Frannywanny

This year flew by in bullet train speed. I can't believe we're a few hours away from bidding 2015 goodbye and saying hello to 2016. People say that time flies when you're having fun. Well, I guess for most parts, that's true but I also have experienced my biggest heartbreak (to date) a few months back when my beautiful Amah lost her battle to ugly cancer and left us all in this world. Sometimes, I would forget that she's gone and would excitedly look forward to flying home to Manila to see her and Angkong. *sigh* On the other hand, our family recently celebrated a big milestone when my sister tied the knot to my new brother-in-law E. That was a really fun occasion and I'm pretty sure that even Amah was up there smiling and watching as the festivities unfold. Anyway, amidst all the ups and downs, this year has really taught me the true meaning and importance of FAMILY. I've been flying back and forth Singapore and Manila for the past months and while a...

Christmas Day is just a few days away! This week marks the start of a series of holiday feasting and drinking and I'm pretty sure a lot of you have been attending Christmas parties left and right too. With our social calendars filled to the brim, where are you heading to for that most special holiday dinner date with your special someone? Paul and I usually make it a point to take time out to spend that moment alone and to enjoy a good meal to celebrate the holiday. This year has been so hectic though that we're actually flying home in a couple of days and that annual Christmas dinner date hasn't been planned yet. Eep! Luckily, we had the chance to check out Caffe B a couple of weeks ago were we were given a sneak peek of their Christmas Menus.

Many times, people would ask me how long have I been blogging and whenever they would hear the answer, their eyes would widen and the next thing they'd say is " wow! that's a pretty long time. " Well, they're right. Personally, I am also amazed myself that Frannywanny.com has been around for 8 years already and still counting! It just feels surreal. It has been a fun ride and I know it will continue to be. I can still remember that day when I first decided to open this blog after months of writing about my foodie stories in Multiply for just my friends to read about. A year or so, I started meeting fellow bloggers whom eventually became my good friends too. Oh, and how can I forget those moments when I get to see my blogging idols in the flesh. Believe it or not, I still get all giddy and starstrucked whenever I get the opportunity to be around the guys and gals whom I've been stalking following online pretty much on a daily basis. Wonder who they are? Jus...

For almost two years, my brother in law E has been telling me about this restaurant that he discovered that has according him, "the best and most tender crispy pata ever" Since Papa and Paul also love Crispy Pata, Livestock has then long been part of my growing list of restaurants to try. Finally, we got the chance to travel all the way to Quezon City to try it out. I'm so happy as even Kongkong and A-I were able to join us too. Livestock is located behind ABS-CBN. It's part of this small complex that houses a couple of other restaurants such as one that serves a variety of seafood dishes, a ramen stop and more. We got there quite early and were lucky to score a long table for 9 at the ground floor. The menu of course had a lot of different pork dishes but of course they also have a lot more typical Filipino options to choose from. For some reason, all of us where not THAT hungry for dinner that night so we actually just had four viands to share. First was the...

For a food blogger, I have to admit that I can get quite picky too. Carrots, peas, corn, mussels, oysters and whipped cream are just some of the big no-nos on my dinner plate. Admittedly, I like leafy veggies more than the slimy ones. I know, I know... it can be quite challenging to get me to really eat all my greens. (sorry Mommy!) So, when I got an invite to check out the new menu of Do.Si.Rak. I initially had my fears. "Will I like the food?" "Will they be serving veggies that I don't like?" "Will it be tasteless and bland?" These are just some of the things that have crossed my mind and I'm pretty sure the minds of countless others who are not big veggie eaters. However, Do.Si.Rak. is a step above the usual salad bar as it offers something more than just x number of toppings on top of your mixed greens. Here, you choose your base (noodles, rice, tofu, cauliflower rice, etc) followed by your veggies and lastly some protein .

5 years. For many, that may seem like a long time but seriously, 5 years or 1825 days to be exact could fly by sooo fast. Take this year for example, would you believe that we're 16 days away from 2016? That's just a little more than 2 weeks and it's time to bid the year good bye. Wow! That said, I couldn't believe that it has been 5 years since my last visit to 22 Prime in Discovery Suites. I'm glad that Paul and I were able to squeeze in a nice steak lunch before checking in at the hotel two months ago for my sister's big day. Despite how long it has been, I could still vividly remember how amazing my lunch at 22 Prime was. The big Tomahawk steak as well as the delicious bread basket with three yummy spreads brings back delicious memories. I even remembered telling myself that I have to take Paul there given that he loves loves loves steak.  Well, finally we managed to do that and it was indeed a nice sunny day to enjoy our steak lunch. Of course, ...

Question: What is much better that a weekend brunch?  Answer: One with free-flowing champagne and an abundant choices of food, of course!  One of the highlights of our relaxing staycation at the Garden Wing of Shangri-la Singapore was the Sunday Champagne Brunch at The Line . As you know, The Line is one of our favourite hotel buffet restaurants in the Lion City, so we couldn't resist not having brunch there before checking out. More so, we have been getting non-stop raves about the premium offerings that you can find in this buffet line-up so we knew that we just have to go for it. Let me walk you through the different selections that you can find in the buffet: First, you start with some fresh seafood . From three kinds of crabs (King Crab, Sri Lankan and Alaskan Snow Crab) to air-flown oysters to the most plump and juicy tiger prawns, be sure to fill your first place with all these! Paul went wild with his favourite tiger prawns with marinara sauce while I ...

Ever since we moved to Singapore , we've been fortunate to have old and new friends who have tirelessly exerted so much effort to ensure that we feel right at home. From taking us to the must-eat places around the island to inviting us to house parties and all sorts of events, Paul and I have easily adapted to our new life here and we got all of them to thank for. In addition to that, I'm also lucky to have met the nice ladies of Shangri-la Singapore . After a short email introduction, Paul and I were invited to go for a weekend staycation at the Garden Wing of the hotel and this was definitely one that we were really looking forward to as relocating to a new country is definitely not an easy walk in the park. Thus, a staycation was definitely a good way for us to unwind and to enjoy each other's company. The following year, our friends from Shangri-la Singapore , once again surprised us with an amazing 3 days, 2 nights stay at the Valley Wing for our 4th Wedding An...

It's Sunday and normally this is the day when Paul and I would head to the grocery to stock up on our veggies, meat and favorite canned goods. Since I've been flying back and forth from Manila to Singapore though, our kitchen cabinet is still well-stocked with bottled fishes and canned meats thanks to the regular care packages that we'd get from both my mom and my MIL. That said, we have been frequenting the grocery much lesser for these past few months. Let me share with you one yummy find that I got from Manila. Meet Super Tuyo ! While it may not be a superhero character, it's yummines can definitely qualify for some gourmet superhero qualities. I received these bottles a few months ago and I was so excited to bring it back as Paul is really a big fan of tuyo (dried herring). He loves it so much that he can happily enjoy a meal with just a generous amount of tuyo swimming in a pool of spicy Sinamak vinegar, fried egg and steamed white rice. I'm lucky that my h...

One of the highlights of our visit to Emporium Shokuhin was our meaty, beefy dinner at Gyuu . As you know, Japanese cuisine is not limited to bowls after bowls of ramen, plates of sushi and sashimi or baskets of ebi tempura. Japan is also know for producing top quality beef that has got the world drooling for years. One distinct characteristic of Japanese beef is its amazing tenderness that people would love to describe as the kind that "melts in your mouth". So, when we were told that we will be dining at Gyuu  that evening and if we eat beef, I guess our resounding YES! has exposed our sheer excitement for the food to come. Gyuu specializes in grilled meats and what makes it more fun is that you grill your beef yourself. Okay, maybe if you really do not want to get down and smokey then the friendly kitchen staff can do it for you but I highly recommend for you to go for it as it will complete your dining experience after all. Our dinner began with a good selection of...

Back when Paul and I were still in Manila, we were pretty lucky to have spent the first few years of our married life with my in-laws first and later on, with my family. This means, we never really had to worry about the nitty-gritty of running a household as our parents got those covered. I remember one time, we were doing our weekly grocery shopping and we bumped into one of my colleagues. She curiously peeked into our cart and laughed while saying that it seems like we're two teenagers simply filling up our stock of junk food. Well, she was pretty spot on there. Looking back, our grocery shopping meant buying more junk food, cookies, juices and the most "adult" thing would be our personal toiletries. I've always told people that moving to the Lion City has changed our lives in so many ways. For one, we have learned to "grow up". By this, I mean running and maintaining our own household, worrying about running out of cooking oil, rice or even the basic ...

A little more than two years ago, Paul and I first visited Calderon --  back then, a new Spanish restaurant located just a few blocks away from our home. From the minute we set foot inside up until we finally tried the food and enjoyed it, I knew that Calderon was here to stay. Our first visit was quickly followed by a second, a third and countless more as we would bring friends and family to try our new discovery out. Even after moving to the Lion City, we would make it a point to go back to Calderon once in a while whenever we're in town. Take for example, my Mommy's birthday party where our entire family took up the second floor of the restaurant and we feasted on Calderon's signature dishes including Mommy's favourite paella, of course. Needless to say, Calderon  has immediately became our family's favorite. photo by Mommy! During my recent visit home, my family and I went back to Calderon for a nice Sunday get-together. Even Kongkong was so excited ...

Back when I was starting this blog, I honestly had no idea about good food photography much less food styling . In fact, if you scroll down to my first few blog posts, my photos were pretty grainy and tiny as I used my then trendy Nokia phone to take those *ahem* amazing photos. A few years after that, Paul got into photography and the quality has improved so much. Later on, he learned the basics of proper lighting, setting the right angle and food styling. All those, we do in order to give you the most mouth-watering photo possible with the least amount of editing as that's one skill neither of us are good at. We like to keep things natural anyway— #nofilter as the youngsters would say. Social Media and this blog have changed our lives in such a creative way. Cooking at home is not just merely frying something in a pan, transferring it to a plate and ta-da, it's time to dig in. Nowadays, it involves taking a photo of the ingredients or if you dare, creating a Snapchat vi...

As the famous saying goes: "Birds of the same feather, flock together." Simply put, it's truly human nature for us to gravitate towards people who share the same ideals, belief and interest as we do. That is why Paul and I love hanging out with our friend D for many, many reasons! One of which is because D is such an amazing foodie and there's never a dull meal time shared with him. The three of us have been travelling in and out of the Lion City for the past 3-4 months for work and leisure so before anyone flies off again (that would be D who flew off the day after we met..), we agreed to meet up for dinner. Just like me, D keeps a running list of restaurants that he wants to try in Singapore. Lately, we both have been so intrigued about the newly opened Korean restaurant called Masizzim  ( pronounced as masi-jim )which is known for serving really good Korean stew. Being a new and popular restaurant means just one thing. Expect to wait in line for some time bef...

Remember this song? It's amazing how you  Can speak right to my heart.  Without saying a word You can light up the dark... ...You say it best, when you say nothing at all. When you're too shy to speak or the way to his/her heart is through her stomach, I have a tip for you -- say it with a cake (and make sure that's it's yummy too!). I'm not talking about any ordinary cake of course. Go with any of The Line Shop's Thought Cakes that comes in three mouth-watering flavors: Double Chocolate Crunch , Mid-Summer Berry Passion  or Vanilla-Vanilla . I was able to try the Mid-Summer Berry Passion and I love the soft sponge cake that envelopes the fruity jelly center. It was really delicious that I excitedly shared it with my colleagues N and R who happily enjoyed it for breakfast one morning. Customizing your cake is easy!

You may have noticed that I've been flying in and out of Manila quite often these past few weeks. With my sister's wedding and a couple of family stuff that I have to attend to, I found myself being a frequent visitor of both Changi Airport and our very own Ninoy Aquino International Airport . Not that I want to play favorites but it's not hard to favor Terminal 3 over the other 2. First of all, it's newer (and way cleaner) and secondly, it has a lot more dining options that makes the waiting time much more bearable. As much as I love flying home, I have to admit that I really dislike waiting. While Manila is simply a quick 3 hour and 10 minute flight from Singapore, you also have to factor in the time you have to allot for check-in, immigration checks, luggage scans (oh gosh!) and getting to your boarding gate on time only to find out your flight will be delayed. For the past months though, I've been more patient in waiting thanks to having access to several...

I have to admit that I've always been an Apple girl . However, the curious spirit in me has always wonder what life is like in the Android world as I have friends who have also been raving about it and they've been extremely loyal with their own line of gadgets too. Finally, my opportunity came when I got hold of the very pretty and sleek ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser which is one of the newest model in the market retailing for only Php. 7,295 . It runs in Android Lolipop 5.0 operating system which you can link to your Google account. I have to admit that I actually had to read the operating manual to ensure that I'm doing the set-up right. For a moment there, I felt like a techie newbie who's threading carefully as I scroll through the various screens and as I check out the applications available. Getting the hang of it though was easy as navigating around is pretty user-friendly.

Question: What happens when the world's top coffee chain teams up with the world's most-sought-after notebook/diary brand? The answer is ...  THIS. Yup, this Christmas was made extra special (and more classy) by our friends over at Starbucks Coffee as they launched the 2016 Planner in partnership with Moleskine . Paper fanatics will surely go crazy over this as we all know how amazing Moleskine notebooks are. I could hardly use mine though as I don't want to waste any page with my scratchy handwriting. Moleskine notebook paper has this touch-worthy smooth texture and that distinct "dirty white" shade with grey lines on every page.

*note: I just learned that MeatLiquor is now closed. The reason, I'm not very sure but I'm so sad about it. There goes the only place where I go to for Fried Pickles and yummy Burgers. :( Just for one night, we totally threw "diet" out of the window. So longggg!! *waves* Well, we had a good reason. A was in town and the NKids got together for a night of meat, meat and more meat! I was so excited to learn that London's famous Meat Liquor opened a branch here in Singapore a few months ago, so this is another thing I happily crossed out from my list after our visit. The menu was pretty straight forward, there were a couple of burger options, salad (but who wants them right?) and sides! We started with some Deep-Fried Mac & Cheese  (S$15) which looked just as mouth-watering as it sounded. Come on, who doesn't love Mac & Cheese right? I love how the creamy macaroni was well-encased in such a nice deep-fried crust.

Truth to be told, I'm not really much of a TV person. In fact, I can really count in my hands the number of times I've actually sat down and watched an entire TV show this year alone. Paul, on the other hand, cannot live without television. He has a list of weekly TV shows that he religiously follows and the remote is the first thing he looks for the moment he gets home from work. You can say that the secret to a happy marriage is not having to fight over the remote . Haha!  The only time I get to watch TV is during meal time. For instance, we would put Masterchef Asia on in the background while enjoying our meal. That's one of the few shows that I really enjoy as you all know, to me, chefs are like celebrity! Happy to share our first meal in Manila with our favorite food bloggers! #goodvibes So, when my favorite hotel buffet outlet, HEAT , invited Paul and I over to try their new signature dishes which were specially created by 8 chefs, we were beyond ecstatic! H...

There's really something special about traditional recipes which have been passed down from generation to generation. It's the kind that has been perfected overtime that no matter what, each dish will surely be a treat to your senses. I was recently invited to visit the newly opened Joyden Treasures at Leisure Park Kallang. It's a bit out of the way even from my office but there's no way that I'm missing this. After all, I've been wanting to try Joyden since my first year here in Singapore as I heard that it's one of the best Chinese restaurants in town. Finally, I can happily put a big check mark beside it on my list! Joyden Treasures is the 3rd Joyden outlet in Singapore. It's being managed by second generation owners who aims to stay true to their family's heritage by ensuring that the dishes presented are as authentically traditional as it can get. For one thing, Joyden is known for its seafood dishes so we surely had a lot of that during ou...

When Paul turned a year older a month ago, I decided to do away with the usual fancy dinner date and to just chill and enjoy some good food. After all, 'Mr Hardworking' decided to still go in and work on his birthday so knowing how he just likes to keep things simple and casual, I took him to Hombre Cantina  for an all-authentic Mexican fare to unwind. I've been wanting to check out Hombre Cantina after getting raves from friends saying they have really good Mexican food. Good thing though, it's part of The Entertainer App's line up making it even more enticing for us to try. So there we were an hour and a half before dinner time enjoying the view of the beautiful Singapore River.  Luckily, we also got there in time for Happy Hour which entitled us to get a bottle of beer for only S$8 and one round (basket) of Chicharrones. Don't expect much from the chicharrones though as the serving was really really really small...barely enough for two and when ...

I still remembered the day when I first met Chef Myke Tatung . It was to have a joint birthday celebration for my former boss D and a couple of our other colleagues. Working for a food magazine meant being in the company of food-loving people who have that special talent of searching for these hidden gems regardless of where it may be in the world. We had a delicious 4-course dinner in his cozy home in Quezon City. A few weeks after that, I went back with Paul and we enjoyed yet another delicious meal. Since then, I've been in touch with Chef Tatung as he would contribute to the magazine every now and then and we eventually became friends. A few years following that, Chef Tatung told us that he opened a new restaurant in Taguig which specialized in Filipino cuisine . Of course, our team went full force to support him. We have returned a lot more after that and his restaurant has been one of my favorite go-to place up until Paul and I moved to the Lion City. A few months ago,...

17 October 2015.  This date, I believe, will definitely go down in my personal history as the day when my foodie dreams came true. You see, it was when I joined a group of food bloggers for lunch at Shang Palace where we sampled the newest dimsum offering by Chef Li Shou Tan. In addition to that, our said lunch coincided with the start of the great Hairy Crab festival so we were also able to try some of the dishes being offered for that. What amazing luck!  You see, Paul and I have been wanting to try that much-talked-about hairy crab after seeing multiple posts from our friend Jin on a yearly basis. Year on year, we would promise ourselves that we will go try it out but as always, our schedules would always get so hectic that before we know it, the hairy crab has bade us goodbye. "Let's try again next year," we would say as we console each other for yet another failed attempt. Finally, 2015 was the year when I had my first taste of the hairy crab. Will I lik...

I just love the feeling of satisfaction that I would get whenever we get to discovery a delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The criteria is that is has to be reasonably priced and the food quality is superb. More often than not, cheap food does not really go hand in hand with good taste so this can be quite challenging. So when we get to find one, we know that it's a keeper. Take for example Nakhon Kitchen  located along Pasir Panjang. Our friend B has been telling us about it and we even attempted to try it out for dinner a few months back only to find out that they're close every Wednesdays and we went exactly on ... yes, a Wednesday. So, on my second attempt, I made sure of the following: 1) it wasn't a Wednesday and 2) I gave the restaurant a call to double check. This time, we were successful!  Thai food is one cuisine that both Paul and I love! Except for Pandan Chicken, which Paul somehow dislikes, we would try to be adventurous and would experiment in t...

For those who have been following me on Instagram , you may have noticed the continuous photos that I've been sharing during my recent visit to Manila. We spent 6 amazing days eating, spending a lot of time with family and catching up with our closest friends too. One of the biggest highlight of our trip (and reason for our flight home, in fact) happened a week ago when my one and only sister Pan tied the knot with my new brother-in-law E.  It was such a joyous occasion for both families and everything went perfectly as planned. Of course, we got my sister's dream team to thank for too. The most crucial time was the night before and the day of the wedding. This was where a lot of last minute preparations took place and the endless pouring in of suppliers come the wedding day. So, when my sister was scouting around for that perfect bridal suite for her on-the-day preparations, we unanimously agreed that Discovery Suites  in Ortigas was definitely the best choice. Of cou...

When one says Japanese cuisine, admit it. The first thing that comes to mind is -- SUSHI. This could probably be followed by ramen, tempura and the donburis. Nothing wrong with that as all those are correct but what I love about the Japanese cuisine is its grand variety of dishes using a lot of different ways to prepare it. From raw, we get to enjoy boiled, steamed, deep-fried, pan-fried and grilled. The list could go on and on, actually. I was invited to try Sumiya  located also at the new wing of Suntec City. It's located right across my fitness gym so just imagine how difficult it is to concentrate while slaving away on the treadmill and right in front of you is a row of tempting restaurants. Sumiya  means charcoal house  in Japanese and living up to its name, it boasts of being the first in Singapore to use two food preparation technologies namely, the fish-drying machine as well as the inori genshiyaki which is an old-school Japanese way of grilling using charcoa...

If there's something that I find so amazing about the Indian cuisine, these must be its rich aroma, the creative combinations of herbs and spices and interesting stories that goes behind each dish. Needless to say, I've always been a fan of Indian food. Friends know all about my addiction towards papadum, paneer and mutton briyani to name a few. So, when I found out that one of my favourite hotel buffets in Singapore, MELT , is having its annual Flavours of India promotion, I knew that its something that I shouldn't miss out on. For our tasting dinner, we had a preview of some of the dishes that patrons can expect to enjoy during the 15-day period. To make it more special, they will have an exclusive wine-pairing dinner on 28 October 2015 for only S$98 . I've never had wine with Indian food before as I would always get my staple Mango Lassi so this one was really new to me. I got to MELT right on time and having had to walk quite a distance from the bus station, I ...

My good friend S has always been very creative. I remember years back, I would always admire the pretty birthday invites that she would make for her little ones. To me, she's like Manila's Martha Stewart where every nook and cranny of her home remains to be so pretty, cozy and organized all day. She can also whip up a really yummy pasta dish and lately, she also made me a cup of yummy coffee too. So, when she told me that she's opening her own print shop, the first thing that came to mind was.. "Finally!" Serendipity Print Shop  specializes in personalized cards and notes designed to suit your taste. From cutesy cartoon prints to dainty florals, S can give you various options to choose from. After you choose your design, then you specify if you want it as a gift card, a note card, perhaps your business card or even as a notepad. Setting my biases aside, I have to say that the printing quality is very good. Trust me, coming from the publication industry, I pre...

When faced with a busy day at work where you ended up traveling from west to east to central for meetings all in one day, the best way to end is it with a good meal. Agree?  A couple of months ago, Paul and I were invited to sample the newly updated menu of En Grill & Bar in River Valley. We have been to their branch at Bukit Timah where we had a delicious Japanese a la carte buffet dinner with friends but that was more than two years ago. I think a long overdue return just made perfect sense. What we love about En's line-up is how they gave a modern take on the traditional Japanese cuisine. Be ready to entice your tastebuds with melt-in-your-mouth top quality Wagyu beef called the Motobu beef . In fact, En Grill & Bar imports this directly from the source all the way from Yanbaru ranch in Okinawa, Japan. I'm no expert in beef as I even abstained from it for a couple of years ago but I do know that the higher the grade level the yummier the beef is. That said...