Frannywanny

Are you #TeamNamDoSan or #TeamGoodBoy? To know what I'm talking about, you have to watch the Kdrama called "Start Up". One reason why I love watching Korean dramas is because they somehow manage to incorporate a specific Korean food into the storyline. From Chicken and Beer in Crash Landing On You to Corn Dogs in Start Up, I always end up craving for whatever is being repeatedly enjoyed in every episode. I haven't gotten around to watching a new Kdrama so I'm still hooked to Start Up and halmoni 's corndogs.  Given that, I decided to try making Corn Dog Muffins  using a pack of Mekeni Picnic Hotdogs.  I've been hearing about the brand Mekeni for years! It started when I began dating Paul almost two decades ago and heard that Mekeni is a household brand in Pampanga. Finally, I got around to trying it out and I was surprised at the wide array of products available! They have hot dogs, bacon, beef tapa, tocino and even longganisa.  I had so much fun trying...

"What's new here?" That was the first thing I asked my sister when she picked us up from the airport a few days ago. Pan exactly knew what was the new  that I was referring to and she filled me in on the newly opened restaurants that have been creating buzz around town. As she spoke, I was busy listing down the restaurants as I can't afford to miss out on a great restaurant to try given my very short visit. One of the newest restaurant was just located just a stone's throw away from home. It's called Guevarra's and Chef Rolando Laudico is the man behind it. I really admire Chef Laudico and I'll never forget the night when I dined at Bistro Filipino a few years ago. Unlike Bistro Filipino though, this one has no a la carte menu and it's a complete buffet service restaurant. I wasted no time and immediately invited my friends D and S out for our much-awaited catch up dinner at Guevarra's . It's a good thing that D was able to make ...

I love to sleep. If only I have the luxury of time to stay in bed all day long. I'd love to do that again soon. Anyway, a week before our trip, Paul and I met up with a couple of friends for breakfast. Our January and early February schedules were so busy that the only way to squeeze in more chances to meet up with friends was to set breakfast meet-ups...and that's what we did. We met up with good friends Roch, Rowena and Peter at 8:30 in the morning at Cafe 1771 . Sure it was so hard for Paul and I to pull ourselves out of bed but the thought of being able to enjoy a yummy meal with a great set of friends was enough to keep us up at least for a few hours that morning. It's pretty much obvious that the breakfast scene in Manila is not as busy yet compared to probably Hong Kong or Singapore. This is  why there aren't a lot of choices aside from the usual fast food chains, 24 hour eateries, hotels and my Kong Kong's favorite congee places in Manila.  I'm glad ...

I really have to thank my lucky stars that despite that fact that Paul and I love to dine out with friends, we don't have to drive so far to be able to enjoy good food. In fact, here in San Juan ... we simply just have to WALK. I've told you about my favorite afternoon snack venue called Segovia's Cakes and Recipes (Homemade Mamon FTW!! ), my recent late-night find -- Taibun Bakery and Coffee Shop and of course, the countless number of milk tea s and noodle houses that's just within walking distance from home. Last week, Paul and I joined our favorite couple friends Jai & Stan, Jeanny and Karl for an impromptu triple date at Maimee's Garden Cafe . Compared to the other restaurants and food establishments in San Juan , this is the most hidden and it takes a keen eye and a good knowledge around the area to be able to find it. I first saw the banner announcing the opening of Maimee's Garden Cafe a few months ago. This prompted Paul and I to drive aroun...

Early this year, when I was creating my list of restaurants that I would like to try for 2011, Paul gave me a great idea -- why don't I challenge myself in finding budget-friendly places that will be able to give me a complete meal for P180 or less ? I guess he noticed that majority of our savings really do go to food and it's really time to spend wisely. I was definitely up for the challenge. Thus, I officially launch a new series here at Frannywanny.com called Budget Eats ! Today, I start with Binalot, a popular food chain that I've been forever curious to try. For the past years, I've been seeing a lot of my colleagues having their lunch wrapped in banana leaf -- it's our Pinoy-version rice toppings with a generous serving of rice and their choice of meat served with salted egg and tomatoes. Binalot has been known for their rice meals and how successful they have been with their menu line-up can be seen with the numerous branches that have been growing li...

It was an exciting lunch as I was back at my favorite American diner ... Mr. Jones ! Just a month ago, I first tried Mr. Jones with the Yummy team and now I'm back for a food tasting in preparation for an exciting event for work! Thanks to Raintree Restaurant's super accommodating and friendly Marketing Manager, Belle ; I found myself enjoying a wide array of Mr Jones' specialties earlier was these will be served to our special guests in a couple of weeks. Here's what we had for lunch... We've tried The Threeesome during our first visit to Mr. Jones, I love the Egg Salad with Truffle Oil and Black Caviar! Each bite is h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y. The other two are the Prawn Coleslaw and the Macaroni Salad. Must enjoy these yummy salad together with their delicious butter toast. Make a wild guess how many milkshake we all had this afternoon. :) One? nah.. Two? Nope! Threeee? Maybe... Four? CORRECT!! Yep! We all had a taste of four of their best-selling milkshakes a...

After listening to my endless raves about MoMo right after that delicious lunch that I had with a long-time friend , Paul has been dropping not-so-subtle hints of us dining there soon. Finally, a trip to Robinsons Midtown in Manila gave me the opportunity to introduced him to MoMo and I was really hoping that he'd liked it just as much as I do. Knowing that I've went through MoMo 's menu a dozen times before this particular visit, Paul allowed me to surprise him with my dinner choices. MoMo's delicious complimentary garlic bread with Country Spread It was pretty obvious I knew exactly what to do, knowing that MoMo's dishes are pretty big, I decided to just get two main entress for us to share. First was a repeat of the Sweet and Smokey Hickory BBQ Rib-lets (Php. 350). While the meat remains fork-tender , I noticed that this one was a bit drier as compared to the one that I first had at their Eastwood Mall branch. In fact, Paul had to request for extra BBQ sauce ...

I'm pretty sure I will be dreaming of a plate filled with US Beef Tapa with Garlic Rice tonight...and it all because of Mr. Jones It was our traditional birthday lunch treat with Yummy team and as I mentioned it before, the group surely has the nose and the right taste for good food! Lunch was at Mr. Jones . Since it was my first time to visit this and it has been part of my restaurants-to-visit list for quite a while now, I was really so excited to try that much-talked about Beef Tapa, the Truffled Mac and Cheese and a lot more! My excitement grew as the team began talking about what they will be ordering for lunch and looks like majority was really eyeing on the Tapa. We were told that the place can easily be filled up in minutes so for extra safety measures, Liz made reservations to secure us a table. Mr. Jones' ambiance is like a modern American diner complete with a mini jukebox by the corner, servers in crisp white with red stripes tops and a menu that will make you go W...