Frannywanny

It has been raining on and off for the past few days bringing down Singapore's temperature and making it feel cool and breezy for a change. If you ask me, days like these is the perfect time to just snuggle in bed and stay indoors all day long. It's also the time when I would crave mostly for a bowl of congee or soup. Luckily, there are a lot of options when it comes to satisfying our craving for soups and congee. A few months ago, Paul and I visited the first ever outlet of Souper Tang  here in Singapore. Souper Tang (汤师父) originated in Malaysia where it has a total of 18 outlets scattered in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Ipoh and Johor Bahru. Apparently, Souper Tang originated as a TCM medical hall where the owners would sell herbal medicines for all types of illnesses. Then the lady owner would cook put together soup packs which she would give out as gifts to friends. Later on, it got so popular and people would request that she would sell her soups. This was when Souper Tang ...

Over the Christmas/New Year break, I brought back with me a new toy -- my Oster Hand Blender ! Actually, I've had it since our wedding day in 2010 but since we first lived with my in laws and later moved to my parents' house, I never really got around to using my own appliances or cooking utensils as Mommy has kept the kitchen complete with practically everything that I could possibly need. I was so excited about this and I've been day dreaming about all the different things that I can create using my blender. First was to recreate my favorite Crema di Zucca from Cibo which is a rich and yummy Pumpkin Cream Soup. After researching across a dozen (or even more) recipes, I found the one that I like and kept it on bookmark for the next two weeks. As soon as my work ended last Monday, I made a mad dash to the grocery which thankfully is just located across my office building. I've memorized all the ingredients that I needed and within 15 minutes I was on my way hom...

With the numerous soup stores that can be found in the CBD, one would actually wonder if there's still room for more. True, take my office street for example, you don't have to walk far to come across 3 soup restaurants with a never-ending queue in front during lunch hour. The funny thing is, these 3 shops sell the same herbal, Chinese-y soup that my Kongkong would make for us as these are packed with all the nutrients to keep us healthy forever and ever. So, when my friend T invited me to have lunch at the newly opened Soup Stock Tokyo at our favorite lunch place destination -- Asia Square Tower 2 , I really didn't thought much about it at first as I had a feeling it was just one of those many soup places in the area with a fancier name that is. Little did I know that Soup Stock Tokyo originated from Japan since 1999. In fact, this branch in Singapore is their first overseas. WOW!

While most of our peers would fly off to Hong Kong or some even to the US for weeks of endless shopping during our school summer break, my family and I would frequent Singapore to visit the not-so-endless variety of touristy places available given that this was in the late 80s, earlly 90s. Every year, we would visit the zoo, the Science Centre, to my horror -- the Jurong Birds Park and eat in some of the well-known hawker places in town. You see, Singapore holds a special place in the hearts of every family member. After all, it's the only place on earth that Papa considers to be really safe that he would allow me and Pan to go around on our own.Mommy grew up frequenting Singapore too and loves sharing her childhood memories with us. On of her childhood favorites is the Bak Kut Teh. I remember having this for breakfast and it was love at first sip. Unlike most kids who shy away from herbal-tasting soups, I love them very much! Having it the traditional way, we would have our bo...

Today was indeed a lazzzyyyyyy Sunday! Waking up later than usual and really wanting to stay longer in bed but knowing that we have to get up already. Paul and I moved rather in slower motion today. Naturally, we both opted to just stay home and to leisurely enjoy our home-cooked meal instead of heading out to the mall and joining the busy shopping crowd. A few months ago, we had just the same lazy Sunday and we decided to cook Pork Sinigang Soup ! Being novices in the kitchen arena, we would usually just have pasta, stir-fry veggies, a variety of egg dishes or baked or grilled meats for dinner. It's funny that the both of us have very little experience cooking Filipino dishes -- a confession that would generate great disbelief from friends whenever they hear this. The idea to try making Pork Sinigang Soup came about when I received a big hamper from Maggi! The bag was filled with packs of Maggi Magic Sarap, a product I know so well after years handling a food magazine and...

Here's another first! Last Saturday, Paul and I were able to watch our first movie here in the Lion City . Given that the tickets are not that cheap in this side of the world, we agreed to choose our movie wisely and to go for the big blockbuster ones to make it more worth our while (and money). Iron Man opened a week and a half ago and it was only last Saturday that we were all able to find a common time to watch it. For those who haven't watched it, I urge you to do so. I personally enjoyed the movie and the fact that I didn't fall asleep is a big indicator that the movie got my attention all throughout the 2-hour viewing period. The boys actually had mixed feelings about it but well, that's my own opinion. :)  We got to Vivo City (currently my favorite mall in Singapore) an hour before movie time. Thus, we have to find a place that serves quick and good food. It was a toss between Carl's Jr and Soup Spoon . Since Paul and I wanted something healthy, we w...

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...

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 ...

It was just another busy weekday for Paul and I as we had to run a couple of errands late in the evening. Driving along Banawe Avenue in Quezon City, we were looking for a place to have our (very late) dinner. I always enjoy visiting this part of town due to its numerous food choices. Growing up with my grandparents, I remember how fun it was when my Kongkong (maternal grandfather) and Amah (material grandmater) would take my sister and I for a ride down Banawe everyday for our afternoon snack. More often than not, we would end up in the same place -- Mami King . Kongkong loves their halo-halo and so every single day of our summer vacation was spent there. Aside from Mami King, which sadly is not operational anymore, there are a lot of dining spots that keeps their own food secrets. There's one that serves the best creamy crabs, one that has to-die-for Chicken and Taro Hotpot and a number who serves the best noodle soup, dimsum and tofu drink. Following the lead of fellow...

Let me share with you a simple love story... This story dates back to the evening of May 10, 2003 where 12 girls and guys who initially began their friendship over the internet agreed to meet up again for a short reunion. The venue was set to be at Conggo Grille in Tomas Morato . The head of the group or rather, in internet-speak, the chat room head decided to bring along two of his friends to keep him company. One was his friend from college and another was his high school best friend (HSBF). Over pork sisig and beef kare-kare , everyone was so engrossed in their own small conversations updating one another about college life, high school stories and what have you. The night went smoothly as the girls bonded while the guys made plans for an after-dinner game of billiards. As the evening passed, little did one particular girl know that she had already caught the attention of chat room head's HSBF. The problem was he's a very shy guy and did nothing but to just listen intently...