A group of friends who've had a popular take-out and catering operation serving the Lower Mainland have just opened their first brick-and-mortar Vancouver restaurant.
Halina is a modern Filipino restaurant located at 2439 E Hastings St. The project has been in the works for over a year now; the owners shared earlier this spring on social media they had expected to open last summer, "but the journey had other plans."
The team behind Halina are four friends who have been running Bigboy's Chigs, most recently out of Rotisserie Kitchen, a commissary-style space in Delta.
With Halina, the culinary crew aims to offer an elevated dining experience that "blends the best of Filipino tradition with Canadian ingredients," according to the Halina website. (V.I.A. has been in touch with Halina several times by email and DM since March but the restaurant reps ultimately did not respond to our interview questions.)
A menu shared ahead of Halina's recent soft opening shows dishes like Humba Spareribs, a take on Humba Bisaya, which is pork belly with black beans and pineapple; at Halina, the dish is done with a "sweet and tangy" whiskey-based sauce.
Other dishes on the soft opening menu include a Sizzling Sisig of pork belly with chicken liver sauce and fried egg, grilled chicken with lemongrass, a house burger, and a smoked fish pasta.
Beverage options are non-alcoholic for the time being and include mocktails and soft drinks, including several showcasing Filipino staple ingredients like calamansi, ube, and coconut.
Back in April, the Halina team offered fans on social media a glimpse into what the build-out process was like for them as they worked to get their restaurant open:
"Plans had to be redrawn. Approvals delayed. Months of standstill. Time, money, and energy stretched thin," described the team at Halina. "But when the dream is bigger than the setbacks, you keep showing up. We became the middlemen. We made the calls. We wore every hat—because opening day isn’t just a date, it’s a mission," they added.
"It’s not just about building a space. It’s about building resilience."
Halina's modern, lush interiors also feature a colourful mural by Vancouver artist Mar Cortez.
Halina opened its doors for service for the first diners on June 14. After a busy first couple of dinners, the crew is regrouping and will open again starting June 17, open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations can be secured via DM on Instagram @halina.yvr and walk-ins are welcome.
🍽 Find more delicious Metro Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A.'s Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
