Frannywanny

"Oh my dhal -ling Paul, you really turn me naan . For 15 years, only you holds the ghee to my heart. One things for sure, there's never a dhal moment with you." Excuse the cheese but that, my friends, was my winning entry to Booky's recent Instagram contest . I chanced upon the contest while I was browsing through Facebook and it was for a restaurant in Kapitolyo called Little Bear Diner  which recently revamped its menu and now serves interesting Kerala-style dishes. I've been craving for good Indian food as it's been a year since we came home from Singapura so I was so motivated to join. I got to admit that the other entries were so witty that I never thought I'd stand a chance. Well, a week ago, I got a message telling me that I won the contest. Yay! Guess the judges appreciated my cheeziness. So, after spotting an opportunity to have a quick lunch date while the twins were with their grandparents, Paul and I made a reservation via Booky for o...

My friend A and I have known each other since we were in 5th grade. That means, our friendship goes as far back when we were 10 and if you do the math, that means, we've been good friends for 23 years already! That's more than two decades it's really amazing how we continue to stay in touch all throughout these years. We've been there for each other through high school, university life, when we both started working, when I met Paul and she met D, when we both got engaged, when we got married, when she had a baby and even up until the present that Paul and I migrated out of the country. We may not get to talk on a daily basis but it's really the quality of those conversations that we've had where we can easily pick up from where we have left off. During our recent trip home, A and I agreed to go out on a double date with our hubbies. We haven't seen D for so long so it was a nice opportunity for all of us to catch up. A chose the place and she suggested Kar...

My good friend Bianca is getting married tomorrow. While I'm extremely happy that Bianx and Pao are finally  tying the knot, I can't help but feel a bit of sadness that I won't be physically there to witness this momentous moment in their lives. Oh to be 1,400++ miles away from home. *sigh* Anyway, allow me to dedicate this entry to Bianca as I tell you about our recent dinner together at Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant -- our last before she officially becomes Mrs. M. Bianx, Kat and I are a trio. We all used to work for the Green Siren a couple of years back and have moved on to new companies since. Both Kat and Bianx were from the same department and our office cubicles were not exactly close to each other. What made us bond was our shared love for... FOOD. It all began with a series of emails sent back and forth until we agreed to meet up for lunch and that lunch led to another lunch...after which, we also had dinner and more dinners thereafter. It has been 5 years si...

I love the simple things! A box of sweet treats... My doggie Scottie excitedly greeting me by the door...Impromptu lunch outs with Paul and friends and a lot more! I'd say I'm pretty easy to please and more often than not it always involves food! Paul, for one, knows this very well already... the way to my heart is definitely through my STOMACH! ♥ A couple of weeks ago, we had an impromptu lunch date with some members of The Food Club at Longganisa Sorpresa . I'm lucky that the restaurant is just a stone's throw away from my office making it very accessible for me. I've mentioned a number of times how much I love Brgy. Kapitolyo as it's rapidly growing to be a foodie haven. There's Mad Mark's , Lia's Cakes in Season , my favorite Milky and Sunny , the ever-dependable Uncle Moe's and our latest office craze.. Rub Ribs ! We got there just in time before the lunch crowd arrived allowing us to secure a good parking spot. The menu was quite e...

Welcome to Brgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig – the newest foodie haven in town. Believe me, a trip down East Capitol Drive is like a gastronomical journey around the world. Start from the corner of Pioneer you’ll see Nav and Uncle Moe’s which will give you really delicious Thai and Mediterranean dishes respectively. Drive further down and you’ll hit Kainan Au Gusto and Café Juanita located just around the corner for our local Pinoy fare. As you continue with your drive, you’ll see The Three Sisters' restaurant, the place to get really yummy Pork BBQ and Pancit Bihon and my latest fave – Milky and Sunny , an all-day breakfast nook. Go on another block and you’ll see another line of restaurants like Poco Deli for some cheese and sausages while Lia’s Cakes in Season makes a great dessert stop. Care for some burgers? Charlie’s Grill and Grind is located right across and is right beside Bacolod’s Café Bob’s Manila version – Cab Café . There’s still a couple of restaurant left for m...

What's your favorite dessert? For Paul it would definitely be a bar of chocolate. For my Dad it would have to be a bowl of his favorite Ice Cream while for Mommy it would be a refreshing platter of fruits. I, on the other hand, prefers to have baked goodies and cakes for dessert. Examples would be a ramekin of Creme Brulee, a slice of that perfect Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory or (once again) my friend Irene's to-die-for Queso de Bola Cheesecake! Having an amazing dessert is like getting a great massage. It brings you so much happiness and bliss that makes you go oohhhhh and ahhhhh while taking in bites after bites of that delicious piece of cake. It's a great way to indulge and to treat yourself especially after a stressful day at work. However, I tend to be a very picky cake eater as I have very low tolerance for overly sweet products thus I tend to stick to the fruity or slightly salty ones. I always have to scrape off the icing on any cake as my s...

It really takes a good restaurant for me to go back to two days in a row.... even a better one to make me interrupt my Baguio series to share my fun dining experience with you. In other words, this is just something that can't wait and I really have to let you guys know for you to try it out yourselves...ASAP! :) I first heard about Milky & Sunny while reading my Twitter feeds. A couple of friends, whose taste in food I trust, have been talking about this pretty breakfast place that just opened in Kapitolyo, Pasig . Afterwards, I heard about it again from one of my colleagues who got really amazing taste when it comes to aesthetic design..she's a licensed interior designer, after all. This prompted me to research about this restaurant and I realized that it's just a stone's throw away from my office! Finally, last night I set a dinner date with two of my former colleagues Kat and Bianx. I actually gave them a couple of choices and while we initially was planni...

A month ago, I received 4 Gift CerTEAficates to try Cha Dao Tea Place , a new milk tea shop near my office. This entitles me and three companions to an XL Drink with Free Sinkers each! Since Paul and I basically had nothing planned yesterday afternoon and my sister and her boyfriend E happened to be at home too, we decided to go out for an impromptu double date over milk tea. So, off we went to Cha Dao Tea Place in Brgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig . The store is quite small where probably only 10 customers can fit at a time. I like the nice touch of having bowls of dried tea leaves on the table. Wish that it was more aromatic for the scent to fill up the room. The servers were extremely friendly, asking us if it was our first time in Cha Dao and after learning that it indeed was, she proceeded to pointing out their best-sellers in the menu. She was very helpful in suggesting and guiding us through our orders. Paul, a non-milk tea drinker were interested to try the Yakult line an...

Here's one interesting story to tell... Back in 1941, a mother of 5 named Rosa Francisco opened a small panciteria in Pasig. She named it Three Sisters' after (make a wild guess!) a talcum product that she just heard over the radio. On her first day, church-goers flocked to her panciteria and continued to go back from that day on. Sadly, World War II broke out and the family was forced to head to Antipolo to seek for safety and shelter. After the war, Rosa went back and found that her panciteria has been burned down. Still, with much determination, she rebuilt and re-opened her panciteria to the public. Soon, she has regained her loyal patrons and have acquired new ones. People would visit Three Sisters' Refreshment Parlor for their halo-halo and noodle dishes. Fast forward to 1970, Rosa Francisco decided to relocate her panciteria to its present site in Kapitolyo, Pasig . This time she has renamed it: Three Sisters' Restaurant of Pasig . Given the bigger space, m...

Last week was definitely the busiest week for us publishers. It was the time for our annual strategic planning presentation and it is when we were required to present our ideas for 2012. Before this, we spent nights in the office working on our presentation, days thinking of ideas and hours before the presentation praying that everything will turn out okay. Thus, a celebration was truly in order. As much as I wanted to scream and do cartwheels for surviving the presentation, I felt a tiny ache in my heart as it was also the day when I will finally say goodbye to that one person who has stood by me for the past 3 years, he was the one who taught me everything that I needed to know in order to do a better job ...he was my boss and last Friday was his last day.  We decided to throw him a simple farewell lunch at Nav , a newly-opened Thai restaurant near our office. Passing by the restaurant, I noticed that the place was quite small thus I was surprised that when I called to make a...

I love being able to go out for lunch, its a rare opportunity as I would normally just eat at the office to be able to resume my work right after. However, whenever friends would invite me out to lunch and if my schedule will permit, I never hesitate to grab the chance to spend an hour away from the office and to try a new restaurant within the area. I'm lucky that my office neighborhood has a number of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. For the past three years, I enjoy trying each new food spots while it has been a series of hits and misses, I never gave up knowing that someday I'll find more good things that I like than those I'd rather avoid forever. A few days ago, Paul and I were invited to have lunch at the new restaurant along Baranggay Kapitolyo. It's literally just a stone's throw away from my office that I can actually take a trike to head to Kapitolyo if I need to. The name is Cab Cafe and I found out that it's the Metro Manila branch of the...

There's a certain comfort that I truly enjoy when entering a deli. The little pots of bottled spreads, the freezer-case filled with sausages and cold cuts and for some a selection of quality wines and sparkling champagnes, all these complete my deli visit. I love the fact that the deli lacks the chaoticness of a supermarket, it has a very European feel that it truly a pleasant change in ones hectic life. Wanting to spend some quality time with my mom, we chanced upon a cozy looking deli in Barangay Kapitolyo in Pasig City. Poco Deli is just a stone's throw away from my office making it very accessible for us to drop by after work. My mom loves looking at cold cuts and frozen meats, this is her weakness, I guess. She can't help it but buy a pack or two to bring home. I, on the other hand, began scanning through their menu. I was feeling a bit hungry that I decided to order some Aglio Olio Pasta (Php. 145). As we took our seats, our eyes wandered around the store as m...