Roll With It: SW8 Dada’s Sizzling Sisig Truck in Waipahu

Roll With It is a Frolic series about food trucks we’ve seen out and about. We’re tracking them down and trying dishes to bring you the 4-1-1.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-shhhhk, tat-tat-tat-tat-shhhhk. The familiar sound of a butcher’s knife chopping and swiping ingredients across a cutting board draws me in. Here on Waipahu Depot Street across from Waipahu Festival Marketplace, a line of locals waits in front of a small lunch trailer with mouthwatering photos and signs that say “sisig.” Instantly I know what I’m eating for lunch.

The Menu

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

At a glance:

SW8 Dada’s Sisig offers three items: sisig (crispy pork or chicken) and beef pares with rice or noodles. Since I’m not in Waipahu very often, I order both the pork sisig and beef pares, and drive to a nearby park as intoxicating scents of pork, beef and assorted aromatics fill my car.

We recommend:

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Crispy pork sisig ($12). A generous mince of crispy pork belly, red onions and green bell peppers, finished with a drizzle of mayo and accompanied by two scoops of rice and a lemon wedge. Biting in, an enormous crunch of pork skin is followed by the juiciness of the belly meat. Both speak to how freshly cooked the dish is. The red onion and bell pepper provide a pleasing sting, while the lemon juice brings acidic balance and freshness against the fat of the pork. The savory textural party reminds me of the crispy rice salad at Olay’s Thai Lao Cuisine. I realize I am enamored with the simple complexities of this plate and repeat visits will be mandatory.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Beef pares with noodles ($13) looks like a bowl of beefy saimin. If you are a fan of oxtail soup, this bowl delivers in similar fashion with comfort, warmth and satisfaction. The soup is layered with various spices and a deep backbone of beef broth. The beef is pillowy and so juicy. Halfway through the bowl, I remember I need to make my next meeting and reluctantly wrap up the leftovers.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

How it rolls

Where: 94-333 Waipahu Depot St.
When: Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Payment: Cash only
Phone: (808) 387-9554
Follow: sw8-dadas-sizzling-sisig.business.site, @sw8_dadas_sisig

SW8 Dada’s Sisig accomplishes a rare feat in today’s labyrinth of lunch trucks and pop-ups. They have elevated a simple menu to a degree that the dishes would be equally at home on a grandmother’s dining table as at a restaurant. This, along with a wallet-friendly price point, have me looking forward to my next visit. If you’re in the vicinity, just follow the percussive rhythms of a cleaver on a cutting board.

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