Frannywanny

I'm back! It's been a really busy month and yet every time I remind myself about our upcoming trip to the Lion City, I get this sudden surge of adrenaline rush and excitement. Finally, after two long years, Paul and I went back to our second home and what made this trip extra special was having our twins with us too. I knew that we will be back (for a visit at least) and I was really determined to take my twins with me in order for them to meet their aunties, uncles and playmates who were like family to us when we were still based there. No yayas with us so it was just me, Paul and our twins. I knew also that it will be extra tiring and physically draining but I was up for that challenge. This is probably one of the rare times in their young lives that J & L got our undivided attention for one full week. In fact, a week is indeed to short to meet up with everyone and to go to all the places on my list. Also, I realized that it's the first time that I'm visiting Si...

It's been a while since my last trip to Hong Kong and even that was the quickest visit that I've ever had. I can't remember much about that trip as we basically were there for a client meeting so it was a blurry shuttle from the airport to our hotel to the client's office and a mad dash back to the hotel to catch out flight to Singapore. Prior to that, my last leisure trip to Hong Kong was back in 2011 if I'm not mistaken. I think it's time for a return soon. Read: At a Glance : Hong Kong   and Hong Kong Itinerary Must Haves When you say Hong Kong , images of delicious Cantonese food quickly comes to mind. The best dim sum creations and the most succulent and savory roast meats too. You can literally eat your way around Hong Kong and would still continue to want more. One thing that you shouldn't miss is Hong Kong's roast goose or duck. A very simple dish paired with a bowl of warm white rice. The best ones can actually be found on random alleys an...

Question: Where you can find the best restaurants / hawker stall / food kiosks here in Singapore? The answer? Just follow the queue! I heard this tip a long time ago and thought that friends and colleagues were probably joking. Let me tell you that this is one thing you have to believe and take seriously as we speak the truth. The simplest way to know where to eat is to go for the stall with the longest queue. I got to admit though that the Pinoy in me hates queuing up and while I will never jump or cut queues, I have the tendency to go for the ones with the shorter line or even those with none at all. We gotta support them too, right? I'd like to think that there can never be a bad meal here in Singapore. With hawker stalls lasting for decades and restaurants opening one after the other, the food industry here is definitely alive and kicking.  So, on those rare occassions that I found myself with a couple of hours to spare, I found Tai Cheong Bakery  at the bas...

"Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things." - Walt Disney Lately, my positive and generally happy disposition are being put to the test by various stress factors around me and I have to admit that there are just days when I feel like I'm going to crack and allow myself to suck in the negativity. Thankfully though, I got friends and family around to remind me to keep on floating and to just let things be. It's not easy, I tell you. This week has really been a challenging one but you know what?! I am very optimistic that the weekend will bring a better vibe and the coming week will be a good one. So on the way home today, I started thinking about happiness . It's then that I was reminded of this quote above which came from the man who has brought so much happiness to millions billions of people in this world.... me included. Happiness is indeed a state of mind . It's really up to you whether or not you want to be...

"France, the lady owner of Monterey told me that Tuan Tuan is really good. Let's go eat there tomorrow night!" That's what Mommy told me when she called me one evening last week when Paul and I were still in Manila. That my food loving Mommy for you! So there we were at 6PM on our last night in Manila in our effort to get to the restaurant early to avoid the long queue. We were able to get a table right away which made it all easy breezy.  The menu was quite simple, it specializes in noodle soup in Halibut stock and a few more Chinese side dishes too. That and some baked rice that I've been wanting to try since friends started posting photos of these on Instagram. The ambiance reminds me of a traditional but extra classy  cha chaan teng in Hong Kong with white tiled walls, a semi open kitchen and restaurant diners talking all at the same time. They even have the famous Black & White Evaporated Milk commonly used in Hong Kong for their nai cha (...

I always believe that no meal is complete without having dessert! Be it a slice of cake, a scoop of ice cream or a plate of fresh fruits. Dessert cleans your palate and leaves a sweet, delicious after taste. Somehow, it is just the best way to cap of a good meal as ending it with steak or fish makes it feel too abrupt. All over the world, different cuisines have different desserts. Filipinos would have our famous halo-halo or the mouthwatering Leche Flan among others, here in Singapore, we have bowls of Chendol, Bu bu cha cha or some deep-fried Banana Fritters. For the Turkish, they have the deliciously sweet Baklava while the French would have their pretty cakes, patries and macarons. See how important having dessert is? So, after one delicious meal with Paul and his cousin J, we headed over to Honeymoon Dessert for our favorite Hong Kong-style desserts. This originated in Hong Kong and we're so lucky to have this here in the Lion City. J ordered his ultimate favorite -...

Knowing that I only have 24 hours to spend in Hong Kong, I quickly made a list of the things that I HAVE to eat and do. Actually I only had 3 things on my list: - eat dimsum! - Eat Dimsum!! - EAT DIMSUM!!! Kidding aside, I actually have added in buying hoarding my favorite candy and to check out the Hong Kong Kiehl's shop too. I've successfully done all three and with that I'm giving myself a pat on the back. When you're in Hong Kong, there are just some things that you can't miss out on. One of those is to have dimsum . No matter where you have it, be it at a swanky fine dining restaurant or at some hole in the wall, chinese-speaking-only dimsum shop, you'll definitely enjoy these hand-created masterpieces which have been perfected through time. As soon as we landed in Hong Kong, S and I quickly headed to Tim Ho Wan which is located right at the Airport Express station. Sadly we got there a minute too late as they close at 8:30PM and we were there at 8:31...

Business trips can be tiring as I'm obviously there for work and not much for play. Still, the positive side of me always finds a reason to be excited for a business trip be it the fact that I'll be visiting a new place or I'll be able to try the local food or I get to check out a hotel. I'm lucky that in most of my business trips abroad, I get to stay in really nice hotels. Remember the one where I stayed at in Beijing, China ? During my recent 24hour visit to Hong Kong , my colleague S and I stayed at the Harbour Grand Hong Kong Hotel in Fortress Hill. S has stayed at this hotel twice already so I just let her be our navigator in searching for the nearest convenience store, Starbucks Coffee outlet and even a Sasa beauty shop. The neighborhood was relatively quiet as automotive and hardware shops surround the hotel so you can take a peaceful walk at night without much noise around. I tell you, it was love at first sight from the moment I stepped into the lobby. T...

As the saying goes: "When it rains, it pours!" The week that went by was quite hectic but it is truly one that I'll never forget. After all, how often will I ever have the opportunity to travel to 2 different countries in the span of a week? That's right! Right before I flew off to Cambodia for that much-awaited trip with the Normanton Kids (NKids), I suddenly had to fly to Hong Kong for an important business meeting and since it was a last minute thing, I only had 24 hours to spend in one of my favorite cities in the world. *sigh* Well, 24 hours is better than nothing, right? I have to admit though that despite having to go to Hong Kong for work, I was really excited about this impromptu trip. For one thing, I flew via Singapore Airlines which means 4 hours of non-stop in-flight entertainment and a yummy meal! 1st Leg: Singapore to Hong Kong From the moment I got to my seat which was at the 2nd row of the Economy Class section, I was greeted with my favor...

"I'm craving for bola-bola siopao with no salted egg." This was what I suddenly told my friend I in the middle of our Facebook chat. Of course, I's natural reaction was "huh?"  While Singapore has a very strong Chinese influence, sadly dimsum is quite hard to find still in this part of the world. Thus, whenever the craving for a delicious bowl of congee or some steamed dimsums comes about, it normally would take me days before I can finally find a place that will answer to these cravings. Where oh where are all the delicious dimsums in town? This is also the reason why I was literally jumping with joy when I found out that Hong Kong's famous Tim Ho Wan finally opened in Singapore . Now, we finally have real good Hong Kong-style dimsum and it's just a few minutes away from my office! Well, that is if I have the patience to line up and wait everytime. Tim Ho Wan opened it's first branch in Plaza Singapura early this year and yet everyday...

Remember I mentioned that Paul and I coincidentally share a lot of similar Hong Kong memories . One of the most remarkable one was our fondness for this particular Unagi Don at the basement of Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay. It's so funny how we found out about this shared love for this Japanese eel rice dish. As we were walking around Causeway Bay, Paul suddenly brought up how he would excuse himself from his family shopping routine to be able to head straight to Sogo Department Store to have his Unagi Don box. While my Papa wasn't that lax to allow me to roam free on my own, I told him that we would also go to Sogo to have the same Unagi Don and I can also remember how good it was. A trip was definitely not complete without it. That said, we made sure to include the search for that particular Unagi Don during this trip. A lot of things have changed and to be honest, we had a hard time trying to recall where exactly that Unagi Don was as even the supermarket has a new...

Bonjour! If there's any language in the world that I would like to learn next to mastering my Mandarin, it would be French. Oh how I dream of having the French accent similar to that of Celine in the movie "trilogy" Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight . She speaks in such poetic tone that is just so nice to listen to. The same is true for my colleague G who's fluent in French. From him, we learn the proper pronunciation of certain words and while I still struggle to say the word "escargot" properly, I really do enjoy learning a new word each day. Speaking of French, one of the highlights of our trip to Hong Kong last year was when we had the chance to have a very French Afternoon Tea at Joel Robuchon's restaurant. Believe me, I was so giddy while lining up that I couldn't keep still. Joel Robuchon has 3 types of restaurants located all at The Landmark -- Le Jardin ( contemporary fine dining at the roof top garden ), L'Atelier ( the most popul...

Looking at this year's calendar, I suddenly realized that Paul and I haven't had a single trip. Sure we have been flying back and forth Singapore and Manila but to really go somewhere far away from our two homes and to call it a vacation, this has not been done so far. The year isn't over so I'm still feeling a teeny bit optimistic. Oh, how I miss those times wherein we would have a trip abroad or out of town almost once a month. Traveling keeps me sane and it's pretty good that I haven't gone nuts for not going on a vacation this year. Guess I'm still happy exploring this beautiful city to mind. That said, let me open this overly delayed Hong Kong travel series that I've been meaning to blog about for more than a year already. I'm so sorry as my bloglag is terrible! Prior to our overnight stay in Macau , Paul and I had a 4 day break in Hong Kong . We both grew up frequenting this lovely cosmopolitan that's just an hour and 45 minutes flight...

When I first saw Saint's Alp Teahouse along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, my initial impression was that it was a local milk tea store concept. It was only when The Food Club decided to check it out for our after-dinner snacks and drinks that I realized that it was, in fact, a foreign franchise from Hong Kong with branches also in New York . That evening, I was nursing a nasty sore throat so I had to skip the milk tea and settle for just the snacks available. As they were having their dry run, not all menu items were available then. Paul and I decided that we'll just go back some other time to try it once again. Fast forward a couple of months after, Paul and I joined our favorite dinner buddies Richard, Irene and Lauren at Saint's Alp' s newest branch at the Bonifacio Global City . Richard and I were each given a Php. 1,000 credit which we decided to use that evening. We began choosing from the Rice Entrees and it was a toss between the Honey-Glazed Coffee...

Hong Kong remains to be one of my favorite destinations in Asia. Aside from the fact that it's just an hour and 50 minutes away from Manila, entering Hong Kong does not require a visa and while I've been there so many times since I was 7 that I know the country by heart, each visit still surprises me with new discoveries and finds that I get to take home and remember forever. For those who are planning a trip to Hong Kong , here's my easy travel guide to help you make the most of your stay in this amazing Asian food and shopping destination: First and foremost, a little 101 on Hong Kong -- how to get there and how to navigate your way around. When looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend Cosmo Kowloon Hotel for its reasonable rates and strategic location. I also love Butterfly on Prat which is located right at the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon as well. However, if you're traveling with kids, why not spend the night at the enchanting Hong Kong Disn...

If Jollibee is to Manila and In-n-Out is to California, all around Hong Kong you'll see Cafe de Coral or what the locals refer to as CDC . Cafe de Coral is our go to place when we want to enjoy affordable rice toppings. We love it that they change their menu from month to month adding new dishes while retaining the best-selling ones. After killing our legs from all the walking that we did that day and nursing our tired back with the heavy shopping bags that we were lugging around, we decided to have our dinner at Cafe de Coral . This is one of Hong Kong 's popular fast food where you have to choose your order from the menu board, head over to the cashier to order and pay, look for a table and wait for your food to be served at the counter where you have to carry the tray back to the table yourself. Despite being a self-service restaurant, I'm amazed at how organized the process was and people still manage to keep the tables clean and the utensils dispenser sti...

When they say that Hong Kong is the mecca for food lovers in Asia, they surely were not kidding as every corner and alley is filled with eateries and restaurants serving their respective delicious specialties. After having a hearty congee breakfast at Da Shi Fu near our hotel, Paul and I headed to my favorite place in Hong Kong -- Tsim Sha Tsui . This is where I enjoy scouring the streets for more delicious finds and at the same time the place where we would always shop at our favorite outlet stores along Granville and more retail stores at Harbor City (hello Uniqlo!) . I also enjoy staring at the beautiful Superstar cruise ship that docks at the Ocean Terminal and it's also here at TST where we would go to the Avenue of Stars at night to watch the display of lights and to visit the Jackie Chan souvenir store nearby. Since our schedule was quite packed that day, we only felt hungry a little past 2PM and thus decided to look for a place to have lunch. I flew to Hong Kong ...

A trip to Hong Kong is not complete without having congee for breakfast. Just to show you how good congee in Hong Kong is, it is powerful enough to pull my husband out of bed and to have breakfast with me as Paul is the type of guy who would choose to sleep and stay in bed more than to have breakfast any day. Of course, given that we normally just have three to four days to spend in Hong Kong , we make it a point to dedicate at least one morning for congee. We also do not frequent just one congee house, instead, we take on the challenge to search for more hidden gems especially those located along residential alleys. We feel, the less commercialized the congee place is, the better congee they make. During our recent visit to Hong Kong we chanced upon Da Shi Fu which located along Ivy Street, a restaurant-filled area across our hotel . Outside the store is a dispenser machine for Soy Milk, Paul's favorite drink and aluminum racks with Chinese crullers otherwise known as...

It’s so cute, and you can eat it! This was what’s on my mind the entire time Paul and I were enjoying our late lunch at Crystal Lotus . Located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel , we were treated to a special six-course lunch set by our wonderful hosts. Scanning the menu, the items sounded pretty normal but what we didn’t know was that this meal was not only a treat for our taste buds but truly a feast for our eyes too. It all began with the Roasted Suckling Pig with Cucumber and Sweetened Paste in Steamed Piggy Mask Buns . We were each given a rectangular white plate with a mini steam basket and two slices of suckling pig. I clapped in glee as I saw the two adorable looking piggy buns. How can I eat something as cute as this? Yet, the mouthwatering suckling pig skin was just too delicious to ignore and so with one eye open, I place the suckling pig skin and meat into one piggy bun and popped the entire thing into my mouth. I love how crunchy the skin was and the meat was trul...

Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!!! (angpao tue lai!) :) As we celebrate the Chinese New Year, let me continue my wonderful food adventures in cosmopolitan Hong Kong. Let me start with these two food outlets that you should not miss when visiting Hong Kong Disneyland . After all the fun that you’ll surely experience inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort , it’s time to focus on the different dining options that you can avail of in and around the Park. Just like any theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has a lot of food kiosks in almost every corner. Here you can enjoy Mickey Mouse waffles, sausages and huge turkey legs. Since we were pressed for time, we made sure that dinner was memorable and so we headed to Plaza Inn an hour before the fireworks was scheduled to start to avail of our dinner that was prepared for us by our gracious hosts. This will give us ample time to enjoy our dinner and later on, head out to Cinderella’s castle to enjoy the evening display of fireworks. The organi...