Frannywanny

Go around the world...under the sea at the S.E.A. Aquarium in Sentosa Island  here in Singapore . That was exactly what Paul and I did a few months ago during one of our Sundates exploring the Lion City. Paul is such an animal lover that at some point I am starting to believe that he could have Dr. Dolittle 's special power too. Given how fascinated he is with all types of animals, I suggested that we check out the S.E.A. Aquarium has we have been hearing quite a lot of good things about it. True enough, the long queue that greeted us for the ticket counter was the first sign that this was indeed a must-visit spot here in Singapore. Just like everywhere else in this bustling city, the service was very efficient so we got to the front of the line in no time. We got the One Day Pass (S$38) which will allow us to visit all 10 zones inside. As you enter, you'll be able to check out the Maritime Experiential Museum  where there's a show being projected that will take yo...

*SPONSORED POST* When two fun things namely, Social Networking and Shopping comes together, we're pretty much assured that something amazing is bound to happen. It's really cool now that technology enables us to do so much with just a few clicks here and there. Making the world a smaller place, we now can check out the latest in the market and to get our hands quickly on certain items that would have probably took months to reach our shores..some may have not even made it close to our territory before. One of the country's fastest growing shopping site -- Lazada Philippines has teamed up with WeChat Philippines as it celebrates its 2nd Anniversary.  "Straight from their Mobiles & Tablets category, Lazada Philippines is set to roll out discounted Android tablets for 1,000 users who are following their Official Account on WeChat. Each chosen user will be able to get hold of the gadget for P999, which is originally priced at P2,499."  Isn't this...

It all began with an invite to partake in a challenge.  The deal -- to go through an 8-course Black Angus Beef tasting challenge and emerge victorious at the end.  Can I do it?  Putting my hesitations and questions aside, I went forward with a bold (and hungry) spirit.  Such a difficult feat but a girl's go to do what a girl's got to do. I promise not to let you all down.  So there we were at Azur in Crowne Plaza Changi Airport , ready for the challenge to start. Out came the first round -- the Alaskan Snow Crab Leg . It's a beauty, if I must say so myself. It was just the perfect starter to cleanse our palate as we swooned upon enjoying the fresh beyond fresh flavor which further enticed our taste buds for the rounds to follow. With our bare hands, we ripped the shell open and enjoyed the delicious sweet crab meat inside. We passed the first round with flying colors yet the challenge continued to progress with the second round -- Sesame Black...

One thing that got me excited about checking out the local food scene here in Singapore is the fact that I'll also be able to dine at restaurants owned by Celebrity Chefs ! For years, I've been following Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck and Jamie Oliver on TV. Who would have thought that the day would come wherein I now have the chance to be able to dine at their restaurants anytime I want! This is definitely a foodie's dream come true. ♥ So, on our first month in the Lion City, Paul and I were reunited with my college friend T and the love of her life S at ( where else?! ) Pizzeria Mozza ! Pizzeria Mozza is located right adjacent to its sister-restaurant Osteria Mozza which is also owned by the same trio (Mario Batali, Nancy Silverston and Joe Bastianich). However, both offers different menus and it somehow gives a different vibe too. Pizzeria Mozza boasts of a long list of pizza combinations, a couple of paninis and starters. It has a more casual vibe and here you'll...

"If only Pan and T were here with me, this would probably be their wonderland." This was the thought that entered my mind when Paul, O and I decided to have lunch at Everything with Fries . A quick look at their menu will tell you that they're taking this fries-loving quite seriously and staying true to their name, almost every item in the menu comes with a generous serving of fries. Yes, you can have a rice meal with fries, a burger with fries, a pasta dish with fries and more! Matching the relaxed vibe of Holland Village, dining at Everything with Fries will give you that laid-back feel as you enjoy your meal with friends and family. Service was good as our server was pretty much attentive to our every need.

For friends and family who would come to Singapore to visit, part of their list is to "eat chili crab and cereal prawns."  Well, let me tell you one thing -- there's more to Singapore than Chili Crab and Cereal Prawns . True, you should have crabs and prawns while you're here but there are actually other crab options especially if you have a low tolerance for spicy food like me. I remember when we just moved here, we would hear our friends saying that there's this really good seafood restaurant called Irvin's Live Seafood House in Ang Mo Kio, up north and really far away from where we live. It has been on my list for more than a year and finally we got around to checking it out thanks to our friend A who came to visit and was craving for salted egg seafood. The group got together and despite the distance, we all made the journey to Ang Mo Kio after work one Friday night. Irvin's is known for their Salted Egg Sauce so much so that they have dedicated...

When my SIL told me that we will be having our family lunch at COCA which is a Thai restaurant at SM Aura, images of Pad Thai, Thai Iced Tea, Takoh and Catfish Salad starts coming into my mind. I was really excited as I'm a fan of Thai cuisine. We got there just in time for our reservation and I was surprised that the restaurant was empty on a holiday. How odd... Where did all the people go? Well, SM Aura was fairly new when we went so maybe the foot traffic is still quite low. Scanning the menu, both my SIL and I were quite confused as it doesn't have any of our Thai favorites. Asking the server, we found out that COCA is apparently a Thai-Chinese restaurant and there seems to be more Chinese dishes than Thai. No problem then, we were hungry and were pretty much agreeable to anything edible. Thankfully our server was very helpful as he gave us a couple of recommendations. First on the list was the Suki Steamboat Platter which was COCA's signature dish -- Each tabl...

With the numerous soup stores that can be found in the CBD, one would actually wonder if there's still room for more. True, take my office street for example, you don't have to walk far to come across 3 soup restaurants with a never-ending queue in front during lunch hour. The funny thing is, these 3 shops sell the same herbal, Chinese-y soup that my Kongkong would make for us as these are packed with all the nutrients to keep us healthy forever and ever. So, when my friend T invited me to have lunch at the newly opened Soup Stock Tokyo at our favorite lunch place destination -- Asia Square Tower 2 , I really didn't thought much about it at first as I had a feeling it was just one of those many soup places in the area with a fancier name that is. Little did I know that Soup Stock Tokyo originated from Japan since 1999. In fact, this branch in Singapore is their first overseas. WOW!

There are several things that make me feel giddy and excited lately: - When I get to try something surprisingly good. - Whenever I'm going home to visit my family and lastly... - When anyone from my family comes to visit.  Such was the case a few months ago when my sister suddenly decided that she will be visiting me and she'll be staying for a few days! I was so excited as I began planning our itinerary and the places where I will be taking her to try. It's pretty obvious how my sister and I keep a very close relationship. We're a small family of four so we have this "it's you and me against the world" kind of bond not only between us sisters but even with our parents too. I guess my giddiness was so obvious that my colleagues can feel how excited I was when Pan can to visit. From the moment she landed, I wasted no time and the eating quickly began. One Saturday, we told Paul that he can sleep a little longer while we go out for our sisterly bon...

More than a month before our January visit home, I've been hearing friends and fellow food lovers talking about this new restaurant called Kettle  that recently opened at Manila's newest hangout spot, where else but in the East Wing  of  Shangril-La Plaza . This new structure of the mall houses a number of interesting food concepts from Chef Rob Goco's Green Pastures to another addition in the ramen competition, Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen  to name a few. Since I don't get to go home that often, I have a long list of restaurants to try and one of those is Kettle . I am very lucky to be blessed with really supportive high school friends. As we were planning for our dinner out, they allowed me to choose where I want to eat as they are very much aware of my long running list. We all agreed to dine at Kettle and to ensure that we have a table ready for us as we're dining on a busy Friday night, a reservation has been made. We were a loooong table of 12 so it can be quite...

Summer in Manila is just around the corner and this just means one thing : It's time to plan your summer trips! For those who are coming to Singapore in the coming months or even years, I will begin this series called Explore Singapore!  highlighting several must-visit places that you could consider to include in your itinerary. It's true. Singapore is a small country but being small doesn't mean there's not much to see. Living here for a year, I've come to realized that there are a lot of places that I have yet to visit. As Paul and I would dedicate our weekends in exploring the city, our love for the Little Red Dot grows more and more. Let me begin with the most popular one -- welcome to Universal Studios Singapore ! Since it opened about 4-5 years ago, Universal Studios Singapore or USS as we would call it, has been one of the most visited spot here in Singapore. It really just shows that theme parks are not just for kids. For example, my parents who v...

There's really something magical about enjoying a cup of tea at any given time of the day. On most days, whenever I have a warm mug of tea with me, I tend to zone out from the bustling noise from our busy surroundings and for that short moment, I can feel peace and lots of zen. Thus, I make sure that our pantry at home is completely stocked with tea in all kinds and flavors. Growing up, I love floral-flavored teas like jasmine and chrysanthemum. I remember Papa ordering pots of Chrysanthemum every time we'd have dimsum in Hong Kong. Somehow, this became a staple for me. Eating dimsum is not complete without tea. Later on, we began a weekly ritual of having Afternoon Teas complete with dainty cups and saucers, a ceramic container of sugar cubes and a pretty three-layer tray filled with tea sandwiches and pastries. Since Chrysanthemum Tea is available mostly in Chinese restaurant, this time we learned to appreciate English Teas like Earl Grey, Basic Black Tea and more.  ...

♫ "We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship!" ♫ People who have kids at home or within the family will surely be familiar with this catchy-yet-can-be-annoyingly LSS-causing song from the Little Einsteins. It surely was the song playing in my mind as I read the invite that my friends from Shangri-la Hotel Singapore sent me a few weeks ago. As the invite says, we were to join them in a journey across the Middle East and to immerse in the vibrancy of "Al Souq" . Oh how I love Middle Eastern food! So there we were earlier this week, excited to indulge ourselves with our favorite kebabs, hummus and a lot more. Browsing through the menu, I realized that there really is more to Middle Eastern food than kebabs. Quite a revelation, don't you think? Well, lucky readers in Singapore will be able to experience a wide array of Middle Eastern flavors as The Line is having a two week long buffet promotion which started yesterday up until the 25th of Marc...

No matter how many days our vacation in Manila may be, we always end up feeling that we should have stayed longer. *sigh*  It just goes to show that time truly flies when you're having fun more so when you're with your loved ones and your dearest friends too. During my recent visit home, I made sure to make time to meet up with two of my good friends and I have to admit, my two favorite food bloggers too  -- Jin and Leslie . Being with them always makes me and Paul feel very comfortable and we would always look back and say how much fun lunch/dinner was with them. ALWAYS. I guess it's because the three of us share a lot of common interest -- FOOD is one, traveling is another. We also share a number of common friends here and there. Needless to say, our table conversations have always been always fun, funny and definitely negative vibes free. Recently, we were invited to dine at Kitsho Japanese Restaurant at Traders Hotel Manila . We've been reading up and hearin...

*SPONSORED POST* Do you believe in zodiac signs and how people under certain signs share a common trait or personality? Well I do. Being fascinated with the stars, astrology and the zodiac since I was really young, I have gotten around to even memorizing them chronologically and up to which date one sign begins and ends. I swear, at some point, my mom had this frightening thought that I might turn out to be a fortune teller. Anyway, when it comes to building relationships, I do believe that people that falls under a specific sign do get along more with another sign over the others. It really has something to do with how their personalities would match harmoniously perhaps due to a complementing trait or a similar one that's why they get along well. The same goes for whenever we would strike up a conversation. People born under the Gemini sign, like yours truly, are said to be natural communicators. Now you know why I just can go on and on with my stories and I promise you, I d...

On days where I'm really busy at work and I feel like my brain has been drained from all that thinking, I look forward to going home and enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal by my talented hubby or should we decide to eat out, I'll ask that we go to one of our favorite restaurants instead. Yup, for someone who loves trying something new, there are just days where I would go for something familiar, something tried, tested and loved over and over again. These are where I can find my comfort food . To me, comfort food means a plate of pasta, some hand-rolled sushi or a warm bowl of mushroom soup. One evening, Paul and I met up with cousin J and we decided to dine at Nana's Green Tea in Plaza Singapura -- a modern cafe that specializes in..you guessed it!... green tea ! So, I just had to try their Iced Matcha Latte which was delicious! It immediately reminded me of my friends Jin and Leslie who are big fans of matcha green tea! I made a mental note to take them here wh...

I can't believe that my love affair with Serenitea has almost been 5 years long! I'll never forget how it all began and how it continued to be my go-to place whenever I just need to unwind and calm my nerves with a cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea when I was in Manila. Many milk tea places came and went yet Serenitea stayed strong all throughout. That just goes to show what a strong market leader it continues to be. Yay! Of course, every visit back home is not complete without getting my milk tea fix. Just to show how much we love Serenitea, it was the first place that we went to a few hours after landing in Manila a few months ago. It was also perfect timing that Serenitea just launched a couple of new snacks to go with their winning milk tea flavors! First things first though, I had to get my GIANT Hokkaido Milk Tea with QQ ! Look how big my cup was and I was such a happy camper being reunited with my favorite drink. Yum yum yum! As you know, the concept of Serenitea came...

Let me tell you a secret. Ready?  Okay, here goes....  I really love it whenever good friends from Manila would come visit and make time to share a meal with us. ♥  I know how traveling can be quite hectic so Paul and I really do appreciate it whenever our friends would go through the trouble of messaging us just to say that they're coming and they would really set aside some of their precious time to see us when they could probably spend this shopping away in Orchard. It really tells us a lot about the friends whom we have to treasure for life. Take for example my good friend M. He has been one of my closest friends since high school and we would talk almost every night all throughout our high school / college years and even after that. I know the story of his love life by heart and he has been a witness to mine. He's the kind of friend whom I know I can always count on anytime. For example, during my debut party, he even bought me my favorite fish sandwi...

Look what I've been munching on lately! I know, I've welcomed the year with a promise to lessen my junk food snacking but I guess it's okay to give in to my monthly craving for yummy munchies once in a while right? Well, as my husband would say, smart snacking is the way to go! We have began choosing chips that are baked, have no trans fat or have lower sodium in it vs. it's less healthy counterparts. What a perfect timing that my friend and fellow blogger R sent over a couple of bags of Herr's during our last visit to Manila! I instantly recognized Herr's as those buckets of cheese curls that we would hoard in S&R! Ohhh I love love love Herr's Cheese Curls! Well, did you know that Herr's is made of pure corn meal and is baked to perfection. I guess this is one of the very few corn products that I can eat without getting sick. It doesn't make use of artificial preservatives/flavoring too! I just love being able to enjoy this without ge...