Frannywanny

"We don't call them fries, it's chips! We call it chips!" "You don't boil sausages, you grill them! Who boils or steams sausages?" I'll never forget these comments given by my former boss during one of our office chats about food. Oh how I missed him and our old team! It began when we started talking about the famous British Fish and Chips and one of us asked him why don't they have it with rice, of course, for us Asians..#riceislife! He then explained that they have their deep-fried beer-battered fish with chips and mind you, they don't call it fries. Living in the Lion City, Paul and I had the privilege to know more about the English language such as saying holiday instead of vacation , lift instead of elevator and nappies and prams instead of diapers and strollers . I love listening to the English accent and how formal it sounds. When it comes to food, Singapore also has a strong British influence as the Philippines is to the A...

I can't believe I've never written about Market Cafe . Being a huge fan of what was then the Hyatt Hotel in Manila where Paul and I would frequent Lili and The Fireplace , I can't believe that I never got around to writing my experiences at their all-day buffet restaurant, Market Cafe . The hotel is now under a new management and is now known as AG New World Manila Bay Hotel . Despite the name change, the enticing and very welcoming look of Market Cafe stayed the same. One thing that I remember about dining here is that even their drinks are part of the buffet. This is just a minor add-on but it's really the little details that make the difference, right? The selection is not as wide as perhaps its hotel buffet counterparts but rest assured that it's well curated and the quality is top notch. Start your meal by visiting the Cheese and Cold Cuts station . I really like starting with small bite-sized portions of these appetizers every time I dine at a buffet. ...

When two of the country's well-respected chefs come together to serve you their best creations, then you know that this is one buffet that you can never pass up. Happening now up until Sunday, July 1, 2018, enjoy the best dishes made by Chefs Sau del Rosario and Miko Aspiras  at Diamond Hotel 's Corniche for both lunch and dinner. June, as we all know, is the month when we celebrate our Independence Day so it's just fitting to celebrate this with an impressive, mouth-watering spread of the best Filipino dishes in the country. You don't even have to take a plane to enjoy the freshest Oyster Ceviche from Aklan or Chef Sau's signature Crispy Pork Kare Kare Macadamia with Truffle Oil , Salted Eggyolk Prawn Rebosado  more so, the show-stopping Lechon Trio  with filling from Luzon (Buru), Visayas (Chili Mango) or Mindanao (Malagos Chevre and Cocoa). Paul and I were lucky to try this delicious spread last week, on the first day it opened to the public. I didn'...

Rise and Shine, Manila! Today will be extra bright and sunshine-y because...the weekend is finally here! This means more hours to do the things we love -- sleep, eat, hang out with friends, spend time with loved ones, catch a movie and more! I know waking up early doesn't really go very well with the ultimate weekend plan but what if it involves indulging in the yummiest, fluffiest pancakes and waffles plus some more delicious dishes? Sounds like a good plan? For those who have been following my blog for a long time, you'd know how much I love love love having brunches. There's really something extra special about this meal which doesn't exactly requires you to wake up at the crack of dawn nor wait till mid-day to eat. It's when you're nearing lunch and yet you can have your favorite breakfast meal without having to explain why you're having it so late. I've never been an early riser and I struggle even more now that sleep has not been part of my voc...

Rise and Shine, Manila!  Breakfast has always been my favorite meal especially when I'm on a vacation. Lately though, I would always find myself up and about at 6am with a growling tummy. I guess, I got two hungry babies calling my attention so early in the morning! Luckily though, Cucina starts their breakfast service really early too and so I joined a handful of hotel guests a little past 6am on a Sunday morning. I've always been a fan of Cucina 's as I love the well-curated dishes available in their buffet spread. Their breakfast offering didn't fail to impress as well. Let me take you on a quick tour around the breakfast buffet line: Start off with something healthy in the morning! They have a good variety of muesli, yogurt and oatmeal for you to choose from.

When it comes to hotel buffet restaurants, Marriott Cafe continues to stay at the top of our list ever since we first dined there back in 2010 . Since then, we've frequent Marriott Cafe to celebrate various milestones or whenever the craving for good buffet food hits. Even when we relocated to Singapore, I remembered dining at Marriott Cafe for our 5th Wedding Anniversary . I guess, one reason that makes us want to keep going back to Marriott Cafe is the good variety of dishes available all the time. Also, they always keep a conscious effort to keep on changing their menu making it so exciting to dine there every single time. Take this July for instance, it's all about greeting Annyeong-haseyo  as they're currently running a delicious Korean Food Festival  from the 11th of July up until the 31st.  Be ready to satisfy your oppa-tite (hehe sorry I can't help it!)  as they even flew in 4 Korean guests chefs so you can be assured that all the dishes offered...

The 4th of July marked the Independence Day of the United States of America and while they may be 8,222 miles away from the Philippines, I got to tell you that our American influence and heritage stays strong through all these years. For one thing, we have adapted the US English system, basketball is clearly our national sport and every Filipino just loves his or her burger, fries and hotdogs. So, it's no big surprise that we also do celebrate this fun occasion here in our island too. Personally, I love the 4th of July. This day just means allowing ourselves to enjoy all things American! I'll never forget the time when I was invited to visit the US Embassy here in Manila where we were treated to an amazing barbecue spread and we got to watch a beautiful fireworks display too. That was probably one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've had so far. Over at Flavors in Holiday Inn Makati , they are currently running a gastronomic all-American feast every weekend of ...

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan." (He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination) - Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Filipino National Hero Today is the birthday of our country's national hero and if I must say, one of my personal favorite heroes in history too. I still remember reading the entire book on his life when I was in university much too quickly that I finished the entire book even before the semester began. It was such a joy learning about Rizal's life and his works. His death was pretty dramatic too. He was shot by firing squad at Bagumbayan (now known as Rizal Park / Luneta) at the young age of 35. That's exactly how old I am this year and for him, he has traveled the world, wrote a lot of captivating novels (I love Noli Me Tangere) and has tried his best to fight the government for the freedom of the Filipinos. Not a lot of 35 year old individuals can say that they...

I'm aliveeeeeeeee!!! This is probably the fist time in 10 years that my blog has been this quiet but I got a couple of good excuses reasons why. First of all, Paul and I have been busy the past few months as we have decided to finally relocate back to Manila. Yes, you read that right. We're finally back home and we haven't been happier. Don't get me wrong, our life in Singapore was nothing but a dream come true but every good chapter should have an equally good ending and so we have decided to close that chapter just at the perfect time as we await to start a new one. Secondly, speaking of opening a new chapter. I'm so excited to share with you all that another dream of ours is about to unfold in the next few months, Paul and I will be welcoming our bundles of joy. That wasn't a grammatical error. We prayed so hard for almost a year and God answered our prayers by not only blessing us with one but with two beautiful babies whom we're both so excited to me...

It's no secret how much I love buffets! I guess every foodie does. It's the perfect way to dine with a big group of friends and everyone will somehow be able to find the dishes that they love. Also, it's the perfect opportunity to fill your tummy with the best and yummiest things in life. So, when Paul and I were invited to try J65 's themed buffet nights, I quickly gave a resounding YES! From now until the 25th of May 2017 , diners of J65 will be able to try a wide-variety of specialty dishes based on different themes assigned to a specific day: Sundays/Mondays: International Buffet Tuesdays: Colours of Asia (local specialties) Wednesdays: Lobster Rock n Roll Thursdays: Live Barbecue Fridays/Saturdays: Seafood Mania  We love seafood so we went on a Saturday to indulge. In true Hotel Jen 's fashion, one thing that I love about the buffet spread is how interactive most stations are. There are several local dishes where you can unleash your inner chef an...

January flew by so fast for me. With three quick trips to Manila, the entire month went by like a blur but it was a fun and eventful one, I must say. The last trip was my favorite though as I was able to spend every waking hour with family. After all, it was to celebrate Mommy's birthday and we made sure to shower her with all the love that she deserved for days. On her actual birthday, we took her to her favorite restaurant -- Tapenade at Discovery Primea . Mommy can be a very picky eater and for her to rave about a particular restaurant for months on end definitely means something. She first told me about Tapenade  last October but since we had a very hectic schedule then, we were not able to push through with our family dinner at Tapenade . Then, the December holiday came and went, again another failed attempt to visit Tapenade . So, on her birthday, Pan and I made sure that we push through with it and while we miss Paul and my brother in law E who were both busy at work, it...

Chef Lee Hoong Wan of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway did it again!  Remember that time when I got to taste his delicious Laksa Fried Rice  and promised to myself that I need to visit Hotel Jen Orchardgateway to have more? Well, I kept my promise and so, to celebrate our 13th year anniversary as a couple, Paul and I agreed to have our dinner date at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway's restaurant Makan@Jen . Call it perfect timing but the restaurant was holding a two month long Ultimate Prawn Party  and we couldn't be happier as we love seafood and crustaceans the most. Oh, I can feel my mouth water by just thinking about it. From the 3rd of October till the 1st of December , patrons of Makan@Jen can indulge in a wide array of prawn-filled dishes from the mouthwatering Salted Egg Prawns to the very comforting Prawn Noodle Soup and more. Mind you, I'm not talking about your average prawns that you get to see in the market everyday. These are specially imported prawns such as the T...

To borrow Andy William's famous line, "It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrr!" While he's definitely pertaining to Christmas which, which by the way, is 87 days away (yahooo!!) , I'm talking about The Great Meat Feast  at The Carvery  in Park Hotel Alexandra . I still remember when the hotel opened a little more than a year ago, I've been getting positive feedback and raves from fellow food bloggers about their amazing buffet line-up which is said to have one of the best steaks in town. That's really a bold statement given that there are a lot of steak restaurants here in Singapore and some are even owned by Celebrity Chefs and Michelin-star Chefs too. With testimonies like that, I was certain that The Carvery  was definitely worth checking out. So, when I got an invite to be part of an exclusive sneak peek session of The Great Meat Feast  at The Carvery , I made sure that I won't miss it no matter what! Our tasting took place more tha...

As we all know, Singapore is a very small country. With its land area spanning no more than 719km 2 and a population of about 5 million people, what not a lot of people know is that Asia's "Little Red Dot"  has a very rich cultural background which is brought about by the different races and nationalities that you can find here. Given that, expect to entice your taste buds to a myriad of flavors and cuisines available locally. Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel that one of the most underrated cuisines here in Singapore is the Peranakan , otherwise known as Nonya, cuisine. Take a quick look at the hawker centers and you'll see a mix of Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese, Indian, Malay, Western and even some Thai and Vietnamese dishes readily available. Save for stalls selling Laksa, rarely do we get to encounter any other stalls that specialize in purely Peranakan food. This is one thing that I wish more of the newer generation hawkers and restaurateurs would consider ...

One of my favorite time of the year is here and we only got 2 weeks to enjoy it! It's time for Melt Cafe 's annual Flavours of India  promotion and if there's any buffet theme that I love the most about Melt then this would probably be it. You see, Melt Cafe offers a wide range of dishes from a good selection of fresh seafood to an interesting line-up of salads, roasted meats, desserts, cheese, Western and Asian dishes but did you know that they also serve one of the yummiest Indian dishes in town? For instance, always make sure to try their freshly made prata (I love the garlic and cheese variants) as well as their curries and tandooris too. I was fortunate to try last year's Flavours of India  where we had an interesting wine pairing dinner which was actually my first time to have wine with Indian food. Normally, I'd go for some Mango Lassi to balance out the possible spiciness of some of the dishes. This time around, Chef Santosh Kumar outdid himself aga...

3 years. That's how long it took for me to finally find the one. That one and only Curry Fish Head that I can say I totally love! You see, aside from the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice and Chili Crab, one thing that everyone has to try when in Singapore is a huge claypot of Curry Fish Head . It's such a yummy dish to share with a big group where everyone gets to have a plate of rice and you should scoop up big amounts of curry sauce and that big slice of fish meat to enjoy. My first taste of Curry Fish Head was when I went out for lunch with my colleagues. We had a really spicy one and it didn't help that we were dining at an al fresco zi char place so I ended up burning my tongue and sweating like crazy all throughout the meal. It sure was a fiery experience and it took me while before I got the courage to try it again. More tries after that and I still couldn't get myself to enjoy more than one serving as it was just too spicy. A few weeks ago, I had lunch with ...

One of my favorite hotel buffet restaurants in Singapore has just gotten a makeover and we were all so excited about it! I love it so much that I think I've blogged about it multiple times before, yet I always look forward to any opportunity to go back and have a meal at  Melt Cafe in Mandarin Oriental Singapore. I can never have enough of its wide-variety of dishes and I feel that they have one of the best, top-quality Indian selections among most hotel buffets. So, when we found out that they did a bit of "re-formatting", I initially asked "Why?!" You see, I always believe in the saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"  and to me, there's definitely nothing "broke" about Melt Cafe . Then again, it's always good to do a bit of refreshing once in a while, right? So, a month ago, I visited the new Melt Cafe with fellow bloggers and we feasted on their newest menu line-up. Instead of writing lengthily about it, let me take...

Rise & Shine!  It's the start of a new week and while it may be hard to pull yourself up from bed today, I hope that these visions of delicious, mouthwatering food will be a good reason to greet this day with a big smile. One of the highlights of our last two visits to Manila were spent really early as we drove all the way to Roxas Boulevard to meet up with our fellow foodies for breakfast at Nobu Restaurant Manila . Since we were all so excited for this much-awaited breakfast meet-up. Of course, we didn't waste any time and decided to order practically everything on the menu. Let me share with you some of my top picks: Black Cod Tinapa Melt-in-your-mouth smoked black cod served on top of a bed of fluffy and fragrant garlic rice and a serving of runny scrambled egg. I'm glad though that Nobu's serving was just right for one to enjoy yet it's not too much allowing you to still have room to order more!

"HOP"-PY EASTER SUNDAY!  This is the most awaited season in Lent as it marks the end of our 40-day long sacrifice whatever that may be. For me, it's the end of all my meatless Fridays ! Woohoo! A few weeks ago, Paul and I got a preview to the special Easter spread that Street 50 will be serving today. As you all know, Easter Sunday also means bunnies and easter egg hunting so they came up with several egg-themed dishes to match the festivities. Which one is the pasteurized egg? Partnering with N&N Farm , we learned all about pasteurized eggs and the benefit that it brings. Did you know that it actually has a longer shelf life and it gives you the peace of mind as it's free from Salmonella which is the #1 disease coming from eggs? They also teamed up with Uncle William's quail farm wherein we got to meet Uncle William himself! I'll share more details about these two brands in my succeeding posts. Here are some of the highlights which you should...

Two years ago, Penang was declared by Lonely Planet as the Top Foodie Destination in 2014 . I personally haven't been to this part of Malaysia but after being convinced by my good friend K to go and visit for a nice weekend food trip, I know that I got to make it happen soon. Call it perfect timing. I was recently invited by York Hotel  to check out their latest buffet promotion featuring the top hawkers of Penang . Apparently, this has been running for 30 years already! Can you imagine? That was back in 1986 when Singapore was surely not the modern cosmopolitan, clean and green city that it is today. This was created during the time when travelling to Penang wasn't that easy yet and so the hotel decided to treat its patrons with the best of what Penang has to offer by running this buffet promotion three times a year. Today, flying to Penang will only take you an hour or so but for those who can't really take a leave from work or would rather stay in Singapore for...