Frannywanny

It's FRIDAY and I'm in loveeeee! ♥ I know, I know...Valentine's Day has long been over but hey, why not share the love every single day, right? For one thing, Friday always has this effect on me. Waking up feeling extra happy and giddy and despite having to finish off a heavy workload, the thought of being able to enjoy two glorious work-free days after is enough to put a big smile on my face the whole day. Since, it's my (3rd) favorite day of the week, let me share with you one of the highlights of my recent trip back to Manila. For one of our dinners, my family and I decided to check out Crisp on 28th . This has been on my list since last year but since our trips are always so short or packed with our personal errands, it's pretty much impossible to be able to try all the new restaurants starting from the time we temporarily bid Manila goodbye. Truth to be told, I've gave up hoping that I'll be able to catch up with the newly opened restaurants in to...

I can't believe I haven't gotten around to dining at Kirin till late last year! As frequent visitors of Bonifacio High Street ever since it opened to the public, it's pretty much inevitable that Paul and I have dined at almost all food establishment in the area..all but one and that's Kirin Chinese Dining . I guess we were so busy trying all sorts of cuisines from Italian to American, from New Orleans to Filipino that we have overlooked the one that's closest to home -- Chinese.  Add to the fact that I've heard not-so-good reviews about Kirin back then that I decided to just put it at the bottom part of my priority list. It was until last New Year's Eve when my in laws invited the entire family out for lunch. I've mentioned a number of times that my MIL has really good taste in food right? Well, as it turns out, she has been a loyal patron of Kirin after discovering that the food was indeed yummy.  Lunch began with these huge steam baskets of ...

Years ago, I never thought that I'd be able to travel to the United States of America ...this soon. Sure, it has been part of our list, even planned to go there for our Honeymoon but after agreeing that we will discover Asia first; we never thought I'll see the amazing West anytime in the next few years after tying the knot. Well, I guess Lady Luck must have been on our side all these time as I got an invite from a business counterpart to meet them in California late 2010 (that was just around 5 months of being married!) . The agreed schedule was on February 2011 and we got even luckier that both Paul and I were given US travel visas right away. It truly was a fun-filled two weeks spent with our relatives and friends based in California, USA. I really enjoyed bonding with my Ahia Jeff whom I haven't seen for a long time. The same goes for Paul who was able to spend some quality time with his aunt and cousin Jun too. It truly was time well-spent as we tried a couple of a...

After a month of flying in and out of the country, finally, Paul and I were able to double date again with our friends L and T before they leave for their much-awaited honeymoon ♥. We usually would meet up somewhere in Ortigas or most recently at Eton Centris where their Chatime store is located. However, with the growing number of restaurants opening at the Bonifacio Global City , most particularly in the newly built complex called Bonifacio High Street Central , L and I decided to visit one of the many restaurants there. Bonifacio High Street Central is also where Jamba Juice and Aria are located. Coincidentally, I was invited by the Bistro Group to have dinner there with me and my friends as they just opened a new restaurant called the Village Tavern which was a franchise from North Carolina, USA . I checked with L how she feels about trying this new restaurant out with me and just as I've guessed it, she and T were game! Yay! The place was filled with groups when we ar...

I can still remember my first Boracay trip. It was the summer of '07 the same year Frannywanny.com was born. Paul and I went with my big big group from work. Finally after many failed attempts, I excitedly sat through our 50-minute flight to Kalibo where we had to take an hour and a half car drive to Caticlan and endure another 10 minute boat ride to the sunny island of Boracay. "This should be worth the wait." I thought to myself. From the moment we got to our resort at Station 1, I held my breath at the beautiful crystal clear water and white powdery sand. This truly was paradise. Definitely worth the wait, dear readers. :) As soon as we dropped off our bags and changed into our beach clothes, off we went in search for a good place to have our very first lunch. Following the lead of my colleagues who have been to Boracay more than I could count with my fingers, we headed to D'Mall. They told us this was the central, go-to place for all Boracay visitors and...

Today is a special day, it's November 11, 2011 and when written in numbers it's 11.11.11 . This is also the day when California brand Jamba Juice will finally open its doors to the public. Admittedly, we're all crazy about double/triple numbers. In fact, for a time, Paul and I even considered getting married on the 10th of October, 2010 (10.10.10). It was only when we realized that all of our choice suppliers were booked already despite preparing more than a year in advance. Thus, we then decided to go with our second choice, the 11th of July otherwise known as 7-11. ;) I feel privileged to be invited to the special VIP party held at the newly constructed Bonifacio High Street Central which is an extension of the current Bonifacio High Street where Aldo, Tempur, Brother's Burger, Nike, ROX and a lot more are located. I arrived with fellow blogger Richard and we were surprised to see a really big crowd quite uncommon in most of the blogger events that we've b...

What's your comfort food? I've asked this question a number of times and for me my comfort food is simply a plate of Farfalle alla Genovese from Cibo . I can have this at any given time of the day and it never fails to put a smile on my face. After working our hearts out at the recently concluded Yummy Eats , my boss treated us to lunch to celebrate our victory and to unwind. His choice was perfect -- 2nd's . A restaurant that aims to feature comfort food with a twist. I trust my boss for his taste in food that I easily rely on him to give amazing restaurant suggestions and dishes to try. We arrived at Bonifacio Highstreet just in time to beat the lunch crowd and I initially wasn't able to spot 2nd's right away as there was nothing but a simple signage by the building's facade. To easily guide you, 2nd's is located across Cav Wine Bar currently occupying the space where Mag:Net used to be. We took the elevator up and followed the signage tellin...

I've always been a fan of MUJI , a Japanese retail store that carries a wide (and I really mean, WIDE) array of items from house wares to apparels, from bathroom accessories to office and school supplies. As a kid, my dad would bring my sister and I to Sogo in Hong Kong and allow us to choose our new set of school supplies from their beautiful brown notebooks to a set of colorful pens. I guess this was where my love for paper and pen began. Muji Central World, Bangkok Since then, we would make it a point to visit a Muji branch whenever we go out of the country. From Bangkok to Singapore, we enjoyed joining through the different trinkets and food products that I love to bring home with me. Last year, Muji finally opened its door in Manila! Located at the Bonifacio High Street , Muji is located at the 2nd level of Gap. Paul and I wasted no time and off we went to check Muji Manila out. It was perfect timing that we were fixing up our new rooms and we surely have a lot o...

A couple of weeks ago, I received an invite from Mr. Binondo food walker himself, Ivan ManDy , to join his special food walk around posh and upscale Bonifacio Global City I immediately hit the reply button and sent him our confirmation initially for April 24. Unfortunately, we had to move our reservation to May 1 to give way to our growing list of tasks for our upcoming BIG day. Ivan was so nice to accommodate our request. Still, our plan to arrive on time did not push thru and we found ourselves exactly an hour late. Luck must have been on our side as we decided to proceed directly to The Stock Market as we were also invited by Tita Yoli Celdran of Fruits in Ice Cream to try their mouthwatering desserts. It was a good decision as the group's next stop was exactly at The Stock Market! While chatting with the organizer, we found out that we just missed out on three stops and we can actually join the group up until the end of the event. Hooray! Not long after, the group final...

After years of indulging in the best tasting dishes and enjoying dinner outs , 2010 is the year to be healthy and to take on a more active lifestyle. This is the main reason why I immediately said yes to an invite to try the latest exercise workout called Barre3 . This was brought in by its Managing Director Tanya Tan after spending 5 years in the USA and loving the combination of yoga, ballet and pilates. So, I went straight to The Spa at the Bonifacio Highstreet after work yesterday. Entering the building, I was greeted with the soothing sound of water that immediately made me feel relax and a bit sleepy. The strong minty scent makes me want to go up to the second floor to avail of a massage treatment. Then, I had to stop myself as my main goal was to try Barre3 and to torment my body who hasn't worked out for quite a while. Entering the Barre3 studio, I was greeted by Tanya Tan herself who happens to be my sister's batch mate in high school. After exchanging his, hellos...

I've mentioned in a previous entry how much I enjoy those rare lunch out moments with colleagues. Since my current work location is situated beside a not-so-complete mall and to get to one would require hailing a cab or driving a car, this somehow limits us to choose from whatever is available in the building or somewhere within walking distance. Thus, upon the invitation of a colleague who is planning to fill up her beauty loot in Bonifacio Highstreet, I immediately accepted her offer to join her for lunch at The Stock Market . I've been hearing a lot of mixed feedbacks about Del Monte's newest restaurant. Good and bad this made me even more excited to try it out myself. Browsing the menu, we first noted that it was a bit pricey (Price ranges from Php. 200++ to Php. 500++). I also wanted to play safe so we asked the server for his recommendations. Since I wanted to just have a light lunch, I chose the Cream of Porcini Mushroom soup with Truffle Oil (Php. 260) and the Sto...

Through food blogging, I learned the importance of the saying "to see taste is to believe." This is because when Texas Roadhouse Grill first opened in Manila, a friend wrote about his horrifying experience and how bad the food was. Thus causing me to lose interest in trying it out as I figured that it will just be a waste of money and time. This was until another friend invited me out for dinner and suggested the same restaurant. It has been a year and a couple of more positive comments after that I've decided to just be more adventurous and to try it out myself. It was a great night catching up with my dear friend over a huge skillet of nachos called the Loaded Texas Chips (P200), a platter of Shrimp and Salmon Skewers (P390), which is one of their house specialties, another platter of the Crispy Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard sauce! (P240) and finally a refreshing glass of Watermelon Fruit Mist (P95). The serving is HUGE that is good for sharing. Yet, contrar...

This is a delayed blog entry as I took a short break after finishing off the Trinoma Spot Pass edition . During this time, I was able to re-organize my thoughts, digest some more and prepare my fingers and mind to share with you another set of interesting stories, this time from the 2nd and last leg of Spot.ph's Blogger's Meet at Bonifacio HighStreet and Serendra in Makati. What felt like a major challenge when we were given the chance to visit 18 restaurants during the first run, turns out to look just like an appetizer as we had to visit *make a wildddd guess!* 24 food and non-food establishments all around the newest hang-out place in that part of town. With only four hours to complete the tour, we began at Krispy Kreme and slowly made our way around Bonifacio Highstreet before proceeding to Serendra. How I wish though we had more time because I literally find myself rushing through the last few stores just to get my card signed. Unfortunately, compromising the experie...