Filipino food is one of my absolute favourite styles of food. The blend of Asian and Spanish influences, the prominent place of vinegar and garlic, all combine in dishes which are eminently unique and delicious.
So when I heard that Halina Café and Bar was moving into the former Fries & Co. Spot on Chebucto, I had them in my sights and made my there one day when I was in the area for a haircut.
The menu is a mix of food that spans a spectrum of Filipino through typical Canadian family restaurant. There's straight up traditional Filipino dishes like silogs and ube-based desserts, to fusion-y dishes like a smashed longganisa sandwich and lechon kawali wrap, to items that might lure in the demographic of the previous tenant like fish and chips, and buttermilk fried chicken. That full range of offerings leads to an appealing array of options, where it doesn't feel like they're awkwardly shoehorning in items (which may or may not have a lot of attention paid to them in the kitchen).
Longsilog may traditionally be a breakfast dish, but I would eat it for any meal of the day. And likely have. It's has a lot of parallels in a typical diner's standard breakfast, but with a lot more flavour. I love ye ol' breakfast sausages, but longganisa blows them out of the water, and Halina's were wonderfully done. The uncased sausages had great browning and crisp edges from the grill, while the mix of sweet and garlicky flavours of the meat were hitting the spot. A dipping sauce that a mix of vinegar, sugar and soy added further depth and contrast of flavours.
Garlic fried rice fills the starch slot in the dish, and some crunchy bits of fried garlic on top doubled down on the garlicky goodness. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the Philippines are vampire-free!
Two sunnyside-up eggs had crispy edges and I used the rice to sop up the luscious, runny yolks.
There was a nominal offering of veg with the dish, a tiny bit of shredded lettuce, cucumber and radishes, as well as a pickled slaw called atsara, which is made from papaya and an assortment of shredded vegetables, helped cut through the richer items of the longsilog.
In typical Filipino fashion, the staff was super friendly and attentive.
A return visit (again post-haircut), had me trying their smashed longganisa burger and fries.
If you like longganisa, and anyone in their right mind should, you're gonna like this burger! Every bite brings the rich flavour of the Filipino sausage, with layers of added richness from a scrambled egg and Swiss cheese which was expertly melted over the smashed sausage patty. Standard lettuce and tomato brought some crunch and acidity to balance out the burger. A brioche-y bun was tasty, but didn't hold up super well to the eating process.
The fries were of the skin-on, from-frozen variety, but they were properly cooked and good and crispy, so no complaints here!
My rubber arm was twisted to try their house-made coconut cream pie, and I'm glad I did! The cream was decadently rich, and the whipped cream topped with toasted coconut was *chef's kiss*. I was even told that they bring in young coconuts to shred and roast themselves, and I'm no coconut connoisseur, but it was definitely better than the grocery store stuff (sorry, not, sorry, Galen).
Impressively, this meal, plus a green tea, was a hair under $20 - after tax!
Halina Cafe & Bar is bringing some of the best bang-for-your-buck food that you can find in the city, and you owe it to your taste buds to bring yourself there. read more