, and followed their own respective paths, Evan receiving his MBA at San Francisco State and Gil graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy, entrepreneurship and food runs deep in both of their family’s bloodline and it was only a matter of time that their shared love of Filipino food would turn into a fusion rolling restaurant, with Chef Gil at the grill and Evan at the wheel.

Try it once and you’ll be hooked! As Senor Sisig continues to expand, you won’t have to wait too long to experience a truly unique take on a traditional Filipino delicacy. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s flavorful, and best of all, it’s truly San Franciscan.

They also have won best food truck from the San Francisco Weekly from 2011 – 2014. They were featured on San Francisco “Check Please”.

The lines are nice and steady but they service pretty quickly and you can smell the deliciousness a 100 yards away. The service is friendly, and when the lines are done and people are around the park benches where I was and the crew comes out, Evan and Gil were definitely there and had another girl helping out.

The Truck as shown on the photo is a blend of inspiration and colors of Filipino and Latin flavor.

It’s a nice size and design appropriately. You’ll notice it, but it is not the loud sometime gimmicky kind of food trucks. The crew did a good job, for sure.

Value perspective in my opinion is great, you may see a few negative commentary on this but my opinion is that the value is great. Everything is priced under $10 unless you add extras but because of taxes, you’ll spend close to $11 for a burrito. The portions are right on. You’ll definitely be able to finish it and will be satisfied…

The important part is the flavor and texture of the food is outstanding because of the fusion, and that is San Francisco today…its more than just Filipinos dining…

And it has been the way these days to get more and more people of other cultures to be introduced to our food.

Don’t forget to visit, and if anyone here in Illinois is inspired to do one please do not hesitate to reach out to me and it would be my pleasure to try it out and give you feedback. Coast, especially in California hit up the food trucks as there are many out there that has a strong Filipino culinary flavor to share.

Maraming salamat! Till next month…

A very meaningful quote: Genuine Virtue consists of being charitable, loving one’s fellow men and being judicious in behavior, speech and deed. –Emilio Jacinto