Frannywanny

I got a feeling that next year's gonna be a good good year!!! I can't believe that 2009 is finally coming to a close. This has been a year where we have witness major natural disasters, a number of great losses and a couple more sad news. However, trying to stay positive, there are also a lot of things that I am personally thankful for this year and I'd like to share these with you: 1) Travel Nothing relaxes me more than planning for an exciting trip! 2009 found me in four amazing spots namely: China , Hong Kong , Singapore and the Visayas region ! Next year will be another big traveling year that includes that much-awaited two weeks honeymoon to certain countries in Asia. Boy, I can't wait! 2) Frannywanny.com This blog has been my pride and joy for the past 2 years. Here I eagerly share with everyone my latest food finds, my travel notes and a lot more. Before starting on this entry, I even had to go through every single blog post that I've made this year to remin...

December 27, 2009 (Makati City, Philippines) -- Seriously taking our plan, which is to relax the entire weekend , seriously; we woke up just in time for brunch today. After hearing raves from colleagues and friends who frequently visit Dusit Thani Manila on a Sunday, we were so excited to try out their Sunday Family Crossover Buffet ourselves. Following the brief instructions of the front desk officer, we visited the four participating restaurants to choose and reserve our table. After visiting Basix , Umu , Benjarong and Tosca , we both agreed to stay at the latter simply because of its cozy ambiance complete with a pianist happily playing Christmas tunes. Contrary to other buffets and restaurants in town, here you have to pay first. After leading you to your table, the server will hand you the bill. The charge per head is very reasonable. Pay only P1450 net for adults, P725 for children between 6-12 years old while tiny tots below 5 years old can dine for FREE! After settl...

December 26, 2009 (Makati City, Philippines) -- Today is our 74th monthsary! I guess for most couples, they have stopped counting monthsaries the moment they turned a year old together. Not for us though, we continue to celebrate every single month as a couple. I guess we just love to find every possible reason to celebrate and be merry! Feeling my need to relax and get pampered, Paul surprised me with an overnight stay at the lovely Dusit Thani Manila . Located right at the heart of busy Makati City, I was amazed at the beautiful interiors that reminded me of our recent trip to Bangkok . With its golden walls and intricate details, I felt myself getting more and more excited as I walk around the lobby knowing that I will finally have that much-awaited relaxing weekend that I've been looking forward to. Warm Hellos, Genuine Smiles From the moment we entered the basement parking and were greeted with a joyous hello from the parking attendant followed by the warm welcome that we got...

Twas the night after Christmas and despite our hectic schedules, my friends and I all agreed to meet up to have a better-late-than-never dinner to celebrate the holidays. I guess this is what makes real friendship works, nothing will stop us from seeing each other no matter how far, how late or how short the meet-up would be. Following last year's fun and successful Christmas dinner, we agreed to have it at Tong Yang but this time in their Jupiter branch. We were all so excited to spend an evening cooking, eating, talking, laughing and just having a great time. Since we were a big group, we were given a private room. Their servers were very attentive that it wasn't difficult at all to ask for assistance. With our stomachs growling loudly, everyone headed to the buffet table the moment we arrived. Paul and I began with the appetizer section where we filled our plates with yummy sushi, siomai and kimchi! It was truly a mix of all things we like! Korean, Chinese and Japanese! I e...

Here's wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

This Christmas was, I could say, the most stressful of all. Normally, I would have been done with my Christmas shopping by October and would start wrapping them up by end of November. This year was a different story, I barely realized how fast time flew that I found myself not even with a ready gift list when December came along. Squeezing in a bit of shopping during the weekend, it later then resorted to last minute "panic" shopping with my sister for two days in a row as we shop for gifts for the family. We were exhausted as we shop right after work but as Christmas gets nearer and nearer, we had to brave the crazy traffic, extend our patience as we wait in line for a parking space and keep our eyes wide open as we look for perfect gifts for our loved ones. Last night, we finally completed our respective lists and before heading home, we stopped for a quick late evening snack. Call it a reward that we truly deserve. Our choice was at Sango! which has recently opened a new ...

By this time, we most probably have already attended half a dozen Christmas dinners and have officially thrown our diet out of the window. Dining out is always fun to do! This is a perfect opportunity for us to try out the different delicious dishes out there and of course, this is the time for us to unwind and bond with our loved ones. One thing that keeps us from enjoying such gastronomic feast is ALLERGY . The type that will leave your itching and scratching with ugly red blotches simply by just taking in a food that is not received well by your body. According to Wikipedia, the most common food allergies are shellfish, peanuts, fish, and eggs. One's allergy can range from mild itching to shortness of breath or even death. This is definitely one thing that we all should give importance too particularly when preparing a meal for your guests. DELeting the Allergy! With more and more people having different types of skin allergies, home care brands such as Del Hypoallergenic Fabri...

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to judge an Iron Chef Challenge that was done with the Ad Strat Council of the Philippines, this is a group of corporate CEOs from both the FMCG and Advertising industries who stand has guardians to the ads being shown, printed and produced. Being very busy individuals, majority of them rarely have the time to bring out their creative juices in the kitchen. Thus, with the help and expertise of a group called Skills and Innovation , a total of six groups were formed and they were tasked to create a full course meal for only two hours. The menu was a trio of appetizer bites , Chicken Cacciatore , Chocolate Trifle and their very own signature drink . We arrived at exactly 1pm at the venue and after a short briefing I found myself part of a three-member judging team with two professional chefs as my co-judge. Woah! I was very much overwhelmed and I somehow felt that I am truly not worthy to be beside two food experts who surely know their way around f...

Last November 24, I received an email from Mr. Ritche Salgado who introduced himself as a writer for The Freeman . Upon reading the first two sentences of his email, I was baffled as to why on earth would he write to me. Reading further on, I then found out that it was an apology email as apparently he accidentally submitted my entry about Pizza Hut's newest pasta line and it was published under his by line. It took me a while to absorb the information that I have just gathered from his lengthy email. He kept on apologizing but of course I just had to see this for myself. Apparently, every article written on The Freeman also gets published online via PhilStar.com so my article was re-published not once but twice and it was under someone else's name. Perhaps the normal reaction here is to get mad, to threaten to sue or at least to complain directly to management. My colleagues have been helpful by offering to give me the contact details of the publisher and to support my eve...

I can still remember watching my sister pack for her one-week trip to Egypt almost a month ago. I remember that aside from reminding her to pack in some jacket and long sleeves, I also told her to make me proud and check out the local cuisine. Well, I was also sure she doesn't need much reminding as she is a more adventurous eater than I am and I wouldn't be surprise if she would bravely try out a couple of exotic dishes that Egypt has to offer. She's back now and with lots of stories to tell. Of course, she proudly told me about all the restaurants and dishes that she was able to try while I listen with much envy. Here's her story which she generously shared with the reader of Yummy.ph on her magical food adventure in the land of camels and pyramids: Egypt: A Welcome Surprise to the Palate

In this day and age, it is more common to meet up for dinner given our busy work schedule. Somehow, this also gives having a relaxing lunch out a different and special meaning since it's something that everyone looks forward to and truly treasure when given the opportunity to have one. Such is the case one fine Saturday noon when my sister and I found ourselves with no specific plans for the day. Waking up early, we agreed to go out for lunch with mommy to just bond for the day. It's about time for our regular mother-daughters bonding session! While Pan and I have been really tired and stressed out from work, Mommy's stress level probably triples that of ours combined since she takes care not only of our family but that of her own team at work as well. In fact, I still owe her a massage session this coming holiday break. salmon tartare Our lunch date was set at Chelsea Market and Cafe , I had such a wonderful experience here on all three occasions that I dined here while pr...