Frannywanny

Sawasdee ka! A few weeks ago, Paul and I traveled all the way to the other side of Singapore ... to eat. Quie a distance that despite my work area being at the central district, it still took me more than an hour by public transportation to get to our destination. On the way there, I was really hoping (and praying) that our meal will be worth it! Our goal was to check out this relatively new restaurant called Gin Khao  located right at East Coast Park . We both love Thai food so we're really excited about this! I love how spacious the restaurant was! How I wish it would expand and have more branches closer to the city as this would definitely be a good place to dine in with friends or for private functions too.

Back when we were much younger, Paul and I would take one weekend off a month to go on a trip. Be it to go overseas or to explore one of the many provinces and islands of the Philippines, these quick trips have proven to be really effective in busting our stress levels due to work. Since migrating to the Lion City, we have incredibly slowed down in terms of taking impromptu trips. Perhaps, it's because of the size of Singapore as a whole and our lack of familiarity on this region. Slowly though, we're learning and hopefully soon we'll get back on track. A few weekends ago, we took in impromptu day trip to nearby Johor Bahru . Going to JB, as popularly called by the locals, is as easy as hopping on a bus and just following the sea of people as they go through the immigration centres and finally to City Square Mall. On our first try, we got lost. Yes, really lost that we somehow ended up at the other end of town. Unbelievable! Add to the fact that I failed to make any r...

I'm back! Missed me? :P  I know I haven't been blogging as regularly as I used to before but that doesn't mean I haven't been eating as much anymore. Haha! Rest assured, I'm still eating my way around town and I promise to share all my stories with all of you soon. Meanwhile, I recently flew to Manila to spend a fun and relaxing weekend with family. One of the things that I love about traveling is being able to check out the airport lounges while waiting to board. I tell you, having the access to airport lounges is something I'm extremely thankful about as I just hate waiting and this is the perfect remedy for impatient travelers like me. For this trip, I chanced upon SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 2 of Changi Airport. I had to do some last minute work so I made sure that I chose a lounge with a nice workstation where I can be productive for an hour and a half before I fly home. I'm also quite paranoid about being left behind by the plane so I narr...

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by fellow blogger E for a nice dinner tasting at Bridge . The direction to the restaurant was pretty simple -- it's along Seah street, behind Raffles Hotel. That was easy! As much as I love hole in the wall cafes in far-flung a.k.a. unexpected places, I do appreciate those that are strategically located right in the city. This area is accessible by foot whether you're coming from the City Hall district, Bugis or if you just love to walk... even from Clarke Quay. This is one reason why I thought the restaurant's name meant that it was the " bridge " in between the North Bridge Road and the South Bridge Road. Oh silly me! Apparently, Bridge is a restaurant that bridges the gap between fine-dining and the bistro scene. Now that makes a lot of sense! It's known for its extensive brunch and for our dinner that evening, we had a preview of the delicious dinner repertoire that they offer as well. Dinner began with a pla...

Papa turned another year older and wiser recently and we were so glad to be home to celebrate this special day with him! As he's a big steak lover, we chose to have our family lunch at Highlands Prime Steakhouse in the new Estancia Mall as they all had a wonderful experience dining at the Mall of Asia branch. Initially, I thought that this was similar to the one in Tagaytay Highlands so I was semi-daydreaming about the John Wayne Prime Rib on our way to the restaurant. Sadly, I failed to notice that both are two different restaurant with the word "prime" setting them apart. Not to worry though as the menu showed great promise nonetheless.  While we all had our individual orders, Mommy couldn't help but order the Paella Negra  which came in a white ceramic plate and not on a piping hot llanera. Right there and then, my hopes of enjoying the soccarat went *kapoof* as I knew that it won't be like the real thing . The paella was tasting and they were quit...

It's always fun to eat out. However, what makes it even more fun is when you eat out with like-minded individuals who share the same amount of love for food and eating as you do. Take my friend D for example. We have known each other back in Manila as he used to do weekly baking classes and I was one of those who has been intending to attend but sadly, I never really got the chance to. Still, D would religiously send me his schedules every single Monday. It actually came to a point when no Monday is complete without receiving D's (or at least, his secretary's) sms. Cut to last year, I received an email from D telling me that he's also based here in Singapore and he would like to meet up. Finally, after several emails back and forth, we met for the first time over yummy Japanese dinner and dessert after. It was really nice to meet a fellow Pinoy foodie in a foreign land. To date, D, Paul and I have been frequent foodie buddies as we have tried a couple of restaurant...

Today, we celebrate another milestone!  Frannywanny.com has been around for 8 fun years! Together with each one of you, we went through all the ups and downs, the highs and lows; and through various restaurants, cafes and even hole in the wall finds too. We've traveled mostly all around Asia and centered our stories towards two beautiful countries that I now call home.  8 years is such a long time, I have to say. Well, the optimist in me also believes that it's also one step closer to celebrating a decade of non-stop food blogging, travelling and most of all, new found friendships. I'm currently planning a fun giveaway happening really soon so please do watch out for that.  Thank you for always being there and most of all for making your presence felt. Big hugs to all! xoxo Related posts: 1st blog anniversary 2nd blog anniversary 3rd blog anniversary 4th blog anniversary 5th blog anniversary 6th blog anniversary 7th blog anniversary

During my quick and very sudden visit home last week, eating out was pretty much the last thing on my mind. For the first time in two + years, I pushed my restaurant list aside and gave 100% of my attention to my family. However, food still has its way of creeping back to get my attention. As we were running some errands at SM Megamall, we chanced upon Ooma Japanese Rice Bar which has been getting a lot of good raves from friends and from my very own sister too. As Pan and I were planning our trip to Megamall, she told me that she wants to have lunch at Ooma so that Paul and I can try it too. We agreed to meet at the entrance of Ooma Japanese Rice Bar at exactly 12 noon and guess what?! I was the first on the waiting list! The restaurant was quite spacious so just imagine that it was immediately filled even before lunch hour. The wait was short though and in no time, we quickly got a nice cozy table for 3. First on the list was the Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki (Php. 295) w...

I wasn't really intending to write this in my blog as I really wanted to keep my feelings private. Yes, as much as I am very open with everything else in my life, I try to keep all things related to family a secret. However, I also realized that writing has always been my outlet to express what I truly feel inside. I write when I'm happy, I write when I'm stress so it just makes perfect sense to also write now that my heart has been broken for the very first time in my life. Our relationship has always been different compared to most people. While others would regard their grandparents as elderly members of the family whom they rarely have any deep interaction with, I would say that you and Kongkong have played one of the most important roles in my life. I never felt any difficulty in telling you my thoughts and feelings. You know everything about me and Pan that it just felt so normal to share everything with you down to the tiniest details. I guess, it's because I k...