New to Halifax From the Philippines: A Settling-In Food Guide
Just arrived in Halifax from the Philippines? Where to buy Filipino groceries, where the community gathers, and which Nova Scotia foods to try first.
Barrios Restaurant & Bar
9/21/20264 min read
New to Halifax From the Philippines: A Settling-In Food Guide
Welcome to Halifax. If you have just arrived from the Philippines, whether you are starting a job, studying, or getting the family settled, the first weeks are mostly logistics. This guide handles one part of that: where to buy the food you know, where to find people, and what to eat here that is worth your money.
Where to buy Filipino groceries in Halifax
Kabayan Food Mart is the Filipino store to know, with one branch in Halifax and one in Dartmouth. That is the place to look for most of what a Filipino kitchen runs on:
Soy sauce, cane vinegar, patis and bagoong
Rice, dried noodles for pancit, banana ketchup and tablea
Frozen bangus and longganisa
Hamon and queso de bola around Christmas, when the store has them in
For the everyday things, the Atlantic Superstore and the other large chains carry jasmine rice, coconut milk and all the garlic you want, usually cheaper than the specialty stores.
One thing worth knowing early. Fresh calamansi is hard to get here, and most of the bottled calamansi on the shelves is a sweetened drink concentrate. It is fine over ice. It is not sawsawan, and it does not belong in a marinade. Look for frozen calamansi instead, or a bottle labelled pure juice.
Join the Filipino Facebook groups in your first week. That is where people post when a store gets a shipment in, and it is the fastest way to find something specific. One caution: those groups are also where rental and job scams go looking for new arrivals. Nobody legitimate needs an e-transfer before you have seen the apartment.
Where the Filipino community gathers in Halifax
If you are Catholic, a parish is the usual first door. Several have Filipino groups, and Simbang Gabi, the nine days of Masses before Christmas, is where many people first find each other. In Halifax the time varies by parish, and many hold it in the evening rather than at dawn, which surprises people their first Christmas. Ask your parish for its dates and times. If you are Iglesia ni Cristo, Born Again or Muslim, the community runs through your own congregation the same way.
Regional associations connect people from the same home province in the Philippines. It matters more than you would think when you are new.
The Philippine Fiesta is the big one. It runs in June at the Garrison Grounds, during Filipino Heritage Month, with food, performances and a marketplace. If you landed in September, June is your first one.
Filipino Sunday brunch at Barrios is a smaller, more regular option. We are at 1571 Barrington Street and brunch runs from 10:30 AM to 4 PM, at $29 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under, and free for children 5 and under. Tocino, longganisa, pandesal and siomai are on it every week. Come with housemates, friends or the whole family, and book ahead, because reservations are recommended.
Nova Scotia food, and when to eat it
Settling in also means eating what is here. Some of it is seasonal, so here is the calendar rather than a list.
Any time of year. A Halifax donair. The sweet sauce is built on condensed milk, which is the part nobody warns you about. Mussels are farmed here and available all year.
Late November to May. Lobster season in this district opens on the last Monday of November and runs to the end of May. That is when local lobster is easiest to find.
The cold months. Seafood chowder. It is the local answer to a cold, wet night.
Late summer. Hodge podge, the first young vegetables of the season cooked in cream. You have missed it this year. Next August, ask a Nova Scotian friend to make it for you.
One more thing about the fall. Nova Scotia gets the tail end of tropical storms in September and October, and power can go out for a day or more. Keep rice, canned goods and water in the cupboard before the first warning, not after.
When you miss home
Homesickness turns up at ordinary moments. The weather turns, or a call home lands at the wrong hour. Manila is 11 hours ahead of Halifax in summer and 12 hours ahead in winter, so the good time to call is early morning or late evening here. Food does not fix it, but it gives you one routine that is yours.
Cook the dish you are missing. For most people that is sinigang, adobo or a silog in the morning. Call home after you have eaten, not before. And say yes when people invite you somewhere, even on the nights you would rather stay in.
When you want Filipino food downtown, Barrios Kitchen & Bar is at 1571 Barrington Street. Everyone cooking in our kitchen is from the Philippines, and Chef Nino, who runs it, is from Lucena in Quezon Province. We are open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM, until 9 PM Tuesday to Thursday and 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. We are closed on Mondays, and Sunday is brunch. Book a table online or call 902-444-2515. Prices shown are from our current menu and may change. Kain tayo.
Quick answers for new arrivals
Where can I buy Filipino groceries in Halifax?
Kabayan Food Mart, which has a Halifax branch and a Dartmouth branch. The Atlantic Superstore covers rice, coconut milk and garlic for less.
Where do I find calamansi?
Frozen, or in a bottle labelled pure juice. Most bottled calamansi is a sweetened drink concentrate, not cooking acid.
When is the Philippine Fiesta in Halifax?
June, at the Garrison Grounds, during Filipino Heritage Month.
When is Simbang Gabi?
The nine days before Christmas. In Halifax the dates and times vary by parish, and many hold it in the evening, so ask your parish.
When is lobster season in Halifax?
It opens the last Monday of November and closes at the end of May.
Where can I eat Filipino food downtown?
Barrios Kitchen & Bar, 1571 Barrington Street. Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM, closed Mondays, Filipino brunch on Sundays from 10:30 AM to 4 PM.