Frannywanny

If there's one thing that I dread experiencing whenever I'm back in Manila then that would have to be the crazy traffic jam! It must be the never-ending road works or the growing number of cars on the road but the traffic condition continues to worsen year after year. Take our recent trip for example. We were very lucky that our  Philippine Airlines  flight arrived earlier than scheduled giving us more time to quickly see our family and head to San Juan for dinner. We got to NAIA 2 at 6pm and believe it or not, we reached San Juan at 830pm. That's 2 and half hours on the road with Waze giving us various routes to help us get home as quickly as possible. Oh my goodness! Papa, Pan and E were at home waiting for us and after we quickly dropped off our luggages, we headed to the nearest restaurant for our late dinner. I suggested Hai Chix & Steaks  as it has been on my list for the past months. I wasn't sure if it was any good but I guess, we'll never know if ...

Who can relate to this? "You have to work late at night and with barely enough cash in your wallet, you wander around your office area looking for something to eat. Not in the mood for fast food as you just want something more comforting, a bit more healthy yet quick to consume and one that won't hurt your budget. Where do you go?"  I can probably say that just like you and me, 80% would probably head to the convenience store. It has a wide array for food and snack options and you can definitely get hot dishes that doesn't necessarily mean having to ingest deep-fried food. Personally, 7-Eleven has been my go to place ever since I started working here in Singapore. It's where I can find good and reasonably priced siu mai, a delicious bar of Magnum (where I don't have to buy the entire box if the craving strikes) or the place where we bought our first ever SIM card upon landing in the Lion City. It has basically everything and almost everything that you...

Huat Ah! This is probably the first Singlish phrase that I've learned when we moved to the Lion City exactly two Chinese New Years ago. As half of the city went overseas and the other half were busy visiting families, we took this time to make our visit to IKEA to quickly furnish our new place. All around us, people were tossing shredded vegetables while screaming " Huat Ahhhhh!! " I had no clue what they were doing then but who would have thought that this would be one exciting practice that I always look forward to every Chinese New Year -- Lo Hei . Paul and I loved it so much that we even brought back packs of Yu Sheng Salad to share this "veggie-tossing" practice with our families in Manila.  This is just one of the many things I love about Singapore and the Singaporean culture. Another thing we love (and we're pretty sure the rest of the world do too) about Singapore is the yummy hawker heritage . Many have been saying that hawker centres won'...

Let me talk about Singapore's national dish once again -- the Hainanese Chicken Rice . This is really such a popular dish that no hawker centre or food court is complete without it. However, when it comes to searching for the best, Paul and I ventured out even to places that's not quite accessible by the MRT in order to have a taste of what some people would call THE BEST.  Let's see about that. First stop was at Boon Tong Kee in River Valley. Our first visit was exactly a few days after we got here a year ago. I can still remember it clearly though, Paul and I went to Sunday Mass and we agreed to have dinner at Boon Tong Kee which was located just around the corner. Can you just imagine how hard it was for me to concentrate during the priest's sermon when my mind was filled with visions of that tender white chicken meat, shiny and fragrant rice and more? Oh what a challenge and such a delicious temptation. 

Much has been said about Singapore's Hainanese Chicken Rice . Debates have sparked here and there as to which restaurant or hawker stall reigns supreme. Each one has his or her own opinion and that's perfectly fine. We all know that taste is subjective . So what tastes better for me may not be the same case for you. However, one thing is certain -- Hainanese Chicken Rice (together with the Kaya Toast ) has surely put Singapore right at the center of the foodie map and for years..maybe even decades now, it has sealed its spot right there and I don't think this will change soon. No visit to the Lion City is complete without having a taste of this delectable dish that consists of boiled chicken cooked in a rich and really flavorful stock. It comes with a cup of rice that is also cooked using the same stock and is drizzled with oil and is served with a trio of dipping sauce -- ginger oil, sticky soy sauce and chili. Friends would always ask me where's the best Hainanes...

My family loves Hainanese Chicken Rice. Guess this is because we used to frequent Singapore back then that this has been our staple meal throughout our week-long stay there. Sadly, while a lot of restaurants do offer Hainanese Chicken Rice (HCR), only a few really came close to the real thing . Can't blame them, for one thing perhaps some ingredients used for the authentic Chicken Rice are not available in Manila. Another would be if they would really cook it the exact same way the Singaporeans would when preparing their HCR. Thus, when I heard about this guy named Stevie from Bel-Air, Makati who sells really good Hainanese Chicken Rice , I knew I had to take time out one Sunday morning to order a set from him and to take this home for my family to try. Ordering was a breeze, all I did was to call two days in advance (although I think 24 hours notice is allowed too, I was just so excited haha) and placed my order for a Hainanese Chicken Set with Traditional Rice (Php. 98...

My first taste of Wee Nam Kee was during our honeymoon trip to Singapore where Paul and I met up with our Singapore-based friends for a post-wedding celebration . The restaurant wasn't hard to locate as we carefully followed the directions given to us -- take the train to Novena and cross the street to find Wee Nam Kee . I wrote about our wonderful experience here and to this day, I still daydream about the yummy cereal prawns and Hainanese Chicken that we had that evening. A few months after we got back from Singapore , we heard some juicy rumors that Wee Nam Kee is coming to Manila!  This was confirmed by a dear colleague who's very own brother is the man behind Manila's very own Wee Nam Kee . In other words, we now have a Hainanese Chicken savior. Hooray! Finally, good and authentic chicken rice is coming to our shores! Sadly, hectic schedule and a bad case of amoebiasis restrained me from trying Wee Nam Kee right on its opening month. I died with envy upon he...

Singapore always holds a soft spot in my heart. I loved it ever since I visited this very organized and beautiful country when I was 10 up until present . Luckily, Paul shares the same fascination towards Singapore that it came pretty naturally that we decided to spend a week in Singapore for our Honeymoon two years ago . Everything is always just in proper order and of course, Singapore is truly a foodie's mecca ! A trip to Singapore is not complete without enjoying the many hawker centers scattered around the country. Nothing beats the real thing as you enjoy a plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice , Lamb Briyani and a lot more! I love Singaporean food and the simplicity of it. This is the reason why I happily headed to Dusit Thani Manila's Basix All-Day Dining Restaurant for lunch yesterday. To celebrate Singapore's National Day , they are having a 10-day long buffet special highlighting a number of Singaporean favorites. Spearheading this special promotion is Execu...

Here's a case when I chose not to blog on the my first restaurant visit...neither on my second but just decided to wait and go back for a third round before I finally give my full review. I first heard about Hainanese Delights from my colleague ML who is a certified foodie and a budding food blogger. It was during one of our work-related events in Robinsons Galleria when she pointed out this fast food-like restaurant with a bright pink signage to me. I made a mental note to check it out but since I rarely get to visit the mall, it took me more than a month before I finally had the chance to try Hainanese Delights for the first time. My first visit was ok, nothing amazing as I was only able to try one dish and a can of Coke. Nothing more. My second visit came shortly after when Hainanese Delights opened at Robinsons Pioneer , a mall that's just within walking distance from my office. ML and I were invited to a lunch meeting there and we were able to sample more dishes ...

Since last year, I have been hearing about Tao Yuan and it's famous Hainanese Chicken. Luckily, we got an invite from my cousin-in-law F to have dinner there tonight in celebration of her adorable little girl's first birthday. Together with my in-laws, we headed to Newport City (Resorts World) at exactly 7PM as requested by F. I can't believe that at this time, the restaurant was already full and there was already a line waiting outside. Amazing! Dinner began with Assorted Cold Cuts . This is probably one of my favorite meal in any lauriat as I love jelly fish, century egg and cold pig intestines. I'm glad that the serving was pretty generous enough for almost everyone to have a second round. We had something that resembles that of a Spinach with Scallops soup earlier tonight. Note that we got a lot of scallops per serving. The soup was very refreshing and I enjoyed the tender fresh scallops in every slurp. Then the star of the show arrived -- the Hainanes...

A food lover will always be a food lover. No matter where we go, Paul and I make it a point that we get to have a wonderful gastronomic adventure in our trips here and abroad. Luck must have been on our side as we just recently found out that the Singapore Food Festival will happen just around the same time that we're there. Of course, this was immediately included in our itinerary. It has been drizzling all day but it didn't stop us from taking the MRT all the way to Clarke Quay in order to check the festival out. From the station, it was a short walk crossing Swissotel Merchant Court and soon you'll see the Singapore River with lots of small stalls selling shirts and other retail items. The Clarke Quay Food Street was located along the Read Bridge. It wasn't difficult to locate this as all we had to do was to follow the steady stream of people going in one direction. After going around each and every stall, we decided to buy our very own Kopi Tiam card ...

While having lunch with our friend HK during our first day in Singapore , we asked him where's the best place to have Chicken Rice and he immediately answered " Wee Nam Kee" . Hainanese Chicken Rice is a staple and is probably one of those dishes that made Singapore very popular in the foodie world. Visit any hawker center can you'll definitely see a stall selling Hainanese Chicken Rice. My sister and I also grew up loving Hainanese Chicken Rice. I love the oily ginger sauce and my Chicken Rice will never be complete without it. My sister, on the other hand, adds a touch of chili sauce before enjoying her piece of chicken. We planned to meet up with our Singapore-based friends and I wanted to make sure that we'll be able to feast over good food as this will be our continuous wedding celebration with them. Following HK's recommendation, I left them all a message to meet up with us at Wee Nam Kee, boy was I excited! It was not difficult to locate Wee Na...

In less than 130 days, Paul and I will finally take that much-wanted and much-needed vacation that the both of us have been looking forward to since late last year. While planning for this trip, it was actually a choice between going up north and getting in touch with our roots or to go back to Singapore and to visit Malaysia for the first time. It seems like the 3 days that we spent in Singapore were not enough for the both of us that we decided to go back and to spend more days to explore the island and later on to hop over to Malaysia to continue our Southeast Asian adventure! Of course, no trip would be complete without enjoying the local cuisines and this is one thing that I am truly looking forward to. Chatting with fellow bloggers and food experts, majority assured me that I will surely enjoy Malaysian food as it is said to be even better than Singapore. Hearing this brought visions of Char Kuay Teow, Roti Canai with curry sauce, Chili or Creamy Crabs and a lot more! Since t...

It's no secret that Paul and I have truly fell in love with Singapore . The clean environment, honest system and good food... there is no doubt that a lot of people echos our sentiments as they frequently visit this beautiful country. While we just got back from a recent trip and we have to stay in town as we prepare for our BIG day this does not mean that we have to deprive ourselves from enjoying a plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice or a basket of freshly baked Roti Canai and wait for our next trip. One Saturday evening, we satisfied our craving at Banana Leaf Asian Cafe were we feasted not only on our Singaporean favorites but also on a couple of Malaysian must-tries that got us really excited for our upcoming trip to Kuala Lumpur next year. First off was Paul's favorite -- the Roti Canai with Curry Sauce (Php. 78 + Php. 30). One order comes with one big roti that is good for sharing. The best way to enjoy this is to tear the roti with your hands and dip it into the bowl o...

It has been a month since our visit to beautiful Singapore and I still have a lot of stories to tell! If you may have noticed in my earlier entries, I was only able to tell you about my lunch at IKEA and barely wrote anything more about the infamous Hainanese Chicken Rice , my Singapore discovery -- a $1 Ice Cream bar and more! Well, the wait is finally over and I assure you that this is truly Worth the Wait . Allow me to share with you my Singapore food story as published in Yummy.ph beginning today. Worth the Wait Enjoy reading! :)

It somehow felt nostalgic, the moment we stepped into the newest branch of Whistlestop along Jupiter street in Makati . Our last Whistlestop visit happened four years ago and this was when Paul and I met up with a couple of fellow online sellers for an afternoon of chit-chats and good food. After that, Whistlestop bid us goodbye as the original owners migrated to the US. For something this good, we were hoping and praying that Whistlestop will come back. Our prayers were answered because early this year, Whistlestop finally opened its doors again under the management of young entrepreneurs Lex Ledesma and Dennis Gan . Over lunch last Sunday, we were invited by the owners to sample some of their well-loved dishes. We entered the cozy looking restaurant located beside Starbucks Coffee Jupiter which was just a stone's throw away from my previous office. Oh how I wish Whistlestop was already there when I was still working in Makati. As we exchange stories with fellow bloggers and t...