Frannywanny

It's no secret that I am a big foodie traveler. This is also one of the reasons why Frannywanny.com came about. For the past decade, I've been sharing with you my travel adventures which leans mostly on the restaurants and food hops that Paul and I would come across in whatever destination we'd be in. I also got to admit that I am also a luxury traveler. By that, I mean I tend to be very picky when it comes to my choice of airline, hotel and mode of transportation. Comfort is always my top priority. After all, we travel to recharge and feel rejuvenated right? Singapore Airlines has been my top choice of airlines since I used to shuttle back and forth Singapore and Manila for four years. I realized that the cost of flying via Singapore Airlines is not that far from our local budget airline and if this means getting an extra legroom, bigger seats, a hot delicious meal and a wide selection of in-flight entertainment as I fly to and from Singapore, then I'm totally fo...

After a very busy afternoon touring around Ubud on our first day in Bali, Indonesia , we told Swantika that we wanted to end our day tour with some traditional Indonesia Crispy Duck before heading back to the city proper and based on my friends' recommendations, we should go to Bebek Tepi Sawah which was also in Ubud. However, he told us that it's best that we go to Bebek Joni Restaurant or I Made Joni instead as it has a nicer view. Well, he's the expert and I were quite impressed and happy with the places that he brought us to earlier in the day so ok then, Bebek Joni Restaurant  it is. As he entered the huge compound, we noticed that we were the only ones there. Okay, maybe because we were there at 6PM so it was way too early perhaps for the dinner crowd. Not to worry though as the view was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Save for the pesky mosquitoes that won't stop feasting on our legs, we love the soft rustle of the leaves, the smell of grass and the whole provincial vibe. I...

Aside from its beautiful beaches and sunset views, Bali is also known for its coffee. Actually Indonesia is one of the world's top coffee producers and Bali, in particular, is known for a certain type of coffee called kopi luwak . It's actually one of the more premium kind and this is because of how it's produced. Kopi Luwak otherwise known as civet coffee  is produced by this tiny furry creature called the civet cat. They're fed coffee cherries and the coffee beans actually comes out when they poop. I know it sounds gross but people believe that the enzymes produced by the civet cat and the fermentation that happens inside is body brings more flavor and improves the quality of the coffee. So after they excretes it out, the farmers will then clean it, roast and grind it before brewing the coffee. Every time Paul and I travel, we love to inject a bit of history and cultural learning about the place that we're visiting. So, when I proposed the idea of visitin...

As we were researching for our trip to Bali last year, Paul and I noticed that the cafe scene in this beautiful Indonesian island is totally booming. This really got us so excited as we're both fans of cafes and we definitely love visiting new ones too. We actually have the option to take our breakfast in the hotel but since we were only there for 3 full days, we didn't want to waste spending more than one meal in one place. On our first morning in Bali, after taking a million and one shots of the ocean view, we headed to Seminyak to try Sisterfields . This is one of the top cafes rated in Tripadvisor and it was highly recommended by local bloggers and Instagrammers too so we definitely took their word for it. Seminyak is just the next district to where our hotel was thus, making it a short and stress-free 10 minute ride via Uber. Here's a tip: when in Bali, just use Uber (or Grab) as hailing a cab wasn't very much recommended by our hotel receptionist as there ...

One way for me to tell that I've been having a major backlog in blogging is my ever-static travel folders. I can't believe that I haven't told you all about our full trip to Cambodia which happened two years ago, our trip to Bali which was almost a year ago and what about our foodie-filled nth honeymoon to Tokyo? I promise I'll try to catch up! If only my offline life isn't that busy and crazy this year. *whew!* Okay, let me get started on my Bali trip by telling you one of the foodie highlights of our weekend getaway there. This trip was actually to celebrate Paul's birthday with his closest cousins and since we started this "tradition" by going to Kuala Lumpur two years ago, we agreed to celebrate once again this time in Bali. There are no plans yet on where we're celebrating this year but I'm hoping that for once..it will be somewhere cold-er. On our first day in Bali, Paul and I found ourselves alone as his cousins were scheduled to f...

I'd say, Paul and I had a really productive Labor Day. Luckily, we laborers got a day off from work which allowed us to catch up on sleep, finish all domestic duties and to learn something new! Yes, you read that right. I love taking classes as it allows me to know a new skill or to sharpen something that I already know to be better. After all, learning should be a lifelong process. So, we spent two hours on Labor Day at Mandarin Oriental Singapore to learn how to cook Balinese food! Living away from home, I'd say our kitchen know-how has improved greatly from cooking sunny-side-up eggs to pasta and recently, we've become more bolder in experimenting on more complicated dishes. Nonetheless, we've stuck closely to Filipino and Chinese cuisines. These two that we both grew up eating at our respective homes. So, I was really intrigued as to what Balinese cuisine is all about. As soon as our class started, Chef Heinz von Holzen of Bumbu Bali Restaurant & Cookin...

"It's so beautiful!" I think I must have uttered this line more than a dozen time last Tuesday night when my colleagues and I decided to have dinner at Potato Head Folk  along Keong Saik Road -- a quick 10 minute walk from our office. I was at awe upon seeing this tall 4-storey white and red shophouse at the corner of the road that somehow reminds me of a ship. I don't know why, blame my hyperactive imagination. :) People who have visited Bali must be familiar with the name and yes, this is from the same group that runs Potato Head Beach Club in Indonesia. I personally haven't been to Bali, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about it. Potato Head Folk in Singapore is divided into three establishments -- Three Buns Kitchen , Studio 1939 and the Rooftop Garden . Each establishment occupying one entire floor and each carries a different vibe unique from each other. That evening, our dinner was set at Three Buns Kitchen so this is where this ...