Frannywanny

"Hun, someday I want to be one of those ladies who lunch ."  This was one of the things that I randomly told Paul one evening as we were getting ready for bed. Of course, I wasn't ready for this response:  "Why wait when you can be one starting tomorrow? You can also that lady who eats breakfast, lunch, dinner and merienda pa!" Haynako....   *sigh* Anyway, he's partially true. Why wait till the future when I can indulge and go have occasional lunch dates with my girl friends right? That's exactly what I did a week before flying back for the Christmas break when I met up with my long time friend A whom I haven't seen for more than a decade. This meet-up was intended to happen almost a year ago and I'm glad that it finally pushed through. We agreed to have lunch at May May  which right in between our offices. I've been reading about May May and have heard a lot of raves about their famous Liu Sha (Salted Egg) Custard Donuts. It was o...

One reason why I just love working in the Central Business District (CBD) is that the choices for places to have lunch is ENDLESS. Seriously, on my first week with the company a little more than a year ago, it would take me half an hour to choose where to get lunch as I would walk around the block and still end up undecided where to either dine in or to tabao (take away) my food. From Japanese to Mediterranean , not to mention we got the Amoy Food Centre just a few steps away, our office area is every working foodie's dream come true! I love going out for lunch with my colleagues at least once a week as it gives me a good breather even just for an hour. Lunch meetings are fun too as you get to do something productive while enjoying a good meal. That's what I'd call hitting two birds with one stone . So, during one of our lunch meetings a few months back, my colleagues and I decided to have it at Moo Bar & Grill which is just a few steps from our office. Its locat...

"Do you believe in giving 2nd chances?" Such a tough question, isn't it? When it comes to life and most especially for food, yes I do believe in 2nd chances. Can't say much when it comes to matters of the heart as my idealistic self insists that one should let fate and destiny take its course and the right thing happens at the right time, at the right place. For life in general though, I always believe that everything deserves a second chance and more often than not, it comes out even better than what we've expected. Let me tell you a short story... Not so long ago, my colleagues invited me out for lunch at one of the newly transferred Mediterranean place near our office. I'm such a fan of this type of cuisine being a regular visitor of Arya back in Manila. How I miss my lamb kebab, basmati rice and hummus! It wasn't hard to convince me and so we went for our first lunch out at Urban Bites Mediterranean Cuisine . Browsing through the menu, I have...

Taking a break from our usual rice toppings / packed lunch / healthy salads and sandwiches options, our team decided to head a little further out for lunch one Friday. Our choice that day -- The Rotisserie along Telok Ayer street. We have been passing by this restaurant for some time now and noticed that it's always packed during lunch hour. Given that people here are such foodies, having a long queue or a jam-packed restaurant is definitely a clear sign that the food must be good. The system here is a bit different from a normal restaurant. You have to queue for the cashier first, place your order, pay for it then head over to the counter to get your food. It was quite a challenge for me as I really like choosing my food slowly as I see it before finally making my decision. Well I guess I just have to be a little bit more flexible at times right?

One reason why I love being part of the corporate world is being able to build relationships with the people that I work with. To those who are just about to join the workforce, here's one advice that I can give you -- value your colleagues and never (ever ever ever 1000x) burn bridges. People may think that your relationship with your colleagues ends as soon as you clock out everyday. However, what we all have to consider is that being able to have a good working relationship can make your work feel like a walk in the park as they're there to give moral support rather than to feel alone and isolated in such a big, busy and crazy world. Anyway, during one of our lunch outs, my colleagues and I tried this Japanese restaurant called Hachi Tei which is located right behind our office. Have I told you all how much I love my new office? Aside from the fact that the people I work with are really cool and talented, our office alone is located at the heart of a foodie land! There...

Spontaneity . That's one thing that I've been trying my darnest to practice year after year. For someone who's incredibly OC, I tend to stick to routines and follow schedules to a T. Thus, when I texted a couple of friends to ask them out for lunch one weekday, they were pretty much surprised to receive such an impromptu invite from yours truly. Well, I was equally just as surprised myself that they were all game to meet up in less than two hours. We agreed to check out MadeCa as majority of us haven't tried it yet. I really haven't heard about this restaurant as I rarely get to visit the Podium Mall . Located at the 5th floor, this is a new Mexican - Filipino restaurant. A fusion restaurant. count with me!!! - Count Dracula (Count von Count, Sesame Street) To be honest, I'm not a big fan of fusion cuisines as normally it just doesn't work out that well. I still love restaurants that offer authentic cuisines be it Chinese, Filipino, Japanese or Ital...

...and the fun never stops!! After celebrating my birthday with The Club, my high school best friend and my family, I went back to work the day after my birthday leave and scheduled to have lunch with my closest colleagues. They let me decide where lunch will be held and after finally choosing between 2 to 3 restaurants, I finally went for Cantinetta which was located outside the Powerplant Mall. The reason for choosing this restaurant? 1) I am craving for pasta and truffles 2) I love Italian food 3) I haven't had a full meal at Cantinetta ever (the last time was when I just had a bowl of Gelato). Thus, Cantinetta was our lunch destination that day. My colleague I was the first to arrived and she was given a basket of warm bread and two types of spreads. At the same time, she went ahead and got a plate of Spinaci e Funghi (Php. 300) for us to share. I love the bread and the delicious Chicken Liver Pate . I enjoy having this topped with some sweet salsa on top. D...

What's your comfort food? I've asked this question a number of times and for me my comfort food is simply a plate of Farfalle alla Genovese from Cibo . I can have this at any given time of the day and it never fails to put a smile on my face. After working our hearts out at the recently concluded Yummy Eats , my boss treated us to lunch to celebrate our victory and to unwind. His choice was perfect -- 2nd's . A restaurant that aims to feature comfort food with a twist. I trust my boss for his taste in food that I easily rely on him to give amazing restaurant suggestions and dishes to try. We arrived at Bonifacio Highstreet just in time to beat the lunch crowd and I initially wasn't able to spot 2nd's right away as there was nothing but a simple signage by the building's facade. To easily guide you, 2nd's is located across Cav Wine Bar currently occupying the space where Mag:Net used to be. We took the elevator up and followed the signage tellin...

Yesterday was a colleague's first month at work and on our way to the WORLDBEX, I decided to treat her and another colleague out for lunch at Jollibee ! This was because I received an envelope filled with GCs! Woweee! :) It was another meatless Friday for yours truly so I chose one of the two seafood option on the menu board -- 2 pc. Bangus Fillet with Rice (Php. 109). To be honest, I still prefer the Jolly Spaghetti or the Palabok with Chicken Joy any day but this is pretty good with vinegar and ideally a cup of Garlic Rice. My colleague K got the Mango Caramel Dessert (Php. 40) as it was really warm that day. It comes with a scoop of ice cream. Definitely a perfect way to cool down after staying outdoors for a couple of hours or even minutes! B who was celebrating her first month at work enjoyed her 2 pc. Chicken Joy Meal (Php. 128). She was obviously enjoying every crispy bite of the chicken! Yum! Lunch outs are always fun and this doesn't mean having to break the bank to...

I guess I'll be dreaming of this tonight... Coco Loco Prawns by Lorenzo's Way What I great way to start yet another busy weekend!!! Enjoy it everyone! :) p.s. thanks to Danio, Becky and Koko for the Yummy treat! p.p.s. Lorenzo's Way , I shall return!

I've mentioned in a previous entry how much I enjoy those rare lunch out moments with colleagues. Since my current work location is situated beside a not-so-complete mall and to get to one would require hailing a cab or driving a car, this somehow limits us to choose from whatever is available in the building or somewhere within walking distance. Thus, upon the invitation of a colleague who is planning to fill up her beauty loot in Bonifacio Highstreet, I immediately accepted her offer to join her for lunch at The Stock Market . I've been hearing a lot of mixed feedbacks about Del Monte's newest restaurant. Good and bad this made me even more excited to try it out myself. Browsing the menu, we first noted that it was a bit pricey (Price ranges from Php. 200++ to Php. 500++). I also wanted to play safe so we asked the server for his recommendations. Since I wanted to just have a light lunch, I chose the Cream of Porcini Mushroom soup with Truffle Oil (Php. 260) and the Sto...

One thing nice about working in Makati is being close to a wide array of food choices located at the two major malls in this city namely: Powerplant Mall and the Ayala Center. This gives more excitement when going out for lunch with colleagues. After two years worth of Friday lunch outs, it's innevitable that we have our set of favorites that we somehow manages to go back to every now and then. Happily sitting at the top of our list of favorite lunch out spots is Cafe Mediterranean at the Powerplant Mall. Our love affair with this cozy, dimly-lit, foreign looking restaurant began a year and a half ago when a colleague treated the entire lunch group out for his birthday. It was my first visit and to play it safe, I got the Kofta Kebab (Greek meatballs) with Buttered Rice. Surprise surprise! It was love at first bite. I love how flavorful the meatballs were and the buttered rice was just the perfect pair. The next visit followed shortly a week after that and we have been regular cus...