Frannywanny

My Mom frequents the South quite often. Aside from having to attend to the demands of her career, she loves hanging out with Auntie S whom she considers to be one of her dearest friends. A few years back, she came home to tell us about this really good Chinese restaurant that Auntie S has been telling her about. I guess it was really good that Auntie S proudly declared that it was the best in her side of town. The name is Phoenix Court . Quite posh sounding, don't you think? We rarely get to venture to Alabang as whenever we do get to go to the South, we just would head straight to Tagaytay. Thus, I was so excited upon receiving a dinner invite from my dear friend Jane during our overnight stay at The Bellevue Hotel last month. What a star-studded dinner it was as Paul and I were surrounded by our favorite fellow food bloggers! There's Anton and Rach , Richie and Rina , Ro and Peter , Sumi and Jerwin , Didi , new found friends Joy and Edric  and of course, our gracious hos...

Just a few days ago, I got into a conversation with a colleague. She asked me how many siblings I have and when I told her I just have Pan, my younger sister; she suddenly goes.. "ohhh no wonder! you're the eldest." There have been studies actually that people share similar personalities and behavior with someone of the same birth order. I actually do believe in this. For instance, most of my friends and relatives who are the eldest in the family tend to be natural decision-makers. We think and decide fast, this probably comes with the many years of leading the brood (well I just have one tagging along me all the time heehee) that we are used to being the leader. Most of the youngest in the family, on the other hand, are more carefree and fun-loving. This is not saying that we first borns are boring but it's just that by the time they're growing up, most parents are more lenient and would just let them do their thing. I may be wrong but that's all based on...

Growing up, I remember Papa telling me that what makes the Chinese cuisine different and special is its endless variety of dishes. He told me about this age-old practice that for one to be considered a good Chinese chef, he/she should be able to find 100 ways to cook an egg . This may or may not be true but what it really means is that the Chinese cuisine continues to evolve and innovate itself thus making it a popular cuisine all over the world. I just had such an unforgettable dinner last Monday at Hai Kang Seafood Restaurant along Wilson street . This has been around for 12 years already and I've had fond memories of spending almost everyone's birthdays and a number of Chinese New Years with my family here. Aside from it being really close to our home, we have grown fond and addicted to a number of Hai Kang's specialties too. However, we have been around town trying a number of new restaurants thus it has been a while since we've dined at Hai Kang . This is t...

Tonight, we bid the hopping Rabbit good bye and welcome the fiery Water Dragon at the struck of twelve midnight. While last year was a pretty happy and prosperous one for us, we are filled with more optimism and good wishes for the coming New Year!! :) For our family, we have scheduled our annual Chinese New Year celebration tomorrow as it is also my dear Mommy's birthday! My sister, Paul and I have been busy completing our lunch menu and we are just soooo excited for it! Truly a double lucky day for my Mom, don't you think? To make it extra lucky, our menu has 8 different variants : Cha Misua, Crunchy Calamares, Stuffed Chicken (Pat Po Kwe), Sauteed Prawns, Lengua with Mushroom, Spicy Eggplant Hot Pot, Dumplings (Jiao Zi) and my Kongkong's signature Pata Tim ! My mouth waters just at the thought of our lunch menu! It will be a mix of dishes prepared here at home, some to be prepared by Paul's talented Manang and others store-bought. :) It will be truly a busy m...

Last week, Paul and I were privileged to be invited to an intimate dinner to sample a number of signature dishes which will only be available for a very limited time at the Jasmine Restaurant of the New World Hotel in Makati . From September 19 to October 1 , that's a total of 13 days only, Chef Wong Kam Chung from Shanghai will serve his specialties to the patrons of the restaurant. Being the executive chef of the famous YUE 1525 in New World Hotel in Shanghai, Chef Wong is a veteran in preparing a number of Cantonese dishes including his special Double Boiled Whelk Soup with Chinese Herbs and a lot more. Since the drive from my office to Makati took a while, we arrived quite hungry and ready for our lauriat dinner. We began with two appetizers which were totally different from the usual cold cuts platter that we're all used to. We had Lotus roots stuffed with Glutinous Rice (Php. 480). A long platter where you get eight bite-sized pieces. It has a very sweet taste...

OH, the things I do as a blogger ... ... underwent a rigorous, muscle-aching workout but a totally good one for the mind and body ... conquered my fear and ran like I've never ran before inside the country's biggest theme park and just recently, ... did the chicken dance with Jericho Rosales . I just can't help it! There was just too much energy and fun going around last night during the 25th anniversary party of Chowking where they also launch their newest dish -- the Orange Chicken ! A month ago, my friend Kat who works for Chowking was telling us about this exciting new offering. She told us how yummy it was and while I was trying my best to visualize how it would taste, I realized that all I have to do is to visit the nearest Chowking branch to taste it myself. It will, after all, be my first time to try Orange Chicken! I love the mix of citrus-y flavors with meat, I couldn't stop myself from ordering the crispy lemon chicken and the sweet and sour pork to name a ...