Frannywanny

I can't wait for May 28 to come along! Ü

My birthday is coming up and it has been a tradition eversince that I would start celebrating it a week in advance and this will go on up until a after week my actual birth date. The same practice was done again this year but it was made extra special because I was successfully able to combine good food to be shared a wonderful group of friends. Pizza with the Boys (and the Girls) It's no secret that I love Paul very very very much and I'm thankful that he has a great set of friends who eventually became my friends as well. Ü To kick off my 2008 birthday celebration, I treated the group to a simple pizza party complete with a couple of beer and loads of laughter. Of course, as a foodie, I shall not settle for just any type of pizza other than one that is unique and delicious. Thus, prompted my search for the best pizza in town . Browsing through the pages of fellow bloggers, I was able to get quite a lot of suggestions from the ever famous Brooklyn Pizza to the classy gourmet p...

Today started out just like an ordinary day. I woke up with a bit more energy knowing that it's friday and the weekend is just a couple of hours away. I prepared for work and thank God that I didn't have to take the cab because my sister made that sacrifice to do so just to let me get more sleep and have my parents drive me to work instead. At the office, I was the first to arrive giving me time to check my mails and to sort out some papers before the phone begins to ring like crazy. Everything was pretty normal, I had oatmeal for breakfast and salad for lunch. Finally, I'm starting my no-rice diet. Ü Who would have thought that one simple conversation can change my day from being great to the best? It happened so fast but it's one thing that I'll never forget ever! Apparently, a dear friend and fellow blogger , was paying close attention to my wish list (located at the side bar of this blog) and look what she gave me: It was definitely a very pleasant surprise bu...

One of my resolutions this year (and for the past 15 years at that) was to lose all the unwanted pounds and to live a healthy, sexy life forever! Unfortunately, I've been pushing this back from time to time, later on realizing that I am NOT progressing at all *sigh*. With my increase fondness for food blogging and continuous quest to share with all of you the newest and coolest food places out there, I know I have to be more careful in adding more weight and in putting my health in danger. Last week, I made a new resolution to totally cut rice out of my diet. Since I always have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and a small pandesal for lunch, I realized that I might as well continue eating light for the entire day. My no-rice plan was suppose to begin yesterday. Oh dear, this was until I realized that I am meeting up with a couple of fellow bloggers to try Pepper Lunch , the newest and most talked about restaurant in Powerplant Mall. I've heard so much about their oh-so-soft-it...

Hooray for David Cook! This year's American Idol Ü Although both Davids were good, I'm glad a rocker won this time around. Oh Happy Day!!

Here's to more travelling around the Philippines! Cebu Pacific now has 3 new routes to Naga, San Jose (Mindoro) and Tuguegarao! There's finally more reason to explore Apo Reef's underwater wonder in San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, to surf and ride the waves in Naga (in my case I can finally buy all those pili nuts that I truly loveeee) or to go spelunking in the caves of Callo, Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley! Woah!! What's cool is the Cebu Pacific is offering tickets to these destinations for only 1 Peso from May 21 to 27, 2008 and is valid for travel until August 31, 2008! Whatdyasay? Tara na, Biyahe Tayo!! Ü

Some piece of good news for the shoppers out there... Ü ATTENTION CHOCOLATE LOVERS! THE ANNOUNCEMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.... YOU ARE INVITED TO.... CHOCOLATE CLOTHING'S WAREHOUSE SALE! It's no big secret that we have the BEST WAREHOUSE SALES so this is another delicious Chocolate warehouse sale you won't want to miss! WE HONORED YOUR REQUESTS TO MAKE THE SALE MORE ACCESSIBLE!!! THIS TIME OUR FAMOUS WAREHOUSE SALE WILL BE HELD IN THE ORTIGAS AREA... GROUND FLOOR, PACIFIC PLACE, PEARL DRIVE, ORTIGAS CENTER PASIG CITY (beside Tektite Towers) 50-70% OFF... great GRAB Jeans, beautiful dresses, party tops, fun and sexy swimwear, cool accessories, trendy tees... and more! In case you're wondering, we also have men's clothes, children's clothes and Havaianas on sale too! SALE DATE IS ON May 28 to June 1, 2008. WEEKDAYS May 28, 29, 30 from 8 am till 9pm WEEKEND May 31 and June 1 from 11am till 7pm Credit Cards and EPS accepted! See attachment for details, di...

My mother's castle was her kitchen, a small one I remember but always a festive corner wherein friends gathered. She wasn't a great chef by today's standards but she loved to cook for family and kept treasured recipes of Filipino and Asian dishes she picked up from her travels.... - Larry J Cruz I'd always say, when it rains it pours...and I'M LOVIN IT ! After resting my overworked digestive system from the fun food blogger's meet two weeks ago, I got a new invite (my 2nd one!!) to attend the grand launch of Fely J's Kitchen at Greenbelt 5 last week. I've always been a big big BIG fan of its sister restaurant, Abe , that I immediately said yes the minute I read the invite. I also invited my close friend and certified foodie Celine to enjoy the night with me :) We all know about the LJC group and most especially on the late Larry Cruz who was highly regarded as a significant icon in the food and beverage world. Growing up, I've heard of Cafe A...

Food will always be a subjective topic for as long as its taste quality is concerned. Each one of us has a different palate and preference that while a certain dish may be too salty or sweet for my taste, it may come out to be superbly delicious for others. I'll always be thankful for being able to have the privilege to visit new and unique food spots and to try their specialty dishes as well. However, the joys of eating also poses a bigger challenge for me, which is to thoroughly understand the story behind the restaurant, the chef and of the dish being served as well. I realized that fully appreciating food per se is not as easy as opening your mouth wide enough and chewing it well. It goes as far as slowly savoring the flavor, identifying what makes it very distinct and perhaps creating a vision on how I would like to remember it by. Quite similar to the Disney movie Ratatouille , I get excited whenever I encounter a dish that immediately strikes a memory from the past. It may b...

Back in December 2006, I remembered how excited I was to visit Serendra after reading a lot of positive reviews about it. Our first stop was at Polu Kai Grill as it was one of the few restaurants who opened way ahead before the rest did. I remembered ordering two dishes which were simply forgettable. The meat was dry and tasteless, the squid (or was it fish) was nothing extraordinary. Perhaps they were just trying things out at that time but I never got around to going back and giving it another try since then. Good thing the company was great or it would have been a terrible experience as a whole. Similar to my Haiku experience , I was surprised to see Polu Kai Grill on my list to visit during the Spot.ph Blogger's Tour . Needless to say, I was a bit hesitant being well aware of their dishes based on my previous visit. Then again, I entered the restaurant with an open mind thinking that it has been more than a year since and things might have changed. Good thing I did or I would...

Through food blogging, I learned the importance of the saying "to see taste is to believe." This is because when Texas Roadhouse Grill first opened in Manila, a friend wrote about his horrifying experience and how bad the food was. Thus causing me to lose interest in trying it out as I figured that it will just be a waste of money and time. This was until another friend invited me out for dinner and suggested the same restaurant. It has been a year and a couple of more positive comments after that I've decided to just be more adventurous and to try it out myself. It was a great night catching up with my dear friend over a huge skillet of nachos called the Loaded Texas Chips (P200), a platter of Shrimp and Salmon Skewers (P390), which is one of their house specialties, another platter of the Crispy Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard sauce! (P240) and finally a refreshing glass of Watermelon Fruit Mist (P95). The serving is HUGE that is good for sharing. Yet, contrar...

This is a delayed blog entry as I took a short break after finishing off the Trinoma Spot Pass edition . During this time, I was able to re-organize my thoughts, digest some more and prepare my fingers and mind to share with you another set of interesting stories, this time from the 2nd and last leg of Spot.ph's Blogger's Meet at Bonifacio HighStreet and Serendra in Makati. What felt like a major challenge when we were given the chance to visit 18 restaurants during the first run, turns out to look just like an appetizer as we had to visit *make a wildddd guess!* 24 food and non-food establishments all around the newest hang-out place in that part of town. With only four hours to complete the tour, we began at Krispy Kreme and slowly made our way around Bonifacio Highstreet before proceeding to Serendra. How I wish though we had more time because I literally find myself rushing through the last few stores just to get my card signed. Unfortunately, compromising the experie...

One afternoon, my sister brought home a big brown and orange square box that was given to her as a birthday gift. Dulcelin it reads. Filled with excitement and curiosity, I helped her open the box and saw a low (almost flat) "cake" filled with mango strips and pipings of whipped cream. Immediately, I thought it was someone's version of Red Ribbon's Mango Cream Pie -- a family favorite for years! After dinner, we made tiny slices of the cake and saw that the mango strips lie on top of a thin layer of cashew nougatinne crust. Hmm...interesting. Taking my first bite, I love the sweet, silky taste of the mangoes against the nutty cashew crust. YUMMY!! Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of whipped cream that I had to carefully pluck out the cream from my slice of cake eating just half of what was served to me. Later on, after doing my research, I found out that what we had wasn't a cake after all. It's called a torte which Wikipedia defines as a cake made with ...

Our family is truly a marketer's dream. They say, holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day were introduced by a smart businessman as his marketing plan to generate more sales for his store. This later turned into a nationwide celebration where Filipino children would buy a gift or treat the family out for lunch or dinner. A marketing trap? Not really. For a nation who practices close family ties and giving high respect to the elders, Mother's Day is a special day for moms to relax and experience the joys of motherhood. For us, children, it is a special day for us to thank our moms for all the sacrifices that she has made for us starting from the nine months of carrying us in her womb up to the everyday sacrifices that she has made to give us the best lives possible. Racking our brains for a good THANK YOU gift Mother's Day, in our family, is just as important as our birthdays. We plan this ahead of time to make sure that mommy will enjoy the entire day. This year...

After a week spent on food blogging, I think it's time to allow our poor, overworked but very satisfied tummies to "rest and re-charge" for a short while. Otherwise, I should probably make my own Little Loser character called Miss Glutonny inspired from the colorful shirts that Paul and I came face to face with when we attended the launch of the newest shirt line of David and Goliath yesterday. The Little Losers? Staying true to the signature David and Goliath humor while injecting more ATTITUDE and SPUNK, creator Todd Goldman came up with the Little Losers collection . This is his newest set of designs featuring graphic misfits that pay tribute to character stereotypes. Looking at the available Little Loser characters (there are 21 out of 57 of them here in the Philippines!), Paul and I found our favorites. Mine was the Miss Spoiled Brat and his was Mr. Couch Potato . Definitely so US! Ü This humor...I LIKE! The event was literally a FUN-filled one with the SPIT wh...

I'm sure by now you're already wondering how on earth were we able to consume all those samplers served in just one afternoon. To be honest, I still can't imagine it myself either. With so little time given (yes, 5 hours is NOT enough to fully appreciate the restaurant and its specialties...) we found ourselves rushing through the remaining stops and sadly, failing to enjoy what the other restaurants have to offer. :( Thankfully, just when I was about to give up and is just in need of something sweet to end our food trip, we ended up at Five Cows . From the reaction of my fellow bloggers, it seems like they were also ready for dessert as well. Chatting with the friendly supervisor, we found out that Five Cows offers more than just desserts. "We're not just an ice cream parlor," he explains. In fact they have a long list of hot meals that is quickly gaining popularity. The reason behind this is because the owners want to expand the traditional way of how Fil...

Welcome to TGI Friday's! There was that time, back in the mid 90s, when dining out with the barkada in the newly opened TGIFriday's branch in Glorietta was considered Über cool. We would order a Friday's Three-for-all and a Mushrooms, Chicken, Mushrooms , which is my personal favorite, all to share. These paired with a glass of bottomless iced tea.. and there was also that never ending contest for the boys on who can get the most refills to make their P45 worth it. Sadly, with the rise of more American fun dining restaurants in the Metro, TGIFriday's slowly took the back seat. No more long waiting hours, no more polos (the mint with the hole) served at the waiting area, more restaurant choices for diners and more tables available whenever you'd get that sudden craving for yummy potato skins and mozzarella sticks. Luckily, we were given the chance to be re-acquainted with the TGIFriday's experience during the bloggers' tour in Trinoma and once again during...

They say first impressions last . I've been a firm believer of this even when choosing where to dine out. I easily stay loyal to restaurants that serve quality dishes complemented with the best service. Suffice to say, I rarely would go back to a place where I've had a bad experience or I simply find the food not worth my hard-earned money. Case in point: Back in 2001 when Haiku first opened in Greenbelt 3. I had dinner with my mom and sister there during one of our mother-daughter-bonding sessions. We ordered a huge bowl of soba to share and a platter of ebi tempura. The service was pretty ok, we were well attended to but guess this is because we were the only customers there at that time. However, my mom, who is super sentitive towards salty and oily dishes immediately noticed that the soba was a tad too salty for her taste. Instead of apologizing and offering to replace her order, the chef came out and proudly said "ahh..ganyan talaga yan" (ahh..that's really...

During my visit to Cebu early this year, the first thing that I asked our partners after exchanging Hi's and Hello's was "San masarap kumain dito?" (Where is it good to eat here?) Our partner, who was so accomodating immediately enumerated her recommendations: there's the infamous Sutukil (which I later learned was a big al fresco food court that houses a number of stalls selling barbeques and grills), then there's Krua Thai and lastly La Maison . I was further intrigued by her last recommendation. "Is that a french restaurant?" , I asked, noting the sound of its name. Our hospitable partner told me that it's really more of a casual dining restaurant that specializes in ribs and steaks. Sadly, due to my tight schedule, I wasn't able to try La Maison but promised to do so on my next return. Luck must have been at my side when I found out the La Maison has opened not one but three branches here in Manila. Hooray! Now, I do not have to wait til...

When I think of Greece... ... I see cute white square concrete houses lined up atop a hill ... I imagine symbols from my ancient history classes and the dream of visiting the Parthenon someday ... I drool over juicy lamp chops marinated in the most flavorful herbs and grilled to perfection ... I look forward to watching men and women shouting OPA! as they fire up a sizzling plate of melted cheese Greece is located in the southeastern part of Europe and consists of a mountainous mainland and numerous islands. Although this is situated at the opposite part of the world from the Philippines, we Filipinos are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the food, tradition and culture of Greece when dining at CYMA . During the Bloggers' Tour around Trinoma, we were able to meet Robby Goco , the Executive Chef of CYMA. Talk about being starstrucked! I finally had the chance to personally chat with the man who heads the powerful kitchen team who makes just the best Roka Salata , Saganaki (Fl...