Frannywanny

What is a lazy Sunday? It's when one wakes up just in time for lunch followed by a good thirty minutes of aimlessly wandering around the house and later on, finding herself heading back to bed for nap time. After a series of weekends with very tight schedules, I woke up today with no agenda or plans in mind. So far, what I've done today was to read the sunday paper, read up on more information about our upcoming trip and laze around the house as I watch my sister and mom leave for the mall. I love Lazy Sundays though. This is when we get to enjoy Mom's cooking which is normally her own version of well-loved Chinese dishes. On Lazy Sundays, we get to eat crabs, prawns and all of those fresh catch from the market. However, whenever mom gets too lazy to cook on this day, we rely on this particular neighborhood restaurant to serve us their best-sellers. A couple of years back, Paul and I would have to travel all the way to Binondo whenever we crave for Duck Misua (for him) and ...

It was a Friday evening and Paul, who was able to get off from work early, asked me out for dinner. Of course, I agreed and began racking my brains for a new restaurant that we can check out. Finally, it hit me! Now's the chance to introduce one of my newest food discoveries to Paul -- 1521 ! Since it was also a payday Friday, I had to be extra cautious in choosing our dinner destination to avoid getting stuck in terrible traffic. Luckily, my chosen restaurant was not that far from my office. I somehow sensed Paul's immediate apprehension since the place was empty when we arrived. I guess, we were pretty early for the Friday dinner crowd. Knowing that it was my second visit to the restaurant, Paul just told me to surprise him and so I did! A table of discoveries 1521 , as we were told, was the year the Philippines was discovered by Magellan and his troops. Thus, this restaurant wants its diners to rediscover the beauty of the Filipino cuisine. Don't expect to see traditiona...

Who would have thought that located just a couple of blocks away from my home is a place where one can enjoy a cup of freshly brewed customized tea? This is one reason why I LOVE my neighborhood. One of Metro Manila's smallest cities, San Juan , is quickly growing to be an ideal residential area due to its proximity to other key cities in the metro, a lot of food and shopping options and various places where its residents can unwind after a crazy day at work . After a hearty seafood dinner last Friday, Paul and I wanted to hang out at a quiet place where we can talk and relax before heading home. Since, we didn't really feel like having coffee nor do we have enough room for dessert, I suddenly remembered a meeting that I had earlier that day when a colleague enthusiastically shared with us her newest discovery called Serenitea . She told us that it's a cozy tea shop that serves really good freshly brewed teas. However, for those who wants the sweeter version, they also hav...

...in Manila! The brand that has converted a lot of frozen yogurt fans in LA, New York, Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore is finally here in Manila to join in the fun! Since I've been going around town in search for the best yogurt in the market, I've narrowed down my list to Yoh-gurt Froz and Cold Spoon . Visiting the new Eastwood Mall for the first time was truly a pleasure. My sister, who acted as my tour guide, led me to its restaurant row on the second floor. Quietly tuck at the corner was a small cozy store with a huge door and a bright round signage at the side. I held my breath as I read the name of the store. Red Mango , it said. Without any hesitation, I pushed the door open and walked in. I can't believe it's finally here and it's open to the public! Surveying its menu, I still ended up with my favorite -- a small cup of original yogurt (Php. 80) with fresh strawberries (Php. 20) and kiwis (Php. 20). I watch as the girl behind the counter prepared my cup of...

I've mentioned in a previous entry how much I enjoy those rare lunch out moments with colleagues. Since my current work location is situated beside a not-so-complete mall and to get to one would require hailing a cab or driving a car, this somehow limits us to choose from whatever is available in the building or somewhere within walking distance. Thus, upon the invitation of a colleague who is planning to fill up her beauty loot in Bonifacio Highstreet, I immediately accepted her offer to join her for lunch at The Stock Market . I've been hearing a lot of mixed feedbacks about Del Monte's newest restaurant. Good and bad this made me even more excited to try it out myself. Browsing the menu, we first noted that it was a bit pricey (Price ranges from Php. 200++ to Php. 500++). I also wanted to play safe so we asked the server for his recommendations. Since I wanted to just have a light lunch, I chose the Cream of Porcini Mushroom soup with Truffle Oil (Php. 260) and the Sto...

Here's a classic story about how service can vary depending on the situation or your customers: Last Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the media launch of the newest branch of Crepes & Cream at The Atrium of SM Megamall . I was excited to attend this event as I love crepes and I used to frequent their Podium branch a couple of years back. I entered the store and immediately smelled the scent of cooking crepes. The aroma just made my stomach grumble and my mouth to water. Finally, it was my turn to place my order and I got a Kani Mango Crepe (Php. 135) because I found out that they add ebiko in it which is perfect since I'm still on my sushi craving phase . I watched the girl effortlessly prepared my crepe that it got me wondering if it's really that easy to prepare. Here's what she did: First, she poured the batter into the hot skillet pan Next, she spread the batter around and smoothen out the sides Afterwards, she added the remaining ingredients ...

Once in a while, a girl craves from something delicious and whenever she craves for this it is definitely a must and NOT an option to make sure this gets fulfilled. Just recently, I was really craving for sushi -- oh, I dream of slices of mouthwatering salmon sashimi, the brightest orange ebiko (fish roe) and a huge platter of assorted mini makis. Paul, being the sweetest boyfriend that he is, agreed to drive all the way to Quezon City just to satisfy my sushi craving. Just a word of caution though, when it comes to sushi and eating raw food items, be sure to dine only in reputable restaurants. This is to avoid getting unexpected stomach illnesses or worst, food poisoning. For us, the best sushi can be found in Omakase . We used to be regular customers of their Libis branch and were delighted to find out that they just recently moved to a bigger and better location in Il Terrazzo in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Regulars of Omakase will be surprised and delighted with the new interiors ...