Frannywanny

Happy birthday to me!  On the 1st day of June, I will be turning a year older and hopefully, a little bit more wiser. This year's birthday will be a bit different for what I've been having in the past. For one thing, it will be simpler and more intimate too. It will be my first birthday away from home...away from everyone close to my heart. I don't think I'll still do my annual week-long birthday celebration. Though, I'm still eyeing to do a fun bbq pool party with friends here. :) Let's see how everything pans out. Just as I'm doing things differently this year, I also thought of treating two lucky readers to a delicious ramen dinner at Mistuyado Sei-Men . Consider it my birthday treat special thanks to the cool folks of Mitsuyado! :) Please do order my favourite dishes and if you can, have a piece of cake on my behalf! Deal? I've blogged about Mitsuyado Sei-Men a couple of months ago. As a marketing practicioner, I always believe that being the ...

In the past months that I'm away from home, I had this big realization . While everyone thinks that Long Distance Relationship is hard... Long Distance Friendship is just as challenging and truly a test to see who are the friends you seriously have to keep in your life. Not wanting to sound melodramatic but yes, we do know that we all have our own lives but real friends are there regardless of time, distance or whatever conditions are there. After all, that's what social media is for. It connects people . This is a sad reality that I'm coming to terms with but hey, that's life. Anyway, the reason why I brought this up is because everyday, I wake up thankful for the friends who would continue to keep in touch. Their presence makes us feel like we're not miles and miles away. During one occasion, I was even able to witness a special moment in the life of my friend B who tied the knot with her prince charming P. I saw them exchange their vows and had their first kiss...

It's 2013 and I'm going to make a very bold food forecast. For the past years, we've seen a number of food items that have taken Manila by storm. It have made people crave about it, line up for hours for it and sales of these items zoomed up to the high heavens. Such food trends include the year when practically everyone in town were suddenly so in love with milk teas , this was actually such a hit that a number of coffee shops even tried to create their own versions too. Then there was a time that there was a surge of Mexican food stops opening here and there. Even J.Co donuts on its own got everyone craving for donuts once again. Visit one of their branches and you'll surely understand I'm talking about. Since the 2nd half of 2012, I had a feeling that a new food craze is coming to Manila and for this one, I sure hope and pray it stays for a longer time. Enter the Year of the Ramen . Filipinos are not strangers to Japanese food. Next to Chinese and Fi...

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...

Once in a while, I find it truly relaxing to unwind and to just enjoy simple dishes that is truly comforting. Such is the case when enjoying a plate of local grilled dishes such as Chicken Inasal , liempo (pork belly), sisig (sizzling minced pig ears) and a lot more. So what happens when you put together a wide array of delicious grilled meats while highlighting Chicken and Pork ( Baboy )? You then get Chic-Boy ! As a sidenote, Chickboy , in the Filipino language is used to connote a lady's man. A guy who knows his way with the girls. This restaurant cleverly created their name that sounds similar to this local term. However, Chic-boy is not only for the lady's man but is actually open for everyone who wants to enjoy good Chicken Inasal, Liempo, Lechon Sisig, Lechon Manok and a lot more! We were so lucky to be invited by fellow blogger Spanky to taste a number of their specialty dishes one evening and allow me to share my dining experience with all of you. Unlike...

Indian cuisine always has this distinct taste and flavor that never fails to perk up our taste buds. It was a busy Tuesday night when I scheduled to have dinner at Legend of India , the newest Indian restaurant along Jupiter street in Makati, with a couple of friends. On our way there, I was already psyching myself up for some delicious, flavorful Indian dishes that I'm sure will be served to us that evening. We were one of the last who arrived and the group was already busy munching on something that looks very much like trail mix. It's called Mixed Chevro , I was told, it has a mix of different Indian crackers, nuts and dried fruits. I took a small scoop and poured everything into my mouth, oh I love how the flavor suddenly burst into my mouth. It was delightful! I can taste a little bit of anise seeds, the salty nuts, the mildly spiced crackers and the sweet raisins. Yum! I lately found out that they're selling bigger packs of these Indian snacks and I made a mental ...

To be honest, I don't think I have ever tasted Portuguese food , except for those yummy Egg Tarts in Hong Kong that I just had to get before flying back to Manla .Thus, an invitation to try O'Sonho 's newest branch in Eastwood was definitely something I was looking forward to. O'sonho , which actually means The Dream in Portuguese, has a very beautiful story behind it. Owned by sweet couple Cris and Nik Barancik, we were told that it has been their long time dream to open a restaurant. Thus, after coming home from their honeymoon and searching for a Portuguese restaurant here in Manila and realizing that there was none, this couple decided to open one themselves and the rest was history. We were treated to an array of O'sonho's best-seller. Starting off with a soup called Caldo Verde I enjoyed the thick and creamy vegetable soup that tastes very much like spinach but as Cris explained, it's actually made of kale leaves which can only be sourced abro...

Twas the night after Christmas and despite our hectic schedules, my friends and I all agreed to meet up to have a better-late-than-never dinner to celebrate the holidays. I guess this is what makes real friendship works, nothing will stop us from seeing each other no matter how far, how late or how short the meet-up would be. Following last year's fun and successful Christmas dinner, we agreed to have it at Tong Yang but this time in their Jupiter branch. We were all so excited to spend an evening cooking, eating, talking, laughing and just having a great time. Since we were a big group, we were given a private room. Their servers were very attentive that it wasn't difficult at all to ask for assistance. With our stomachs growling loudly, everyone headed to the buffet table the moment we arrived. Paul and I began with the appetizer section where we filled our plates with yummy sushi, siomai and kimchi! It was truly a mix of all things we like! Korean, Chinese and Japanese! I e...

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...