Frannywanny

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...

I have this group of friends since high school whom I hang out with regularly. Well, I don't get to see them as often as I used to do when Paul and I were still based in Manila but I'm happy to be able to keep in close touch with them whenever we're back home. Given all our busy schedules, we would meet up during breakfast and with that, the "Breakfast Club" was born.  For our most recent get-together, we had breakfast/brunch at our favorite go-to place -- Torch Restaurant in Greenhills . We all live within the same vicinity so Greenhills has been our usual choice whenever we choose where to eat out. Luckily, Torch Restaurant  serves good breakfast and our friend M loves their coffee too.  The choices are quite interesting. It's your typical Filipino -silog (sinangag and itlog) but with a modern twist. Take for example Paul's U.S. Angus Beef Tapa . This showcases Torch's interesting take on the traditional tapsilog wherein they made use of t...

I love going to coffee shops and cafes! The strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the buttery sweet scent of pancakes and just that over-all laid back feel. What makes it even more fun is when you walk into a coffee shop that screams "take a photo of me" in every nook and cranny! In today's social media speak, I'd say... it's totally Instagram-worthy ! Recently, I've been going crazy over this new foodie app that allows me to buy credits and to bid for a certain dish for as low as $1! I've been so hooked with it for days that one of the things that I bought was a $2.60 voucher for a glass of Iced Coffee from  Doi Chaang Coffee  in Clementi. I'll tell you more about this app in my succeeding entries but for now let's focus on the coffee shop, shall we?

Tonight, I was able to have a nice long chat with Mommy. I really love hearing her voice as this is enough to brighten up my day. She told me that Manila is scorching hot at the moment that being outside is starting to feel like an ordeal to many. Not even the cool blast of the car's air-con is enough to make one feel comfortable. Meanwhile, I told her that it has been raining erratically here in the Lion City. Mornings are almost always warm and come lunch time, it would start to rain non-stop. It's not a big surprise that a lot of my colleagues and their kids are falling sick due to the rise and drop of temperature. Regardless if it's rainy or sunny, summer is officially here and there's one thing that I love about this season and that is being able to indulge in cups after cups of refreshing ice blended drinks! Take for example, last Sunday. Paul and I spent a quiet morning at Starbucks Coffee while waiting for the NKids to arrive at our lunch venue and we tried ...

I know Singapore is a small country with a total land area of a little more than 700km 2  which makes it just a bit bigger than Metro Manila's 600km 2 . Add to the fact that commuting around is so easy and convenient yet I haven't really been around that much. Oh, what have I been doing this past year and a half? Take for example Robertson Quay . It's one of those must-visit places as it's filled with 3rd wave coffee shops and it's said to also be a great place to hang out in or to jog around too. I've been meaning to visit this place but laziness normally strikes the moment the weekend rolls in. I'm glad my good friend Gelats was in town and despite our crazy schedules, we agreed to meet up for a quick coffee chat. She asked me to choose the place and I went for Common Man Coffee Roasters  which has been one of the top coffee places to go to this year. Finding it was quite easy with the help of our GPS, I enjoyed walking across the colorful graffi...

I'm totally loving the 3rd wave coffee trend! Imagine, 5 years back, it was just the Green Siren and a few other big coffee shop chains dominating the coffee-drinking world. Today, we're seeing the rise of more coffee aficionados showing us that there's more to life than a cup of brewed coffee with sugar and cream. I'm glad though that the 3rd wave coffee is totally booming here in Singapore as well as in Manila so wherever I go, I have the privilege of trying out one coffee shop after the other. So, after my back-to-back gym classes last week which felt oh-so- gooood , I treated myself to a light but delicious coffee break at Three Cups Coffee Co . at the 4th level of One Raffles Place. I went on a Saturday and the entire mall, which caters mostly to the CBD office crowd, was so quiet and calm. The shops were empty and even  Three Cups Coffee Co.  was also having a slow slow slow day. A bit too slow though that I can't help but get turned off by the guy mann...

Pardon the cute-sy play of words but I just can't help it!  Ever wonder why coffee is normally linked closely to love and romance? Girl meets boy in a coffee shop. Girl and boy getting to know each other over coffee (and cakes, sandwiches or pastries!) Boy professes his love to girl also in a coffee shop. ... and they live happily ever after with more cups of coffee shared along the way! For Paul and I, Starbucks Coffee surely has played a valuable role in our very own love life. Here's where we've spent a lot of hours after our dinner date be it just the two of us or with our groups of friends. Starbucks Coffee has also been our permanent venue when we were meeting up with our wedding suppliers some time back and up to today, it has been our third place -- t hat one place where we feel most at home from the exact type of drinks that we want ( eg : Signature Hot Chocolate in Kid's Temp for him and a Non-Fat Hazelnut Latte , no whip in Kid's Temp for me...

I told you about our first meal in Manila when we visited last June, now let me tell you about the last meal that we had before flying back to the Lion City. Don't worry as I will be telling you all about the meals that I had in between. :) Since our flight was at 8 in the evening, Mommy suggested that we go to SM Aura to have coffee and maybe some snack since we didn't avail of any in-flight meals. As soon as I heard "SM Aura", I took out my trusty Evernote as I checked my list of restaurants to help me make a choice on where to eat. Aha, I saw Mentore Coffee + Bar . Finally. I've been wanting to try this since late last year. Mentore Coffee + Bar is part of the UCC Coffee Group and this was just perfect as my family is a big big fan of UCC. Sitting was quite limited as there was just an outside al fresco sitting and an "outside-the-restaurant-sitting". We chose the latter which entailed a bit of a waiting time. It's a good thing that we ...

If there's one person here in the Lion City who has been really supportive of this blog aside from Paul, that would definitely be C. C has been giving brilliant ideas on what topics I can write about, how I can further keep you, my readers, entertained and he would also share news about restaurants that I have to try out. In fact, the Explore Singapore series came about after a quick chat with C one afternoon. I do hope you're all enjoying that new addition in this blog and we all got C to thank for. Anyway, he turned another year older (and wiser) two weeks ago but due to a really unfortunate and sudden incident, we had to somehow postpone his celebration to last weekend. Well, I do believe in week-long even month-long celebrations so it's really not too late. C didn't gave much information on where his birthday lunch will be except an instruction to meet us at the lobby of the hotel where he had a nice weekend staycation with his wife I. As soon as we got to ou...

I have to admit, I was never a bread person. Given the chance I would choose to eat pasta and noodles all day followed by rice. However, as you get older, your preference changes. While I still love my pasta and noodle dishes, I've also learned to appreciate having a sandwich as a meal. What more when I was introduced to all the delicious combinations and bread options there is. I love croissants most especially the wholemeal kind, bagels are also something I'm really fond of and the more unique the bread is, the most inclined I am in trying it. However, nothing beats our local Pan de Sal filled with a wide-variety of spreads one can think of. So, one lazy Sunday, Paul and I decided to check out Tiong Bahru Bakery with my dear Mommy who came to visit us for the weekend. Mommy, as you all know, is a very healthy and simple eater. She doesn't like anything creamy, deep-fried or overly sweet. So, when I told her about Tiong Bahru Bakery , I sold the idea by saying that we...

There are several things that make me feel giddy and excited lately: - When I get to try something surprisingly good. - Whenever I'm going home to visit my family and lastly... - When anyone from my family comes to visit.  Such was the case a few months ago when my sister suddenly decided that she will be visiting me and she'll be staying for a few days! I was so excited as I began planning our itinerary and the places where I will be taking her to try. It's pretty obvious how my sister and I keep a very close relationship. We're a small family of four so we have this "it's you and me against the world" kind of bond not only between us sisters but even with our parents too. I guess my giddiness was so obvious that my colleagues can feel how excited I was when Pan can to visit. From the moment she landed, I wasted no time and the eating quickly began. One Saturday, we told Paul that he can sleep a little longer while we go out for our sisterly bon...

It's FINALLY the weekend! It has been extremely busy at work for the past weeks and this will probably go on for the entire month of August too! As I brace myself with the intense thinking and preparation that we have to go through for our annual planning, part of me is also excited to present new ideas that I would like to implement for the year ahead! Despite how busy my weekdays can be, I keep my weekend sacred. Take today for example, Paul and I have a busy day ahead and to make sure we have the energy, we had a hearty brunch at Seattle's Best Coffee at the Greenhills Town Center , a new commercial complex located along Gilmore street in Ortigas. Every time we visit this place, we get to see more and more restaurants popping up. My goal is to check each and every restaurant out! I've tried Sumo Sam , the Pastry Princess and Ha Yuan to name a few. It was also upon an invitation to try the new drinks at Seattle's Best Coffee that brought us here. We started ...

For years, UCC Coffee has always been my go-to place for all-girls bonding sessions with my high school friends. My top picks include their Unagi Rice Casserole, French Toast and their delicious House Blend Coffee. Be it for brunch, lunch or dinner, I always enjoy my meal at UCC Coffee . Recently, The Food Club was invited to try UCC Coffee 's newest products. This includes some savory dishes such as the Char Siu Curry Soup Spaghetti (Php. 389) that Paul enjoyed very much. Imagine having thinly slice char siu simmered in rich Japanese curry soup and served with al dente spaghetti noodles. It was so good that we actually forgot to take a photo of it. Ooops! I, on the other hand, had the Lengua Omurice (Php. 389) which was a very heavy meal. I had to share this with Paul as the omelette was tightly packed with Japanese fried rice and they were very generous with the lengua slices too. I think I just found a new favorite which I can alternate with the Unagi Rice Casserole. ...

The wait is FINALLY over!!! My newest favorite donut brand, J.CO Donuts & Coffee Philippines , opened its doors to the anticipating public yesterday, March 15, 2012 at SM Megamall Building B and I'm lucky enough to be invited to be part of their exciting launch. I got there just in time before the program started and the store was filled with so many people! It actually took me a while to finally locate Paul who was already waiting for me inside. There were just to many festivities happening -- nonstop donuts sampling, endless coffee and yogurt supply, fun photo booth session and a lot more! Call me a stage best friend but I am so proud of T who's one of the driving forces behind this great Indonesian brand. Her numerous trips going back and forth to Indonesia has paid off as they finally opened their first store here in Manila and there's 4 more in the pipeline opening really soon! I beamed with pride as she delivered her welcome remarks to the crowd. Boys, is...

Believe it or not, I grew up not drinking coffee. Unlike my sister who loves needs her cup of java to wake her up in the morning, I used to prefer a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to go with my breakfast plate anytime. It's quite surprising then that I ended up working for the Green Siren for a fun two years plus. My first day at work really changed my life. It led me to drinking my first cup of brewed coffee and guess what, I liked it! Liked it so much that I never stopped drinking coffee after that. After a year or so, I even got certified as a Coffee Master ! This got my parents thinking how on earth did that happened. Their daughter, the former non-coffee drinker becoming a coffee master. That, my friends, continues to remain a mystery. It has been 4 years since I bid the Green Siren good bye but I continue to relive the fun days every single time I step into a store. The warm smiles, the comforting smell of coffee, the sound of the blender, oh I wish to be able ...

Let's start the countdown!!! Indonesia's very own donut and coffee brand is finally opening its doors in Manila! I've been hearing about J. Co. Donuts and Coffee ever since our trip to Singapore and Malaysia almost two years ago and was once again intrigued by it after my sister's trip to Singapore where she was able to try their coffee and liked it very much! Admittedly, I do not have a sweet tooth and has one of the lowest sugar tolerance in the family but I was really excited when 3 huge yellow boxes were delivered to my office one afternoon a month ago. I opened each one of them and the smell of freshly baked donuts instantly made my tummy rumble. Since I was still swamped with work, I shared one box with my colleagues who all liked the ultra moist and fluffy-soft donuts. The boys gave their thumbs up while the girls immediately asked where J. Co. is located. I grinned and told them the good news... J. Co. will soon open their first branch at The Strip in SM ...

One thing is for sure... blogging with an empty stomach can be hazardous to your health. I'm typing this before having breakfast and I can literally hear my stomach growling like a mad lion. To torture me even further, I am about to share with you something so delicious that the thought of it can really make my mouth water (and my stomach rumble louder). Yes, I'm such a sadist. *sigh* Last Monday, Paul and I were invited by my former colleagues of Starbucks Coffee to try a couple of new lunch sandwiches that they will be launching soon. I was so excited as knowing my talented friend C, who takes care of R&D for our local Starbucks food items, these sandwich are sure to be delicious! I remember back when I was still working for the Green Siren and C was working on those breakfast sandwiches , oh how I enjoyed hanging out with her at the training room as I watch her heat up samples after samples of sandwiches and she would generously share them with me. Now you know...

Hi readers! While I truly hope you're having fun joining my ongoing contest (12 days to go, guys!!) , here's something you might want to do too. It's very EASY! All you have to do is to answer this quick survey and get a chance to win one of 10 SM Gift Certificates worth P1,000 each ! The survey won't even take up too much of your time! I finished mine in less than 10 minutes and I'm also crossing my fingers to be one of the lucky winners of the Gift Certificate which I will use to seriously decorate our room.  Good luck!! :) *image credit: http://www.applied-corporate-governance.com/free-online-survey-tools.html

Back when I was working for the Green Siren , I learned how to mix my own drinks. Along the way, I learned to be creative. Adding a shot here and there, combining two syrups to create a new flavor or changing my milk to lessen the calories. Those, however, were only limited to espresso based drinks. With the cold Frappuccino blended beverages , we can't do as much. Back then, all Frappuccinos had a pre-mix base thus it's either you want it cream or coffee based. From there you choose your flavor that determines the syrups that will be used. I guess the farthest customization that I've done with my Frappuccino is to add more syrup into my Strawberries n Cream Frappuccino or adding a shot to my Mocha Frappuccino. That's basically just about it. It has been almost three years since I've professionally bid the Green Siren good bye. Thus my visits have lessened as opposed to my bi-weekly store visits before. It was only just recently when I dropped by our favorite ...

During the first leg of my US trip, my colleague L and I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Irvine. Irvine, is actually like the central business district of California where tall skyscrapers line up the streets and it's relatively more quiet here at any given part of the day simply because everyone is busy at work. On our first work day, L and I decided to start early by walking around the neighborhood in search for a good place to have breakfast. Thanks to the friendly hotel staff, he directed us towards Specialty's Cafe & Bakery which he says serves pretty good coffee.