Frannywanny

I really love how more and more brands we love while residing in the Lion City are also making their way to the Philippines! Case in point, fashion and home-wise we got H&M, Muji, Uniqlo, Forever New and even Pottery Barn present in some of the biggest malls in the country and when it comes to the food scene, oh we got a lot! There's Kam's Roast , Ippudo , Llao Llao , Pezzo and just recently.. Popeyes made a comeback! Hold a meeting on top of Popeyes? Why not! The opening of Popeyes clearly stirred a lot of excitement as we've been seeing numerous board ups all over the metro yet there's really no specific announcement made on when it will open. Finally, its first outlet in Arcovia City  opened its doors in May and we've been hearing about the long queue and the wait that can go on for an hour. With my kids in tow, I really don't think it would be wise to join in the long queue so Paul and I decided to wait it out a bit more. Finally, sometime in Jul...

There was once a girl named Mimi who was the youngest in the family and while her brothers used to party a lot in their home which actually was one of the popular house party venues back in the day, Mimi missed out on all that as she was way too young to stay up late and party then. So, as a "gift" for her, her brothers created Mimi & Bros  which is a venue for Mimi (and her entire family and pretty much all of us) to hang out and to party with good food and booze.  Mimi & Bros gives you 9 sauces to choose from After a long day working in BGC, Paul and I decided to go for an early dinner date. I tell you, I could still count the number of times we've stayed out past 6 pm since we had our twins. Don't get me wrong, I love my twins and being their Mommy is truly a dream come true but I got to admit that I do miss those days when it was just me and Paul and our random, impromptu dates. It was just one of those days when we were craving for real good, deep f...

Perhaps, 10 years ago, I'd never , in my wildest dreams, would ever take a challenge like this. I've always shy away from anything with a littlest hint of chili on my food so what was I thinking saying yes to Max's offer to take on the challenge to try the new Spicy Chicken ? Well, living in the Lion City has changed me. It has trained my palette so well that I can now take on spicy food with ease. Chili Padi? Laksa? Chili Crab? Pfft... easy peasy!  Kidding aside, I simply just miss having that spicy kick in my meal once in a while so when I heard about Max's coming out with a spicy version of their award-winning, daydream-inducing Fried Chicken, I was so game! Running up until the 15th of October , you can avail of the Spicy Chicken Platter for only Php.1399. This comes with 8 pcs of Chicken (all leg and thigh portion, mind you!), a generous serving of plain rice, soup of your choice and for dessert, you can have either the Caramel Bar Ice Cream or the Buko Pand...

Do you still remember the time when I attended my first ever Mommy blogger event with Mothers Who Brunch  for Mustela ? The event began with us standing up to introduce ourselves and to share with the group one of our guilty pleasures. I was halfway through my pregnancy with the twins then and I remembered that I shared that carbs  and chips  were definitely my guilty pleasure. One thing that I also remembered is that a number of moms mentioned that online shopping  is their guilty pleasure and while I chuckled together with the group, I couldn't relate with them then. Yes. I wrote that in the past tense and it's simply because things have changed greatly since my twins were born. Being a new mom entails a lot of work, that's a given but with that temporarily goes your freedom. Forget being able to leave the house as that won't be possible for at least their first two months of life.  Then comes bidding adieu to 8 hours of sleep. Now, we're talking about short...

This year we celebrate the 50th year of Singapore so in line with all the SG50 celebrations that have been happening around, let me share with you some of my favorite Singapore dishes one at a time. Today, I will talk about the glorious Nasi Lemak . My first encounter with Nasi Lemak dates all the way back in 2010. It was during our one-week-long honeymoon here in Singapore where I had my first taste of that fragrant coconut rice with ikan bilis (dilis), lots of garlic peanuts, egg and fried chicken. I fell madly in love with Nasi Lemak that I would order it every chance I get here in Singapore and when we continued with our trip to Kuala Lumpur. Fast forward to today, I've lost count of the number of Nasi Lemaks that I've already had. To me, it's one of my favorite comfort food where I can always be sure of it's consistent delicious flavor and the viands that come with it are pretty straight-forward, simple yet always satisfyingly good. So, for one of our food tr...

Bad Bird is the perfect example of East meets West. We went on a relatively quiet and slow lunch day at Hole in the Wall yet this store was so busy taking orders, cooking and serving platters after platters to its eager and hungry customers. Of course, we just had to join in the fun (a.k.a. nakiki-uso ) too! This stall specializes in umami fried chicken which are perfectly deep-fried and coated in their special flavors. What makes this food concept so interesting is how fried chicken, which is very western, pairs so well with a wide-array of Asian-inspired side dishes -- Kimchi coleslaw, corn covered with Japanese Kewpie mayo and bonito flakes, Waffle with Miso Butter and more! It's definitely the place where Uncle Sam and Mr. Miyagi can happily dine in together. Each fried chicken plate comes with 2 substantial cuts of chicken. Do take that phrase seriously as those cuts are HUGE! While others would just hide the tiny meat within a thick breading, this one seriously was al...

Most balikbayans / OFWs will surely agree with this statement: "No matter how long your trip back to the Philippines is, it will never be long enough."  In other words, it will always feel like you just have so many things to do with so little time. The best solution for this? Multi-task . Believe it or not, I have begun creating day-to-day itinerary whenever we fly back to Manila. Every minute is precious and can never be wasted not doing anything. Of course, we have to make sure that we have set aside ample time to bond with our families too. For this particular trip, Paul had to go to LTO to have his driver's license renewed. Since we went right on the last work day before Christmas Day, we were greeted with a shockingly long queue and what used to just be an hour-long processing time took us almost half a day. Not wanting to rant that we have just wasted half a day waiting in line, it was a good thing that the LTO office was just right across Tiendesitas where t...

September 24 was our company's Foundation Day and to celebrate it, we dedicated 8 hours of service at the Soup Kitchen of Willing Hearts . Our "work day" began as early as 6:15AM, yes THAT early! I think it has been more than a decade since I had to be up at 5AM but believe it or not, I was up and awake even before my alarm rang. That only happens when I'm really excited about something. Team VML Qais at Willing Hearts I'm no kitchen diva, but I happily de-shelled dozens and dozens of eggs, chopped close to a hundred cabbage heads and packed thousands of styrofoam boxes. All these meals will go to the underprivileged community in Singapore most of which are the elderly. As you know, I really have a soft spot for all the aunties and uncles who sadly have been left to live on their own and are trying their darnest to make ends meet. I'm glad that I had the chance to serve them for a day. 

Last Sunday, Paul promised me that we will be having a food trip. This got me really excited yet I was simply expecting that he'd only be game to go somewhere new for lunch and that would qualify as a "food trip." Well, guess I was surprised when he was in fact game to go food tripping the entire afternoon which made me very very very happy. Ladies, this is one perfect example of why we shouldn't over-expect and just let our man surprise us trust me, it will be ten times better. Hahaha! So, he knows that I keep a list of places that I want to try here in Singapore and told me to choose where to have lunch. My choice was at Bukit Merah which is just a quick 3 minute ride from home. I've been hearing about Two Wings  from fellow food bloggers and how their fried chicken wings are simply divine. After seeing countless Instagram posts too, I knew this is the place to go.  Spotting Two Wings wasn't difficult as we have been frequenting the Alexandra Fo...

Given my slight OCD nature, I rarely eat with my bare hands. Yes, somehow I've learned to eat everything with the use of a spoon and fork, fork and knife and at times even with a pair of chopsticks. Friends would watch in amazement (or more like amusement) as I would enjoy my fries with a fork or crabs with fork and knife. Back in high school, I would manage to finish my spaghetti lunch while using a pair of chopsticks without any stains on my white and blue uniform. This talent I've inherited from my equally neat freak Papa. It was when I married Paul that I somehow learned to "loosen up and enjoy life", as he would proudly claim. This simply meant me learning to use my hands to fully enjoy eating a piece of drumstick or to get the itsie-bitsie crab meat pieces out. It took a while, I tell you, but at present I've learned to control my OCD tendencies and to just enjoy my food to the fullest. Perhaps, I still have my hesitations but if there's one food i...

I guess, one reason why I really enjoyed our trip to Seoul, South Korea was because it was a never-ending food trip! Our meals were not limited to just breakfast, lunch and dinner. Somehow, we would end up snacking even at odd hours. All throughout our trip, Paul and I hanged out with Richard, Irene and Lauren. It's a good thing that the 5 of us share almost the same taste in food and have the same shopping habits making it easier for us to maximize our schedule without wasting precious time. One evening, Richard and Irene were craving for something to eat at the hotel and that's were we spotted Two Two Fried Chicken , it is very similar to the Bonchon Chicken that's very popular here in Manila. However, its fried chicken comes in more flavors other than the usual soy garlic and spicy. Richard carefully brought his box of chicken back to the hotel and were even insisting that we join them as they feel that they can't consume the entire box of chicken. Paul and I dec...

Chicken lovers all over town rejoiced when Bonchon Chicken finally landed in Manila 4th quarter of 2010. I still remember missing out on The Food Club's first visit to their Ayala Triangle branch as I was bedridden with a nasty and traumatic case of amoebiasis (believe me, a food blogger's worst nightmare) . It took me a couple more months before I finally was able to give it a try and as expected... I liked it! Since then, Bonchon Chicken has been my go-to place whenever I'm craving for some Korean Fried Chicken and most especially some Kimchi Coleslaw when in the mall. With 19 branches all over Metro Manila, it makes it so accessible to dine in whenever the craving arises. However, there are just times that I would prefer a seafood dish over a meaty one. Luckily, Bonchon Chicken now has the answer to that as they recently introduced a line of seafood options for the non-meat eaters. A month ago, I was able to try their Fish & Chips Box (Php. 145) that come...

It has been almost a year since my colleague told me to try this really good Japanese restaurant called Mangetsu . Back then, the restaurant used to be located in Mile Long along Amorsolo street in Makati. Time flies so fast that we have been so busy and before we know it, Mangetsu in Mile Long closed down to relocate. Shucks. I can't believe we just let one week pass after the other and just like that, the year has ended without us being able to try this highly-recommended restaurant. Fast forward to the start of 2012, I learned that Mangetsu is finally open again and this time it's located along Jupiter street, a place I am very familiar with. We wasted no time and there we were a few days ago to have dinner with two of my favorite food bloggers Jin and Leslie . We agreed to meet early, too early that we were the first batch of customers to arrive for dinner time. Good thing too as we got the full attention of almost all servers. Of course, I did my research by aski...

Last Friday, despite the strong winds and non-stop rain, The Foodie Club got together to throw a special cheese-themed despedida which we coined as CHEESEPEDIDA for our dear friend Chris who's leaving in a few weeks time. Our plan was to throw a potluck dinner where everyone in the Club will bring a cheese-filled dish . Paul and I brought containers filled with our best-selling Pichi-Pichi with Cheese , Irene made her mouth-watering Quezo de Bola Cheesecake , Doña Joan prepared her signature Baked Macaroni with Cheese , Janey bought two types of pasta from Cibo , Didi (whom we miss dearly) sent over boxes of Pizza (with lots of cheese!), Tita Jane and Cara completed our meal with Cheese Ice Cream and Trixie and EQ brought bags of yummy chips with cheese ! You may have noticed that our line-up was filled with desserts and carbs, thus Irene and Richard offered to order from BBQ Chicken to fulfill our protein needs. I've been hearing about BBQ Chicken even when I...

It has been a yearly tradition that I spend the first two days of the new year listing down restaurants and places that I would like to visit that year. It somehow becomes my guide when friends would ask for dinner recommendations anytime we plan to meet up. I was fortunate enough to be able to crossed out quite a lot last year and I am hopeful to be able to do just as much this year. This is, of course, without compromising my physical and financial being. A new restaurant a week sounds reasonable, right? Right! :) Today, Paul and I joined Mommy as she went to Greenbelt 1 for her appointment. While Mommy headed to meet her client, we went around the mall and was surprise to see certain new establishments and developments here and there. Then we decided to check out the stores outside, we were greeted by a new kid in town that's right beside Starbucks Coffee and Pancake House! Bonchon Chicken is in TOWN! Bonchon Chicken is part of my places to visit this 2011 and I excite...

Friends who live in Quezon City has been telling me about this neighborhood store that sells delicious fried chicken wings and drumsticks. It's a pretty small store that they normally would just drop by on their way home from work to take away a box of freshly cooked chicken for their family to enjoy. Since then, I always have Chicken Charlie on my list of restaurants to try. We got extremely busy and with the 30 minutes drive needed to get to Quezon City, it has been months since our friend's recommendation and we still have not visited Chicken Charlie. Guess what?! Chicken Charlie came to us instead! I was so excited when I saw a bright red board-up in front of what used to be a grillery along J. Abad Santos street here in San Juan one morning. It has the logo of Chicken Charlie and a huge sign that says "Coming Soon". Not long after, Chicken Charlie opened its second branch here in San Juan and I made sure to be one of the first customers to welcome them t...

At some point I wonder if Paul and I have met each other when we were kids. Probably we could have been at the same place and at the same time but we were too young to notice anyone else besides our family back then. While recounting our childhood stories, we noticed that we have shared a number of similar memories. Perhaps there have been other opportunities for us to meet but He made it all possible on that fateful night of May 11, 2003 where both of us attended a big group dinner without any idea that right at that moment, we were to meet the one whom we will be spending the rest of our lives with -- we were each other's soulmates. A couple of weeks back, we got an invite from fellow blogger Richard to have dinner at Chinatown's Best Food . On our way there, I was recounting my past experience of frequenting Chinatown's Best Food when they were still in their old location also along Banawe. The restaurant has came a long way. From a small al fresco eatery to a multiple...

I first saw Marrybrown at the exit of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) of the Kuala Lumpur Airport. Initially, we expected it to be a local fast food offering Malaysian dishes. What we didn't know was Marrybrown could actually rival Col. Sanders's crispy delicious fried chicken. Yep! Marrybrown is a Malaysian fast food specializing in fried chicken and a lot more. Of course, we were in Malaysia and so we had to try something different. I was so hooked to Nasi Lemak the entire time that I was in Singapore. Oh how I love the taste of rice cooked in rich coconut milk. It has been my morning guilty indulgence. No matter how much I've tried, I couldn't seem to stop. Mix this with salty anchovies and peanuts, I was in food heaven. :) Scanning the board of Marrybrown, I noticed that they have Nasi Lemak (RM 8.90) as part of their line-up. Of course, they use fried chicken this time. I didn't mind and got this with additional chicken (RM 6.05) to share with Pau...

I Love to Eat Chicken. On several occasions, these are the three choices that I would give Paul whenever we're deciding on where to eat: KFC... Max's... Savory... Obviously, which ever he chooses, one thing's for sure. we're having Chicken! Last Saturday, Paul and I had to grab a quick lunch before the start of his photo shoot. With only thirty minutes to spare, we decided to just choose from the restaurants nearby and not wanting to just end up with a fast food lunch, we decided to go to Savory Chicken which was perfectly located in front of the event site. Paul frequents Savory Chicken more than I do and so he took care of ordering for us this time. Browsing through the menu, Paul finally made his choices and ordered the following for our quick but delicious meal: Savory Combo A (Php. 295). This meal is good for two as it comes with two cups of rice, Lumpia Shanghai, 1/2 Fried Chicken and Pansit Canton. We both love Savory's gravy which is why we immediately ...

What is a lazy Sunday? It's when one wakes up just in time for lunch followed by a good thirty minutes of aimlessly wandering around the house and later on, finding herself heading back to bed for nap time. After a series of weekends with very tight schedules, I woke up today with no agenda or plans in mind. So far, what I've done today was to read the sunday paper, read up on more information about our upcoming trip and laze around the house as I watch my sister and mom leave for the mall. I love Lazy Sundays though. This is when we get to enjoy Mom's cooking which is normally her own version of well-loved Chinese dishes. On Lazy Sundays, we get to eat crabs, prawns and all of those fresh catch from the market. However, whenever mom gets too lazy to cook on this day, we rely on this particular neighborhood restaurant to serve us their best-sellers. A couple of years back, Paul and I would have to travel all the way to Binondo whenever we crave for Duck Misua (for him) and ...