Frannywanny

Being Filipinos, our local dishes are highly influenced by a number of other cuisines. We have strong Chinese influence as seen in our Humba (stewed pork), Pancit (noodles) and Chopsuey (mixed stir-fried vegetables) to name a few. Americans have influenced us with our love for steak, ribs and burger. However, I think the most prominent and strongest influence came during the Spanish era. A number of well-loved restaurants that has been around for decades showcase a mix of Filipino-Spanish dishes. Even my family who would feast on a 12-course Chinese lauriat dinner during birthdays and weddings would celebrate with paella, cochinillo and gambas on super special occasions. I remember my last weekend as single girl before I tied the knot with Paul, my mom hosted dinner for our immediate family at Casa Armas in Podium. Both mommy and my Kongkong loves paella and for them, the best one left is Casa Armas as most of the restaurants that they used to frequent have closed shop years ago. ...

As Paul and I followed the week-long news coverage on the wake and funeral ceremony of the late King of Comedy, Dolphy , it has been mentioned a number of times by friends and loved ones that Dolphy loves going to Hizon’s or he would gift someone with a box of Hizon’s ensaymada. At some point, this led to Paul telling me that he has never dined at Hizon’s or more specifically at the coffee shop adjacent to it called Za’s Cafe . I was shocked! Between the two of us, he grew up in Manila and I just can’t believe he has never been there. Whereas for yours truly who was born and raised in Quezon City , I has been frequenting this classic restaurant since I was a toddler. I guess that just goes to show that I would really go the distance for good food. Anyway, I really love sharing a piece of my childhood with my husband. Be it trying a glass of halo-halo that I grew up enjoying or something like this – taking him to Za’s Cafe one rainy Sunday afternoon. I am pretty proud of mysel...

Lately, everyone has been crazy about Groupons which is actually a new term for group buying coupons. More and more groupon sites have been sprouting here and there offering various price-off packages for food, travel, beauty and more. Of course, being the food lovers that we are, Richard and I are always on the look out for food groupons. One latest deal that we availed of was the Timeless 4-Course Dinner for 2 at Ilustrado Restaurant from Deal Grocer . The package is said to be worth P2,500 but we only got it for Php. 1,250 or exactly 50% less than the normal rate. We arrived at Ilustrado Restaurant in Intramuros a little past 7 last Saturday. The place was packed as there was a wedding reception being held there that evening but it was a good thing we've made reservations thus we have a table waiting for us the moment we arrived. I love the olden Filipino feel of the restaurant with wooden capiz windows and vintage trinkets adorning the ceiling and surroundings of the r...

Chef Robert is a cozy neighborhood restaurant located along the busy street of Banawe. Despite the noise and action that you get outside, you’d find peace and quiet the moment you step into his restaurant. I love the simple interiors as sturdy wooden tables are lined up with a long couch lining one side of the restaurant. More often than not, you’d have Chef Robert Tan himself greet you as he personally mans his own restaurant. A short chat with him told us that his restaurant has been around for more than a year already. Surveying the crowd, it seems like has a steady stream of loyal customers mostly those living within the area. That evening, Chef Robert created a delicious dinner for us. The serving is quite big that it’s good for two. We began with his Ceasar Salad that makes use of Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise. Paul enjoyed this salad very much as it even has thin slices of boiled egg. The mayonnaise perhaps has made this salad extra creamy and at the same time giving it...

Age-old saying would say that "Three's a Crowd." However, I would like to disagree as I am actually a part of not only one but a number of trios. Take for example, my favorite work colleagues K and B who, due to our common love for trying out new food spots , became two of my closest friends through time. Then, of course, there's S and D . Despite graduating from the same high school, our friendship began through blogging and continues to grow as we occasionally meet up to catch up on each other's lives. Lastly, my trio with C and E. Though we rarely get to see each other as often as we're all hoping we could (this actually is becoming a joke that we get to meet up only once a quarter) , every single dinner spent with them is still the same. Full of stories, laughter and genuine friendship. Last night, our dinner was set for us to try out Romulo's Cafe in Quezon City. Usually, it is just the three of us meeting up for dinner but this time, we ag...

After spending the entire evening bonding with Paul's high school friends, we dropped by Ristras for some late night snacks! We decided to share a Burrito (Php. 340) with our own customized fillings! Paul's side has chorizo red rice with refried beans, pork carnitas, and lots of veggies! My side, on the other hand, has cilantro rice, black beans with lengua and lots of veggies too! Ristras' burrito is HUGE! Thus sharing makes each serving just right. We love our burritos with lots of salsa and garlic cream sauce! Yum! Calling all burrito fans, why not take the challenge as Ristras has an ongoing Man vs. Burrito Challenge . The mechanics is simple, order a Godzilla Burrito (which is 2.5 kg heavy or equivalent to 3 regular-sized burritos) and try to finish it in less than an hour and a half (90 minutes). Successful challengers will get a cool T-shirt, lots of bragging rights and their name on the board! Plus, they do not have to pay for their Godzilla Burrito t...

What's your gimik style? I must admit mine normally consists of an intimate and delicious dinner followed by a long night cap over coffee. When given more time, I would probably choose to watch a movie or to sing the night away at the KTV. I was never good at bar-hopping and perhaps the only reason why I would visit a bar is when they do also serve good food . Such is the case when I received an invite from fellow blogger Hannah to attend the Grand Opening of Luna Resto Bar along Wilson street in Greenhills. Aside from the fact that it's perfectly located within my neighborhood, I believe that Paul and I deserve a break from our usual routine and it's time to do something exciting such as spending the night with friends while enjoying Luna's good food and drinks. To get the party started, we were served with the Luna Nachos (Php. 220). Said to be the Best Nachos in Town , true enough, I love Nachos and this version earned at least 10 thumbs up signs from our table. ...