HALINÁ Modern Filipino Kitchen + Bar

Sinigang made with miso and ponzu marinated coho salmon, pearl barley and a blueberry broth is the kind of dish this East Vancouver kitchen is built around. Halina, listed on Google as HALINÁ Modern Filipino Kitchen + Bar, takes recipes that are familiar across the Philippines and rebuilds them with different proteins and modern plating, while keeping the sour, salty and savoury balance that defines them. It sits at 2439 E Hastings St in Hastings-Sunrise, on the north side of the street between Nanaimo Street and Kamloops Street.

The menu's own descriptions show how far the reworking goes. Caldereta, usually a tomato-based stew, arrives as a roasted and braised Australian lamb shank over carrot and potato mash with asparagus and cheese-stuffed sweet peppers, and the menu flags that it contains peanuts. Pancit Batil Patong, the noodle dish associated with Tuguegarao, is stir-fried egg noodles with ground beef, prawns, crispy liempo, Chinese sausage and crispy chicken skin under a fried egg. Kare-kare is made with charred oxtail and honeycomb tripe, and bulalo is served as a slow-simmered beef bone marrow broth.

The bar works the same flavours into its drinks. Calamansi, ube, pandan and lemongrass all turn up in the signature cocktails, Filipino beers include Red Horse and San Miguel, and there is a zero-alcohol list built on house-made syrups. Happy hour, called Tambayan Hour, runs from 8 p.m. to close every day and from 2 to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and the dining room opens in the evening on weekdays. Hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations and pickup orders go through Toast, and delivery is handled by DoorDash. A free two-hour community parking lot is at Kamloops Street and Franklin Street. Calls go to 778-504-0970, and the published email address is [email protected].