Frannywanny

Here I am again, reliving my love for quiet afternoon tea breaks at one of my favorite hotels in Manila. If you've been reading my blog for sometime now, you'd be pretty much aware of how often I'd spend my Saturday afternoons in the Lion City with my girl friends as we would enjoy a good variety of savory and sweet finger treats . From tea sandwiches to canapes, from fruity tarts to sinful mini donuts, afternoon tea time was my favorite weekend activity and I'm so glad to be able to do it again at The Peninsula Manila , no less. Of course, it was also because we wanted to continue celebrating Paul's birthday as I just felt like a one day celebration is not enough for this amazing guy. I've also been planning to take my twins to The Peninsula Manila as I remember spending a lot of time with the family when I was a kid then. It was at The Pen where I had the best tasting Strawberry Sorbet and I was so thrilled to find out that they still have that. I have ye...

I've been a tea drinker for as long as I can remember. It started with the very mild and caffeine-free Chrysanthemum Tea which I would have whenever my family and I would go for our Sunday dimsum lunch. This later progressed to trying Genmaicha Tea which I love as it tastes like popcorn and I continued on by trying a wide variety of teas from black teas, green teas, herbal infusions and more. Before I found out that I was pregnant with my twins, I would have cups after cups of green tea every single day at work. In fact, i would drink tea just as much as I would drink water especially after a heavy meal. You can just imagine how difficult it was for me to refrain from having tea all throughout my pregnancy up until the first 6 months of my twins' lives. So, when I got an invite to the launch of The English Tea Shop , I immediately said YES! I love this brand as I would have this when I was in the Lion City and I'm so glad that it's finally here in Manila.

Last Friday, Paul and I went on a Mommy and Daddy date. Thankfully, we were able to drop the twins off at my in laws who willingly watched over them while we went around town to do our errands. On our way home, Paul and I decided to drop by The Peninsula Manila as we remembered that it was the opening day of our friend G's MaArte at the Pen . We've been wanting to go since last year but as I was already asked to be on house arrest about this time last year as I was already on my last trimester with my twins then thus I had to wait one whole year to be able to check it out. Admittedly, Paul doesn't always like accompanying me to fairs like these as he knows that the items being sold are mostly for women and since I'd need some time to go through each booth, he normally ends up being super bored or sleepy...or bored AND sleepy. Luckily, I was pretty confident that he'll enjoy checking this year's fair out with me as they got a section dedicated just for men. ...

It's no secret how much I love going for Afternoon Tea. There's something about unwinding while enjoying a selection of sweet and savory bite-sized pasties delicately displayed on  a tall multi-tier rack. Since Paul had work on Saturdays back when we were in Singapore, I'd spend those free time with my girl friends as we would try the different hotel high teas around the city. Since high tea is traditionally very British, I'm happy though that this practice is picking up pace here in the Philippines where the American influence is relatively strong. After checking in and settling in our room at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila , Paul and I headed back to the 24th floor where Connect Lounge is located. They have an ongoing high tea promotion for only Php. 788 per pair and we were excited to give it a try. Similar to all dining establishments in the hotel, Connect Lounge also boasts of an amazing view overlooking the Ortigas and Antipolo area. Within minutes, our three ...

They say, once you have reached the age of 30 you're officially a "tita" or auntie in English. Well, I am legit a tita with the birth of my niece J 9 years ago and this was followed by my nephews J1 and J2 and of course, with the recent arrival of Baby A too. I'm tita x 4 and what does most titas do? They go for tea time, of course! Kidding aside, it seems like I have discovered a new weekend hobby and this is to go for a nice afternoon tea bonding sessions with my girl friends here in the Lion City. Thank god for sweet loyal girl friends like S, T and D. Recently, my friend Didi came to visit and since we both had really jam-packed weekend schedules, I suggested we go for tea time instead to which Di was super game for. We tried Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre 's High Tea Set as it's really accessible to where Di was staying and I also got dinner plans in the same area that evening. I love how spacious the lobby was and they were so nice to gi...

For those who have been following me on Instagram , you might have noticed that I would regularly use a certain hashtag called #frannymeday mostly on Saturdays. You see, Paul has work every Saturday which means I am all alone for most part of the day. Normally, I would just spend a couple of hours in the gym, grab a quick bite and run some errands while waiting for him to get off from work. I have to admit though that doing this for a couple of years now, it can get a bit lonely and the wait till his work ends can sometimes feel like forever. I'm lucky to have a couple of sweet girl friends here in Singapore who willingly offer to be my Saturday date to keep me company. Leading the #squad is my college friend T. She and her husband moved to the Lion City a few years before Paul and I did and we would go out for lunch dates once in a while since our offices are near each other. Lately, she has also been my favorite companion for weekend blog events or just whenever we feel the ...

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.  ...

Bonjour! If there's any language in the world that I would like to learn next to mastering my Mandarin, it would be French. Oh how I dream of having the French accent similar to that of Celine in the movie "trilogy" Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight . She speaks in such poetic tone that is just so nice to listen to. The same is true for my colleague G who's fluent in French. From him, we learn the proper pronunciation of certain words and while I still struggle to say the word "escargot" properly, I really do enjoy learning a new word each day. Speaking of French, one of the highlights of our trip to Hong Kong last year was when we had the chance to have a very French Afternoon Tea at Joel Robuchon's restaurant. Believe me, I was so giddy while lining up that I couldn't keep still. Joel Robuchon has 3 types of restaurants located all at The Landmark -- Le Jardin ( contemporary fine dining at the roof top garden ), L'Atelier ( the most popul...

Mommy loves drinking tea. Thus growing up, Pan and I were taught to appreciate the flavor of all sorts of tea blends at a very young age. We would have pots after pots of Chrysanthemum Tea whenever we're enjoying dimsum in Hong Kong, a cup of Earl Grey to go with our choice of macarons or tea sandwiches and even the deep and dark ones like TieGuanYin . Like Mommy, we've learned to drink tea either with honey or with a few drops of sugar cubes. Lately, wanting to stay healthy, I've been having my cup of tea without any sweeteners added into it. I've learned to love it in its purest form. Upon hearing about Da.U.De (da-you-de) Tea Lounge , I set a brunch date with Mommy and Pan after our morning working at the Bonifacio Global City. Da.U.De Tea Lounge is located at the ground floor of the Net Lima Building which is right beside the Mini Showroom. It may be a bit of a challenge to locate but believe me, it'll be worth it. We were greeted by the bright, sunsh...

After visiting the Taipei 101 , which is the second tallest tower in the world, little did I know that we were about to have a fashionable afternoon tea. It was starting to drizzle and with our legs starting to cramp up from too much walking, we decided to just look for a coffee shop at the nearby Eslite Mall . Arriving at the ground floor, my sister saw a cozy looking coffee shop and directed us there. It was an Agnes B. Cafe , one that Paul and I have been wanting to try out every time we're in Hong Kong . I'm so happy that Taiwan has this as well. We probably all know Agnes B. for her pretty bags and dresses but this brand is also starting to gain popularity in the cafe scene. I love the sleek white and black interiors. Can you see how inviting the pastry shelf was? It really did pulled my sister and I closer until we couldn't resist leaving without ordering. Paul simply wanted a cup of coffee while my sister and I couldn't stop starting at the sandwiches...