Frannywanny

Summer is definitely over and in comes the rain. Lots and lots of rain! I won't lie, I was really glad that we're no longer experiencing the warm weather and somehow, I do welcome this bed weather. The kind what makes you want to curl up in bed and sleep all day. Well, if you're a twin mom... "sleep all day" may not happen anytime soon but still, one can always dream. This is also the perfect weather for soups and warm congee. I recently started experimenting with a number of soup recipes which I will soon introduce to my twins as they seriously need to level up on their solid intake. Speaking of soups, I suddenly have this craving for ramen. It's really funny as back in 2015, I think I had way too much ramen and I somehow stopped having ramen since then. I think the last bowl of ramen that I had was during our trip to Tokyo sometime in 2016. I suddenly remembered my favorite ramen in Singapore -- Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu Four Seasons . I loved it so much tha...

Chef Keisuke did it again!  After winning our hearts with his mouth-watering ramen varieties , gyoza rice sets and the best tendon in town , he's currently on a roll opening two new ramen stores one after the other. The first specializes in ramen with lobster broth which I heard is pretty good. There's always a long queue as the it's strategically located in Clarke Quay thus catering to the party-going, late night crowd. I should schedule a visit to that outlet soon but I'll probably let the queue die down or go at a very off-peak time. Meanwhile, Paul and I decided to try his second outlet, Ramen Keisuke Kani King  which is located at the ground floor of Orchard Cineleisure in Somerset. It just so happen that we were in the area one Saturday so we decided to go check it out. Luckily, we got there when the queue was still very short so it only took us 20 minutes waiting time. Don't worry though as the system is very efficient but you just have to make sure t...

I know it hasn't been too long since we moved to the Lion City but every time we get to fly back to Manila, we can't help but feel somewhat touristy in our own country. I guess it's because at least every quarter, there's a new mall, a commercial complex or an attraction that would open and is worth checking out. So, during our ninja-like visit home, Paul and I went to Capitol Commons along Shaw Boulevard as we kinda saw this on our way to the airport during our previous visit. Weeks before we moved to Singapore, I remember Capitol Commons to be the place where one can go on a food truck hopping. I'm not quite sure where the food trucks went but what we saw were several fully operational restaurants in the area. For this particular visit, we dropped by Nomama to say hi to our friend Chef Him and to check out his new menu. I've known Chef Him way back when I was still wearing my magazine publisher hat. He was the first chef whom I've tapped for an even...

This week, both my Facebook and Instagram news feeds are filled with photos of friends in Manila showing off their piping hot bowls of ramen or worst, a close up food porn shot of the ramen itself. I thought to myself, Manila must be experiencing a really rainy or cold weather that everyone were just suddenly in the mood to have something warm for their tummies. Then the news broke out that famous Japanese ramen brand, Ippudo has opened its doors in Manila. Ahh.. no wonder! All these ramen photos and talks got me craving for a good bowl of ramen too! Luckily, we also have Ippudo here in Singapore and it's located right at the middle of Orchard Road and in 3 other oulets making it so accessible whenever that major craving for ramen hits. However, this particular visit to Ippudo dates back to the time when my family came to visit me. I just love it whenever family comes to visit as it gives us the best reason to eat out more and to try a couple of new restaurants that has been s...

A lot of happy changes in both my personal and professional lives happened as soon as the 2nd half of 2014 rolled in and it has just been 10 days since. Call it good feng shui but I'd like to think that all these blessings have something to do with our moving to a new office. True, saying goodbye is never easy but I am the kind who try my darnest to welcome change with open arms. So, on our first week at the new office, we began exploring for new food finds. Our first stop was over at 100AM where we found  Ramen Keisuke Tori King . We're all no strangers to the Keisuke line of ramen shops. I've mentioned a number of times how much I love the Ramen Kaisuke Four Seasons in Bugis and when my colleague R mentioned that Chef Keisuke Takeda has opened a chicken broth ramen that's just a stone's throw away from our new office, our lunch group gamely went to try it out. I got to admit though that as we were standing outside and waiting for our table to be ready, I ...

I've been bitten by the ramen bug!  It has been months and every now and then I'd continue to crave of a bowl of piping hot, al dente ramen noodles! Guess this ramen craze of mine will go on for a little while longer... after all, Singapore is literally bursting is a lot of good ramen shops and it's just so hard to say no to all of them. As they say... if you can't beat them, join them ! So, here I am spreading the ramen love to one and all. ♥ When our friends J and A came to visit us a month ago, Paul and I excitedly met up with them at Ramen Champion in Bugis+ Mall. It's just perfect that J and A are such fun foodies to be with so we happily tried a couple of bowls of ramen that evening until we finally declared the winner. Ramen Champion is a cool restaurant concept wherein it has a number of ramen stalls inside one main establishment. As you enter, you are given a card which you'll have to present upon ordering your choice of ramen. The payment ...

♫ It's my birthday and I'll eat ramen when I want to...eat ramen when I want to...eat ramen when I wantttt toooo! ♫ I officially turned a year older last Saturday..and you know what?! It was one of my happiest birthdays ever! It all began when I woke up with a big smile on my face and as I checked my phone, there were about 40+ greetings from friends and relatives back home. Wow! Paul and I agreed to meet up for lunch with some of our good friends here in the Lion City . Thinking of a place for my birthday lunch was such a challenge! Not that Singapore has a shortage of good food but it's the other way around. There were just a LOT that it was so hard to choose. Why do we have to limit ourselves to just 3 big meals a day? Whyyyy? Anyway, after a thorough research thanks to the local food blogs here, I finally found THE ONE. Meet Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons . It's a new ramen shop located at the heart of the Bugis district. It's owned by Chef K...

Happy birthday to me!  On the 1st day of June, I will be turning a year older and hopefully, a little bit more wiser. This year's birthday will be a bit different for what I've been having in the past. For one thing, it will be simpler and more intimate too. It will be my first birthday away from home...away from everyone close to my heart. I don't think I'll still do my annual week-long birthday celebration. Though, I'm still eyeing to do a fun bbq pool party with friends here. :) Let's see how everything pans out. Just as I'm doing things differently this year, I also thought of treating two lucky readers to a delicious ramen dinner at Mistuyado Sei-Men . Consider it my birthday treat special thanks to the cool folks of Mitsuyado! :) Please do order my favourite dishes and if you can, have a piece of cake on my behalf! Deal? I've blogged about Mitsuyado Sei-Men a couple of months ago. As a marketing practicioner, I always believe that being the ...

I think the title should actually be, "New Ramen on the (East) Wing!" I'm talking about the newly opened East Wing of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall which Paul and I were lucky enough to visit during our quick return home last month. I can't believe how fast things can change in the span of a month. We were just away for a month and when we got back to Manila there was the new Shangri-la Plaza wing as well as the New Glorietta Mall in Makati. I can't wait to go home and see what's new in the coming months. Given that we only have a few weeks in Manila, of course, majority of our time was dedicated to our families and about 30% of our time were spent bonding with our closest friends. As much as we wanted to meet with everyone, there were basically just 3 meals in a day and 7 days in a week. Nonetheless, we were so happy to see the friends who have been checking up on us eversince we got here. This act may be nothing for them but it means the world to us. A sing...

Today is the 1st of February and it's my dear friend and fellow blogger Jane of Between Bites' birthday!!! Since it's her special day, let me tell you about the night when Jane and I went out for a ramen date. Just us girls for a couple of hours of bonding and happy eating. I met Jane over the Internet as I have been an avid reader of her blog since way back. One time, we agreed to meet up for dinner with two other girl friends (hello Sab and Didi !) back in 2007. I still remembered that she brought a container of pasta for all of us to try. That's how sweet and thoughtful Jane has always been. She would really take time out to do things for her friends and loved ones despite her super jam-packed schedule and never-ending things to do. I really enjoy being able to spend time with her as she's one of the most sincere and loving friend that I've ever known. She's a keeper, guys and girls, and I'm so lucky to have a friend like her! Truly someone who g...

It's 2013 and I'm going to make a very bold food forecast. For the past years, we've seen a number of food items that have taken Manila by storm. It have made people crave about it, line up for hours for it and sales of these items zoomed up to the high heavens. Such food trends include the year when practically everyone in town were suddenly so in love with milk teas , this was actually such a hit that a number of coffee shops even tried to create their own versions too. Then there was a time that there was a surge of Mexican food stops opening here and there. Even J.Co donuts on its own got everyone craving for donuts once again. Visit one of their branches and you'll surely understand I'm talking about. Since the 2nd half of 2012, I had a feeling that a new food craze is coming to Manila and for this one, I sure hope and pray it stays for a longer time. Enter the Year of the Ramen . Filipinos are not strangers to Japanese food. Next to Chinese and Fi...

It's raining very hard as I type this and times like this I love to snuggle in bed while catching up on my favorite TV series or with a good book. This is bed weather after all and how I wish I can stay in under the sheets all day long. The rainy cool weather also makes me want a bowl of piping hot ramen. I was then reminded of a dinner that I had with Paul, my sister Pan and her best friend C at a newly opened restaurant called Kokoro Ramenya . It was upon an invite from a friend to try the restaurant out and we were all so excited as Japanese remains to be one of our favorite cuisines. Kokoro Ramenya is located in the newly constructed Avenue of the Arts Building along Roxas Boulevard. It offers traditional Japanese dishes such as ramen, donburi, tempura, sushi and sashimi and a lot more. I liked the bright and casual interiors making the restaurant look even bigger than it already is. We started our meal with a plate of Gyoza (Php. 155). The wrapper had a good texture ...

With the holidays just around the corner, we are now starting to feel the cold air especially during the evening. Given the chilly weather, the thought of slurping a bowl of piping hot noodles just makes perfect sense. Thus, an invite to try a newly opened Japanese noodle bar called Moshi Koshi that's located so close to work and home was immediately accepted. We were actually the third and fourth guests to arrive after fellow bloggers Dyanie and Chyng. This allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the cool features of the restaurant such as the noodle room where there's actually a stoplight installed at the top showing if a noodle is currently being created or not. Reminds me so much of the much-anticipated red light of Krispy Kreme. The rest of the group arrived shortly after which signaled the start of our Moshi Koshi feast! As explained to us, Koshi is that " sweet state of a noodle that is tender and chewy, firm but not hard, with resistance to the bite "....

I first met Chef Him Uy de Baron when I contacted him to cater for my very first event for RL. It was a mall display event that opened with an unveiling ceremony and cocktails for our valued advertisers and media partners. My goal was to be able to serve really good food that is sure to wow my guests. Chef Him was recommended to me by my boss and after a series of smooth negotiations, I knew right there and then that it will be a breeze working with him. He was very professional that he would always abide by our agreed call time and not only were his dishes amazingly good but it never fails to exceed my expectations too. I love how creative Chef Him can be when it comes to making his dishes very presentable. Meatballs in soup spoons, Nachos and Salsa in shot glasses, to name a few. Needless to say, I have been getting him for every single book launches, mall displays and other events thereafter. A few weeks ago, I landed at a Facebook page which immediately gave me the impression ...

Back in high school, I had a very nasty teacher who made the class believe that I do nothing but daydream. She would continue to torment me making her 60-minute Algebra class feel like the longest hour of my high school life. Boy, I'm so glad I only had her for a year and we never crossed path since. *phew* Even how often I look back, I know in my heart that I wasn't daydreaming, dozing off maybe but not daydreaming. I think the only time one gets to daydream are during times when we have experienced something truly amazing, agree? I daydream about shopping in Hong Kong, enjoying the waters of Boracay, getting a massage, sinking my teeth in my friend Irene's Quezo de Bola cheesecake and the list goes on and on. Now tell me, why on earth would I daydream during an Algebra class? Yesterday, Paul and I met up with half of The Foodie Club for lunch. I was extra excited for this as we headed to Ukkokei Ramen Ron along Pasay Road in Makati which has been on my list for a ...