Hálong: “Our menu has slowly grown to have a clearer identity and direction”

Described by a Hálong regular as an “introvert,” Davis offers a peek into her childhood and culinary background because to know Hálong means to get to know its chef a little better. “One of my earliest memories of food is being chased around the house by my yaya, with spoonfuls of something I refused to eat but had to finish,” she recalls. “I never imagined it would one day be my profession.” Growing up in Toronto, Canada, she spent a lot of time in her grandmother’s apartment while both her parents were at work. There, she started experimenting with cooking, a passion that was encouraged even early on. “I would cook simple dishes there like pasta with tuyo from the bottle,” Davis says. “My mom also encouraged my brother and me to explore everything that piqued our curiosity. We signed up for all sorts of extracurricular activities and summer camps. One of those was a cooking class where we learned basic knife skills and how to make stock and sauces. This sparked something that has stayed with me despite dabbling in other interests such as music.”

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To test if her love for cooking was not a childish fling, she started work in a professional kitchen when she was 15. That experience hardened her resolve even further, and she enrolled in culinary school while she juggled high school and working in kitchens on the weekend. “I enrolled at George Brown College along with my mum as I was still underage and the school required an adult to supervise me,” she reminisces. “This is a memory I often look back on, and it reminds me that cooking is always something shared and an act of nurturing, and this is very much at the heart of Hálong today.” After high school, she studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park for culinary arts and at The French Culinary Institute in New York City for pastry arts.

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Fast forward to today, Davis’ two-year-old restaurant has matured not only in years but also in terms of substance. “The menu at Hálong has slowly grown to have a clearer identity and direction,” she confesses. “Its Mexican flavours are personal because I spent seven years in Tulum. Using local ingredients and layered with Asian influences, Hálong’s menu today has become more focused on its Asian-Mexican fusion.” The dish that best embodies her cooking style is the crab tostada, as it is both Mexican and recognisable to Filipino diners. It is crab tinga with chipotle, carrot escabeche, chive aioli, mandarin marmalade, and habanero carrot purée. “It brings together bold Mexican flavours, but there are local flavours that also come through,” Davis explains. “The crab is treated almost like adobo flakes, crisped up in a way that is recognisable and comforting to Filipino diners. This balance takes something from my roots and memories of home-cooked meals, and it is reworked into something new and interesting.”

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Opening a restaurant in the Philippines is definitely not without its challenges (“dealing with contractors and permits; frustrating construction delays; more red tape than in any country I worked in”), but Davis admits that being in her mother’s homeland has had its own unique benefits. “However, the industry community here is very supportive. Chefs and peers are generous with their time and knowledge, making the transition less daunting.” She adds, “On a personal level, being back home has been great. Having my close family support has helped a lot. They are eager to test new dishes and find suppliers, and at the very beginning, even bring their friends repeatedly when we had few reservations.”

These days, guests are lucky if they get to simply walk in and get a table, and those times when family had to step in to fill seats are a thing of the past. Looking back, Davis wishes she could go back to those worry-filled days to tell herself that things are going to be alright. “I would have trusted my own culinary voice sooner, which is focusing more on the food I genuinely love to cook, rather than trying to anticipate what I thought the guest were expecting,” she says. “I would also have reminded myself not to stress too much, and to trust the process.” Each day that passes brings Davis closer to her dream restaurant in Cavite where a farm-to-table concept is in the works. Construction is set to begin later this year. “Beyond the food, the space is meant for us to grow our own fruits, vegetables, and raise animals that will shape the menu of the new Hálong,” she discloses. “Living on a farm with the restaurant on the same premises, has been a lifestyle I have envisioned for some time now. How wonderful would it be to stay so close to the source of everything we serve!”

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