Frannywanny

It has almost been a month since our trip to Hong Kong and while viewing our photos, I'm just missing it more and more. Admittedly, our trip was very short and if given the chance, we would probably have just extended it to a week to be able to visit more interesting food and shopping spots. While roaming around SM Megamall one weeknight, I saw a newly-opened restaurant at the Ground Floor beside Powerbooks and Kaya Korean Restaurant named Chef Choi . The interior was painted oriental red and the first thing you'll notice is the photo strip that features various mouthwatering dishes which I guess the restaurant specializes on. Entering the restaurant, you'll see the menu board with yellow dish tags. This immediately reminded me of Hong Kong's popular fast food chains such as Cafe de Coral and Maxim's MX. Looking at the menu then at the photo strip then back to the menu, I really had a hard time choosing which one to order. Luckily, my server suggested one that ...

Tagaytay has always been and remains to be my family's not-so-secret weekend getaway. Take this month for instance, I have been to Tagaytay twice already and we're going back this weekend to celebrate my birthday! Yep, we love it that much ! My second visit was quick though, it lasted for only half a day because I went there for work. Before heading to our target destination, my colleague Iza and I decided to grab lunch first. Iza, I then found out, is also a food lover. Throughout the ride down South, we were comparing notes on the different food places that we have dined in Tagaytay. While our list didn't vary much, Iza offered to take me to this place that has become her newest Tagaytay favorite called Army Navy . Army Navy is located inside the Yellow Cab property along Aguinaldo Highway. I got so amused when I saw the counter. It is located at the left side of the Yellow Cab building with tables scattered outside. Dining here is done Al Fresco style. The structure ...

Remember those days when having a penpal is cool? How you would wait for days before receiving her reply and it would also take you almost half a day to compose a letter before sending it back to her? Despite the long process of exchange, people didn't mind. That was before email and the Internet became present and very much accessible. Through the years, more and more things can be done with the computer. Back then, it was just used as a form of documentation and creation of art works. Today, it has become a means of communication between two people living on opposite ends of the world. Even business deals are done online. For me, I have a lot of reasons to thank the Internet for. First and foremost, this blog would not exist without it. Without an internet connection, I would not be able to maintain this blog where I can share my thoughts and discoveries with my wonderful readers out there. Secondly, it has allowed me to meet a lot of people with whom I have built great friends...

I started blogging as early as 2001, this became my source of relaxation and a way for me to hone my writing skills. My blog back then was filled with personal insights, a bit of drama and less photos. I stopped for a while when I joined the corporate world but I guess, passion will never die and it will burn even stronger when kept inside. That's how it was with my passion for blogging. Before I knew it, I'm starting to blog again this time through my multiply account . Eventually, I got around to opening a new blog site. Thus, Frannywanny was born. As much as I love to eat and write, I also love to read food blogs. From them I would get marvelous recommendations on the newest food spots in town. One of the blogs that I regularly follow is Table for Three, Please . What do I love about it? Well, let's start from the photos. A food blog is all about making your readers hungry. Your aim is to make their tummies rumble after reading your blog at any given time of the day. I ...

When I first saw the banner promoting Pizza Hut's newest product, I couldn't believe my eyes. Viva Lasagna , was written in huge bold letters and underneath is a photo of a giant pizza. "Talk about Carbo-load" , I said to myself. Who would have thought that a week after, I would get invited to the media launch for the same product. Seated inside Pizza Hut Bistro , my colleagues and I chatted while waiting for our pizza to be served. We wondered how on earth can they combine a pizza and a pasta without making a single slice too much for a meal's consumption. Finally, our Viva Lasagna (Php. 475) pizza has arrived and just by looking at it, it's surely the type of pizza that can be shared by a group of 5 or more. Look at how big it is! that's Cheers, Yummy Magazine's newest editor, looking at the Viva Lasagna pizza Taking a closer look, I first noticed that the crust is not too thick or too thin, this is what makes the Viva pizza different. So how did t...

Unlike our Guangzhou trip which was filled with new food discoveries , our Hong Kong escape was a bit more laid back... too laid back in fact that we veered away from searching high and low for interesting food spots. What stood out, however, were the desserts that capped our meals during the three days that we were there. Mango Loco During our first night in Hong Kong, Paul and I walked around the neighborhood to re-familiarize ourselves with Tsim Sha Tsui. While walking along one busy road, we saw a small brightly-lit store that actually has a crowd waiting outside. This got us so curious that we quickened our steps towards the store to see what it's all about. On the counter were laminated menus with photos of iced mango drinks. Scanning the menu, we realized that Hui Lau Shan is a dessert store and inside are tables filled with teenagers and yuppies enjoying their fruity desserts. In order to satisfy our curious state, we ordered a Mango Sago to share. After waiting for two ...

It has been 9 long years since my last visit to Hong Kong . Within those years of absence, Hong Kong has continued to flourish and sparkle as a perfect travel destination. That said, my latest trip to this Asian food and shopping paradise was one that's filled with lots of new discoveries. Unfortunately, we had very limited time available. With only 2 and a half days worth to roam around the city, we made our top 3 must-visit places and made sure to include this in our tight schedule. Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights As I was creating our trip itinerary, Paul just made one tiny request. This is to visit the place where you can see the statue of Bruce Lee. I was initially dumbfounded. Where on earth will I find this place? After much research, I finally landed here . Luck must have been on our side as this is within walking distance from our hotel . So, on our first day, we headed towards the Hong Kong Harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui to check out the Avenue of Stars . We passed throu...

I can still remember it very well. It was one early morning back in 1989, I entered the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while holding Papa's hand very tightly. I was wearing my best Sunday dress, my comfy M&S socks, my favorite Mary Jane shoes and a cute little backpack on my..uhhh...back. We were going on my first ever trip abroad and boy, was I excited! I think I hardly slept the night before and was immediately awaken when Mommy woke me up to get ready for the airport. We were going to Hong Kong ! Fast forward twenty years and a couple of return visits after, Hong Kong is still one of my favorite places on earth. How can I not love a place that serves the best tasting food? From dimsum lunches to roast goose dinners, Hong Kong is one place where dieting does not exist. However, we can always compensate all those cholesterol-laden dishes with loads of walking. From the lovely Victoria Peak to that romantic walk down Avenue of Stars , you'll definitely get the best le...

See you ALL there!!! :)

Despite the fact that our feet and legs were mercilessly battered by walking around Guangzhou to visit their tourist attractions and to see what the China Import and Export Fair has to offer, we made it a point to keep our tummies happy. Guangzhou was said to specialize in Cantonese cuisine. However, to match our hectic schedule, we settled for these local fast food chains and dishes that didn't fail in delighting our taste buds: 1) Kungfu If Manila has Jolibee, then Guangzhou has Kungfu . This was the first unique restaurant that I saw when we arrived at the train station. Also, during the short taxi drive to our hotel, I saw at least four more outlets normally occupying a corner lot or a huge area in the mall. How can I miss it? With a bright red and black logo plus an image of Bruce Lee, Kung Fu has really stirred our curiosity that it was unanimously chosen as our dinner stop for our first night. The menu board was in Chinese and so we resulted to just pointing our orders o...

While our Guangzhou trip was primarily meant for business, we made it a point to still enjoy and immerse ourselves in the culture that speaks much about our roots. Throughout our four-day visit in Guangzhou, China, we have managed to try a couple of local dishes, visit a popular tourist spot and go on a romantic dinner cruise on our last night. So, while preparing your itinerary, try to find time to visit these places to make your visit more memorable and truly enjoyable: 1) Beijing Pedestrian Road This pedestrian road is lined with retail outlets and food stalls for locals and tourists to enjoy. Think about it as a mall without a roof where you can enjoy dining and shopping al fresco style. Also, this road has actually a long history dating back to the Sung Dynasty and probably even beyond. A proof of which can be seen in one portion where they have a glass display at the middle of the street that shows the actual road used back in 960-1279 AD. Seeing this gave me goosebumps, I can...

I am a very cautious traveller. While majority would prefer an adventure-filled trip where anything goes ; I would prefer having a set itinerary, a guaranteed accomodation and clear transfer arrangements. This, I figured, would save me from all the headaches and hopefully maximize my budget too. Since it will be our first time in Guangzhou, we didn't want to take any risk in ending up homeless in a place where English is not their primary language. Finally, after a week's worth of internet surfing and getting recommendations from travel agencies, we finally got a lovely room at the Grand Continental Service Apartments . The hotel is located at the tip of the famous Beijing Road which is a pedestrian street lined with bargain shops and stalls. Normal room rates range from CNY 248 (approx. Php. 1860 / $38) for the Standard Single Room to CNY 1380 (approx. Php. 10,350 / @212) for the Deluxe Three Bed Rooms apartment. The room is fairly big and the bed is very comfortable. I love t...

This is the first of my 7-part travelling series . Here I will be sharing with you details and tips on two of my latest travel destinations: Guangzhou, China and Hong Kong . No brochure-like narrations here, all you will read are personal insights that we have gained throughout our week-long adventure. I hope you'll find these useful and you'll enjoy your trip as much as we did :) Guangzhou, China Guangzhou is located at the Southern part of China. It is easily accessible from our favorite travel destination called Hong Kong. Our trip to Guangzhou was brought about by the Bi-Annual China Import and Export Fair . This fair opened up Guangzhou to foreign investors all over the world. Cantonese is the main dialect in this province of China while RMB (renminbi) is the official currency. Getting there Just like any trip to China, you would need a Chinese Visa to be allowed to enter Guangzhou. Since I had to renew my passport this year and it took the DFA a pretty long time before t...

My mom is simply the best. Sure, she can be a nagger..and believe me she can be pretty good at it. She will always remind me to take my vitamins, to sleep early, to exercise, to come home before midnight and the list goes on and on and on. She is also not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something wrong and will also be the first to boast of our achievements. Mommy is the best shopping buddy, movie partner and food trip companion. She is someone whom my sister and I would run to when we had a bad day at work or things just didn't turn out the way we would hope it would be. Despite her petite frame, she was the strongest one during our family's darkest moment . I'd like to think that Papa's health has improved so much because of her patience, determination and unconditional love. It's Mother's Day again this Sunday! Once again, my sister and I are thinking of sweet surprises for her. Look what landed on my email inbox just this morning... For our mommy who tre...