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Best Bicol express in Sydney

“Named after the Bicol Express railway that ran from Manila to Legazpi—a stew where the dish itself travels through countless regional variations.”

Bicol express

What the real thing tastes like

Bicol express, known natively in Bikol as sinilihan (lit. ''spiced with chili''), is a common Filipino dish which was popularized in the district of Malate, Manila, but made in traditional Bicolano style. It is a stew made from long chili peppers (siling haba in Tagalog) or small chili peppers (siling labuyo in Tagalog), coconut milk or coconut cream (kakang gata in Tagalog), shrimp paste (bagoong alamang in Tagalog) or stockfish, onion, pork, ginger and garlic. The dish was named by Laguna resident Cely Kalaw during a cooking competition in the 1970s in Malate, Manila. The name was inspired by the Bicol Express railway train (Philippine National Railways) that operated from Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay, the regional center of the Bicol region. The widely-known name for this dish in the Bicol Region of the Philippines was identified as gulay na may lada, which is currently one of the vegetarian variants of the Bicol express dish. As time progressed, variants of the Bicol express d

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Bicol express is a Filipino stew that builds its heat from long chilis and small chilis, coconut milk, shrimp paste, pork, and aromatics—a dish so tied to its Bicolano roots that its native name, sinilihan, simply means 'spiced with chili.' Born in Malate, Manila during a 1970s cooking competition, it took its name from the Bicol Express railway, a train that connected Manila to the Bicol region. What started as a singular preparation has branched into seafood, beef, vegetarian, and vegan versions, each adapted to its central ingredient.

Order it here when it has

  • protein-rich
  • traditional Bicolano preparation
  • widely adaptable to dietary preferences

Walk away when you see

  • high in saturated fats and cholesterol

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