Frannywanny

Happy Friday!  I'm not going to lie, Friday is one of my favorite days because it means, we're just a day away from the weekend! Who doesn't love the weekend, right? This is the day when I give my twins my uninterrupted attention. We would start the day with any breakfast of their choice (normally waffles for J, pancakes or peanut butter sandwich for L) followed by an hour of doing their homework and in the afternoon, we head out for their swim class! Sunday is more laid back as we would stay home and just laze around the house otherwise, we would go and visit my in laws and spend the day there.  Speaking of the weekend, I suddenly remembered one of the best weekends that we've had this year so far. This was when we had our staycation at Seda Vertis North  and the twins truly enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, they love our comfy and very spacious Corner Suite with an adjacent Deluxe Room as well as checking out the hotel's amenities and the Vertis North mall ...

Move aside Zack and Cody! There's a new pair of twins in town who just loveeeeee having hotel staycations. Meet the #AngTwins, J & L!  My two very opinionated twins who would bug us on a weekly basis if they can go to the hotel. They just love the comfy and spacious bed, being able to swim to their hearts content, lazing at the bath tub and acting like fishies while their Daddy feeds them some snacks and just enjoying the outside world after being stuck at home for two long years.  Recently, we checked out Seda Vertis North  as they have a new Staycation Package that's perfect for the family! This was not our first stay at Seda though, the twins have been to this hotel back in 2019 and that was probably the staycation that made them fall in love with hotels. At age 2 then, they swam, enjoyed the delicious buffet spread at Misto and gleefully checked out the Vertis North mall next door. We stayed at the Premier Room then, so we got access to their Club Lounge as wel...

It's been 6 months since the first news about the virus has been released. Since then, we have been staying home to lessen any exposure and to keep everyone safe. Given that the entire metro has been in quarantine since March this year, I'd say that I've also have discovered a number of delicious food finds along the way. This is because we no longer go out to buy bread or to do our groceries in fear that staying out for long will bring more harm than convenience or good to us. Luckily, technology has been helping us have easy access to food and basically all the essential goods that we may need. We're also seeing the rise of online money transfers and payments nowadays. Indeed, going cashless is the way to go now and to just do things with just a few taps here and there. One of my favorite discoveries was Twin Beans Kitchen  which was created by my dear twin mommy, D. D and I have been mommy buddies since our twins were barely a month old and it's funny how we al...

I can't believe that summer is officially here. It happened so fast. I was still enjoying the cool breeze in January and February then suddenly, *bam!* March rolled in and the temperature started to rise rapidly. We started sweating like crazy, skin started to feel really sticky and I have this intense craving for anything cold and refreshing. This brought back memories from a few months ago when Paul and I chanced upon a new milk tea place called Goodgood in Banawe, Quezon City. If there's any place in Metro Manila that truly merits the name "milk tea paradise" then Banawe is definitely it. In every block, you can find a shop selling milk tea, boba tea, fruit tea, you name it, they got it. Even brands that may still sound foreign in other areas of the metro has already made Banawe their home. Goodgood has been growing rapidly with branches in the Scout area, in the Ortigas CBD and even in the foodie strip of Kapitolyo. We visited the one in Banawe which is ...

February is the shortest month of the year (despite this year being a leap year) and yet I always feel like my schedule is extra jam-packed this month as compared to the past months. Just this weekend alone, I became a ninang to an adorable baby boy and the next day we had a family gathering to celebrate the birthday of two of my nieces. They're tweens now and in my mind, I've always thought they're still little toddlers. Time is surely flying by so fast. We're also a few days away from Valentine's Day and regardless whoever you will be dating -- your special someone, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your crush, your best friend, your parents or even yourself (hey, remember -- #selflove), I thought of sharing some of my recent and not-so-recent food finds which I think are totally date place worthy. Let's start with MeatSumo  in Panay Avenue. This just opened two weeks ago and I can expect this place to be packed most especially for dinner and during the weekend...

I can't remember the exact date when I last had my hair colored. Most probably it was sometime in 2016 as I have stopped my annual hair color treatment from the moment I got pregnant with my twins early in 2017 and all the way till I breastfed them. It's so funny because I have tiny white hairs sticking out around my "sideburns" area and when I told my cousin-in-law J that we're finally expecting a baby, he told me this "do me a favor, color your hair so that you'll be a pretty pregnant lady" . I had to explain to him that doing hair color is a no-no especially when you'll be exposing yourself to harmful chemicals that might endanger your baby. He was really serious about his advice that he even sent me a whole package of facial mask. J, this is one reason why I love you! ♥ So anyway, we've heard a lot of things about Aveda hair products and one thing that stood out to me was how it makes use of all organic ingredients. That means, it...

A few days ago, I posted something on my Instagram stories. It was a photo of a milktea which I recently tried and sadly wasn't too impressed by it. I shared my experience in 5 short lines and what I didn't expect was a sea of messages directed to me the next day. So basically, this particular milktea brand was said to be one of the best, if not the best, by a popular foodie influencer. With all due respect to that particular foodie influencer, me not liking the drink is not in any way his/her fault. Taste is, after all, very very subjective. Majority of the comments that I got were from fans of the said milk tea brand. Luckily, the comments were very kind and courteous and none of the scary, violent kind. A lot told me to consider trying it again and perhaps it's because I ordered the wrong drink or I must have drank it wrongly. I also got messages from fellow foodies whom I truly respect telling me that they actually agreed with me. That's how it goes, folks. We can n...

About 5 months ago, my dad had a bad fall. Actually, he missed a stepped and slipped in the bathroom. Perhaps for any ordinary person, one could easily just stand up and recover with probably just some minor bruising that an ice pack could easily fix. Unfortunately, as we age, so does our bones and for my 70-something Papa, this led to him damaging one of his hipbones. It was so bad that he felt so much pain and given his high tolerance for pain, we knew that something was just not right when he began complaining of the pain even with just very short distance walks. Anyway, long story short -- Papa had to undergo a partial hip replacement and that posed so much risk whether he can recover a.k.a. walk again. Thankfully, his surgery was a success thanks to his dream team (a.k.a. his team of doctors headed by my brother in law E). After surgery, he had to stay in the hospital for a few more days despite his wishes to go home right away as they wanted to get him started on his therapy. Fin...

If there's one thing that excites me is when I get to dine at a restaurant that retains the good ol' tradition in terms of their quality and taste yet one that is also bold enough to break the stereotype and continues to surprise their patrons with "something new." Take the Japanese cuisine for example. Immediately, visions of delicious and comforting bowls of ramen would come to mind, right? How about if I tell you that recently, I tried one that's served in a sizzling bowl. Yup! It's one thing that probably not a lot of people would imagine to have in a traditional Japanese restaurant setting. Thus, this is precisely what sets Kureji  apart. Situated along Malakas street in Quezon City, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful interiors of this restaurant. It has kept the structure of an old traditional Filipino bungalow-style home with rooms in split-levels and an old-school bodega  (storage room) situated at the back of the house with a few step...

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,...

I'd say that when you look at the F&B industry, one of the easiest yet toughest cuisine to specialize on is Filipino. It's simply because every household has its own version of most of the local dishes from the adobo to pochero to sopas to sisig and to all types of pancit (noodles). I can boldly say that there's probably millions of adobo versions all over the country given that our population is now 104.9 Million strong (thank you Google!). That said, it would really take a lot for you to beat what one may have considered their best adobo/pochero/sisig. But hey, as the saying goes.. "if you got it, flaunt it. " Recently, Paul and I stumbled upon Ombu Kusina  near Timog Avenue. It's at the Ground Floor of Sequoia Hotel as the restaurant also operates as the F&B arm of the hotel. We were invited to try their newest menu items and luckily, some of their best-selling ones too. I've heard of Ombu Kusina  from fellow bloggers when it opened a few ye...

shiok [adj.] : Singlish word used to describe a dish that's satisfying, good or delicious. While the Philippines is literally a foodie melting pot with a wide array of restaurants specializing in all sorts of cuisines from all over the world, Paul and I can't help but notice that there seems to be a shortage of Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants around. It's quite mind boggling though given the number of locals who travel to these two countries on a regular basis plus the huge population of Filipinos residing there too. If you ask me, Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine has a very close taste profile as our local Filipino cuisine perhaps with just more heat and the use of a lot more spices. So imagine how happy I was when we recently discovered Shiok Shiok Singapore Food along Nicanor Roxas street in Quezon City. Coincidentally, we dined there on the 9th of August, Singapore's National Day. What a great way to celebrate our second home's special day. Together with ...

Here's the sad reality -- good help is hard to find here in Manila. Unlike probably 10 years ago when most of us would have the privilege to have long-staying helpers who would take our worries about running the household away. Today, I've been hearing friends and family constantly asking around for recommendations for helpers and more often than not, we're always faced with the dilemma of helpers staying for a few months and leaving right away. Given that, most smaller families would resort to not having helpers anymore. So how do we deal with preparing for our meals on a daily basis? Since I got back from the Lion City, my parents (who are down to just one helper), have been ordering food on a daily basis. We call it "tiap tsai"  in Hokkien which, if I'm not mistaken, means food subscription in English. Apparently, there's a growing number of companies and individuals running this tiap tsai  business and What's for Dinner  is one of those. The dr...

Having been back in Manila for more than a month now and being able to discover not-so-new and new food places in the Metro, I somehow have this feeling like I've been living under a rock. It's true what they say that being away from home for some time can make you feel like a tourist in your own country. Slowly, Paul and I are starting to re-acquaint ourselves back into Manila's bustling food scene and we got out families and friends to thank for. Recently, I went out for an impromptu, but long delayed lunch date with my sister Pan. It's so cool that we're both working very closely now allowing us to have lunch every single day and that means nonstop catching up to make up for all those years that I've been away. During one of our errands to Quezon City, we decided to stop by Maginhawa Street in Teacher's Village. This place has been known to have a line of interesting restaurants, cafes, bars and recently, food parks. Since this isn't really that c...

As the famous saying goes: "Love knows no distance." Similarly, our love for food allowed us to travel far and wide just to satisfy our craving. My in laws have been planning to try Buen Comer located at Teacher's Village in Quezon City for the longest time. This was after hearing raves after raves from cousins who told us that everything on the menu is really delicious and we just have to try it ourselves. Finally, on our first weekend back in Manila, MIL suggested that we head over there for dinner. Of course, Paul and I were totally up for that and so off we went to Quezon City. Thankfully, it took us less than an hour to get there and we easily located the restaurant which actually can be found in a very small inside street called Mahabagin. For those who are familiar with Quezon City, I'm pretty sure you won't have a hard time heading here. The menu was pretty extensive with a total of 17 items to choose from. As there were 6 of us dining that day, we...

After my Afternoon Tea date with D here in Singapore , we promised each other to meet up once again in Manila over the Christmas break. Given how everyone is normally busy during this time of the year, I was so touched to receive a message from D as soon as we landed in Manila asking when can we meet up for lunch. She surely kept her promise! Isn't she just so amazing? We agreed to meet up after Christmas Day and she told me that fellow bloggers K and C will be joining us too. I've never met K and C in person despite knowing of them and following them on social media for years. I always love meeting new friends so I was so excited for this particular lunch date. D suggested we go to Choobi Choobi  in Panay Avenue which is one of her favorite restaurants at the moment. I've never heard of Choobi Choobi  and after a quick search, I learned that this restaurant originated from Cebu and they're known for their bags of shrimps. Hooray! Guess we were just so excited tha...

For the past few trips back home, Paul and I would purposely leave our schedules open as we would like to allot most, if not all, of our time to family. You see, we normally stay for a week at most and given that we don't really get to fly home on a monthly basis, we would make it a point to bond with our family and bestest friends whenever we can. However, during our recent trip home, we actually found ourselves alone as both families had something planned for the evening. Well, an impromptu dinner date is always good. Since we were already in Quezon City as we spent the day bonding with my Kongkong, we decided to check out Highway Ribbery Grille  as it has been ranked as one of the top 15 restaurants in the Banawe area . Admittedly, I'm not a good navigator so I took a screenshot of the map and showed it to Paul. One look, that's all it took for him to quickly know where we're supposed to head to. My husband is amazing. ♥ For those who are not so good with dire...

For almost two years, my brother in law E has been telling me about this restaurant that he discovered that has according him, "the best and most tender crispy pata ever" Since Papa and Paul also love Crispy Pata, Livestock has then long been part of my growing list of restaurants to try. Finally, we got the chance to travel all the way to Quezon City to try it out. I'm so happy as even Kongkong and A-I were able to join us too. Livestock is located behind ABS-CBN. It's part of this small complex that houses a couple of other restaurants such as one that serves a variety of seafood dishes, a ramen stop and more. We got there quite early and were lucky to score a long table for 9 at the ground floor. The menu of course had a lot of different pork dishes but of course they also have a lot more typical Filipino options to choose from. For some reason, all of us where not THAT hungry for dinner that night so we actually just had four viands to share. First was the...

I still remembered the day when I first met Chef Myke Tatung . It was to have a joint birthday celebration for my former boss D and a couple of our other colleagues. Working for a food magazine meant being in the company of food-loving people who have that special talent of searching for these hidden gems regardless of where it may be in the world. We had a delicious 4-course dinner in his cozy home in Quezon City. A few weeks after that, I went back with Paul and we enjoyed yet another delicious meal. Since then, I've been in touch with Chef Tatung as he would contribute to the magazine every now and then and we eventually became friends. A few years following that, Chef Tatung told us that he opened a new restaurant in Taguig which specialized in Filipino cuisine . Of course, our team went full force to support him. We have returned a lot more after that and his restaurant has been one of my favorite go-to place up until Paul and I moved to the Lion City. A few months ago,...

We all know that Metro Manila is literally bursting with so many restaurants, cafes, eateries and foodie spots found all over the 16 cities and 1 municipality of the region. I've lived there for 20+ years of my life and I can say that I still have a lifetime to go if I seriously want to try at least half of all the restaurants available. Despite the big number, when it comes to dining out with my family to celebrate a special occasion, we would always have just a handful of choices to choose from. Don't look at me. I'm not the only  picky eater in the family! Obviously, my picky taste must have originated from somewhere , right? ;) As the person who frequents the very few places that he loves to dine in, my Dad has quite a growing list of requirements whenever we go out to celebrate someone's birthday or a family milestone. Clean ambiance? Check! Delicious, high quality food? Check! Serves steak or beef? Check check check! So far, Mario's Restaurant has passed...