Frannywanny

Trivia: Did you know that Philippine passport holders can travel to Peru without the need of any visa provided you stay for only 183 days or roughly around 6 months. That's long enough for any average tourist and that means multiple visits to see the Machu Picchu and countless ceviches and more.  Anyway, I recently discovered how yummy Peruvian dishes are and since then, I've been on a hunt for the freshest ceviches and the tastiest, most tender lomo saltados available in town. For instance, a month ago, I got together with some of my favorite foodie friends as we checked out Ceviche . It's a cozy-looking gastropub located within a quiet residential area in Quezon City. I grew up in this neighborhood as Kongkong and Ama used to live here and back then, we would have to drive out to either Banawe or to Quezon Avenue in order to have a good restaurant meal. Today, you'd find interesting hole in a wall food spots in this area and it indeed is a good sign of the great,...

"Oops, (Chef) Him did it again."  (To the tune of Britney Spears' popular hit) Chef Him Uy de Baron has been one of my favorite Chef friends here in Manila. I first met him back in 2008 when I got him to cater for one of my first book launches with Real Living Magazine . We corresponded all via email and the first time I met him personally was during the event itself. It was pure trust, I tell you. However, he not only stuck to what we have agreed upon but he went over and beyond by blowing us away with his delicious food and the presentation was just so beautiful. Truly fitting for one of the country's best shelter magazine. Needless to say, he was my go-to caterer for all succeeding events. Not only that, Paul and I loved his cooking so much that we're big fans of his restaurants. From Nomama Ramen back then to Cocina Peruvia  at present.  Styled by ML of What Mary Loves Cocina Peruvia actually has three branches already in the metro -- BGC, Vert...

Through the years, I must say that I've been quite blessed to be able to try a myriad of cuisines from all over the world. Of course, we have the usual suspects -- Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, Singaporean, Malay, Indian and Western. Then the more classy or exotic ones such as Italian, French, Greek, Persian, Thai, Indonesian and even South African .  It's interesting to note that my palate has pretty much traveled to more places than my feet have. Someday, my feet will catch up...someday. :) So, when Paul and I received an invite to try Peruvian food at Tiger's Milk , I got soooo excited! Neither of us have had Peruvian food in our lives so this was definitely a first for us. What makes it more interesting is that Tiger's Milk  is located right at the heart of the central business district so there's really no need to travel to the far end to have a taste of Peru. I got to the restaurant ahead of Paul and while waiting for my dinner date, I took the...