Frannywanny

"Can you handle the heat?" It has been 8 long years since my last visit to Bangkok . If you ask me, I think it's about time to go back for a return visit given that Singapore is slightly closer to Bangkok as compared to flying out from Manila. Not only that, I'm sure there have been a lot of changes since our last trip and by that I'm pertaining to more restaurant and food places to discover. Here's making a mental note to plan for a quick weekend getaway to Bangkok sometime next year. Well, since I can't go to Bangkok just yet... let Bangkok come to me for now. A few weeks ago, I got to visit the newly opened Yentafo Kruengsonge  at Cathay Cineleisure in Orchard. I got a bit disoriented trying to locate the restaurant as it apparently took the place of Shokudo at the 2nd level of the cinema building. Yentafo Kruengsonge  is actually a very popular noodle house in Bangkok that specializes in yen ta fo noodle bowls which is a Thai noodle dish filled...

One Friday evening, I was having dinner with my family when the doorbell rang and our househelp called me saying that someone was looking for me. I walked to the gate and saw a fire fighter running towards my direction and he seemed like he came from the other street. He stopped to open his bag and carefully pulled out a white paper bag telling me to be careful because the content is really hot. I laughed as I was handed the new KFC Zinger Double Down , true the sandwich seems to be pretty warm so I handled it with extra care. "Tawag nalang po kayo sa Fire Department pag sobrang init po ma'am" (Please call the fire department if it's too hot, Ma'am) was his last line before he left.  As he left, Paul and I quickly went to the dining table to try the sandwich out. At first, it tasted like the regular double down sandwich but wait till the spiciness starts kicking and yes, I was in the verge of calling the fire department as I can feel my taste buds on fire ....

I can't believe it has been almost a year since Paul and I flew to Singapore then to Malaysia for our 2-week long Honeymoon. I remembered being welcomed by our friend HK who took us on a fun food trip around the Tekka Market where I had the best tasting Lamb Briyani and later we dined at a Nonya Restaurant where it was my first time to try this type of cuisine. I knew from that point on that our honeymoon will truly be a gastronomical trip. As we get closer to celebrating our first wedding anniversary, Paul and I were invited to a food tasting at Shiok where we relived the fun eating moments that we both had during our Honeymoon. We met Chefs Nicco and Denny who are both owners of the restaurant. They first opened a branch at the Fort Bonifacio and lucky for us Greenhills loyal visitors, they now have their second branch at the food court of Greenhills Promenade . Initially, I thought Shiok means "cheap" as directly translated in Hokkien. It was only after meetin...

I love buffalo wings! It's funny that while I do not like spicy food, this is one dish that I can't pass up on when given the opportunity. I also love coating my spicy chicken wings with bleu cheese and munching on it until the bones are sparkling clean! Through the years, I've had the privilege to try a number of buffalo wings and while some have failed to meet our expectations , others were quite fantastic that it gets me craving for more every so often . I was able to first taste and experience Sunrise Buckets at my nephew's birthday party two years ago. I loved it that they gave us plastic gloves to use so as not to get our hands all dirty and oily while enjoying their chicken wings. Even my dear Kongkong (grandfather) enjoyed his own bucket of wings that he wouldn't even want to share with my auntie (teehee) ! It was pretty good, not too spicy and the wings had just the right amount of meat too. Fast forward to last Saturday, I woke up right before ...

I love seafood! Nothing makes a meal greater than enjoying fresh seafood cooked in various ways -- from steamed to fried, from baked to grilled whichever way you take you'll surely enjoy your seafood plate. When my cousin invited us to try the much-talked-about The Boiling Crab for lunch last week, I was very excited that I was up at 7AM eagerly waiting for our 12NN lunch date. Thanks to our handy GPS, we got to The Boiling Crab at Rowland Heights just in time. I love the laid-back wharf-like ambiance where vandalism is allowed. Yep! You read it right, check out the walls and you'd see scribbles from customers whether it bears their names or a short message stating their presence in the restaurant. Head to the table and you'd be led to a bear table-top with a wax paper cover. No utensils here as they mean real business about getting your hands dirty to enjoy their freshest catch. All you get is a plastic bib to shield your clothes from the possible mess that you...

My sister and I live under the same roof yet in these past few weeks, I hardly had the chance to chat with her. She has been very busy with work that she would come home late at night while I've been feeling extremely tired lately that I was already in bed as early as 10PM (sign of early aging? I hope not!) . I guess she misses me so much already (haha!) that she sent me an SMS last Friday inviting me to an afternoon bonding session before heading home. I immediately said yes and I was so excited that I hardly could sit through all my meetings that day. Finally at around 530PM, I left the office to head to Podium for our much-awaited bonding session. We agreed to meet at Borough , a restaurant that I've been wanting to try out. I'm glad my sister was game enough to take that longer walk to Podium from her office instead of just hopping over to SM Megamall. See, she misses me THAT much! :) I bought a P495 coupon from Deal Grocer a month ago. It's a set consisting...

Upon landing at Kuala Lumpur and heading straight to our hotel to check in, Paul and I decided to grab an early lunch at the Pavillion Mall which was located right beside Novotel KL . Following the map, we made our way down to the basement where there was a huge Food Republic and a row of interesting looking restaurants. One immediately caught my eye -- Madame Kwan's . I remember this being recommended by a reader here and I told Paul we have to try this. I love the cozy green and white interiors and the service was great too. We were immediately led to our table and soon we were busy scanning the menu. Since first tasting the Nasi Lemak served at the Swissotel's breakfast buffet spread and I've been hooked ever since! I love the aroma of the coconut rice mixed with salty peanuts and anchovies! Since this is a Malaysian dish, of course it is a must to try Nasi Lemak right in Kuala Lumpur and this was one of the dish that we got here at Madame Kwan's. Knowing ...

Coming from my much-awaited birthday leave yesterday, my boss treated us out to lunch. We have been talking about this hidden Chinese restaurant near The Power Plant Mall and finally set the date to try it out ourselves. On our way out of the office, we suddenly realized that neither one of us knows the exact direction to the restaurant. Thanks to fellow blogger Chris we finally found it after taking 2-3 detours and u-turns. There was not a single signage in front rather the gate simply has the house number and a bond paper Job Opening announcement. Not even the next door neighbor knows that they have a Hunan restaurant right beside them. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind hidden food destination that I've been to. We were actually the first customers there. The interiors is simple, white walls with wooden tables and chairs. On each table is a simple looking round tissue holder. I love their menu as it has photos of every single dish available! This is perfect for those who ...

Indian cuisine always has this distinct taste and flavor that never fails to perk up our taste buds. It was a busy Tuesday night when I scheduled to have dinner at Legend of India , the newest Indian restaurant along Jupiter street in Makati, with a couple of friends. On our way there, I was already psyching myself up for some delicious, flavorful Indian dishes that I'm sure will be served to us that evening. We were one of the last who arrived and the group was already busy munching on something that looks very much like trail mix. It's called Mixed Chevro , I was told, it has a mix of different Indian crackers, nuts and dried fruits. I took a small scoop and poured everything into my mouth, oh I love how the flavor suddenly burst into my mouth. It was delightful! I can taste a little bit of anise seeds, the salty nuts, the mildly spiced crackers and the sweet raisins. Yum! I lately found out that they're selling bigger packs of these Indian snacks and I made a mental ...

I must have mentioned before that my sister is such an adventurous eater. An evidence of which was when we were driving along Jupiter street one day, looking for a place to have lunch. Among all the different restaurants that seems to be worthy of a visit, only one caught my sister's attention and that later became our lunch date venue. With its bright orange facade, how can one not notice Indian by Nature despite being located at the 2nd floor of the same building that houses Mey Lin Pot & Noodles, Malacca and the store of well-known designer Debbie Co. Walking inside the restaurant, we were the only guests there. I was told that their peak hours is at night where a lot of customers who go there to have dinner and a couple of drinks. Pan and I were given a table near the bar. The lighting was pretty dark which I guess makes it perfect for an evening ambiance. There's a huge TV screen playing Indian drama series which was also a delight to watch. We enjoyed the ambiance w...

It's no secret that Paul and I have truly fell in love with Singapore . The clean environment, honest system and good food... there is no doubt that a lot of people echos our sentiments as they frequently visit this beautiful country. While we just got back from a recent trip and we have to stay in town as we prepare for our BIG day this does not mean that we have to deprive ourselves from enjoying a plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice or a basket of freshly baked Roti Canai and wait for our next trip. One Saturday evening, we satisfied our craving at Banana Leaf Asian Cafe were we feasted not only on our Singaporean favorites but also on a couple of Malaysian must-tries that got us really excited for our upcoming trip to Kuala Lumpur next year. First off was Paul's favorite -- the Roti Canai with Curry Sauce (Php. 78 + Php. 30). One order comes with one big roti that is good for sharing. The best way to enjoy this is to tear the roti with your hands and dip it into the bowl o...

Passion. This is one thing that I believe that will keep you going no matter what. Take blogging for instance. I've been a blogger for almost eight years now. The first 6 years of my blogging life was centered on a personal site where I poured my heart and mind out into every single word that I wrote. It served as a documentary of my life as a college student and further on as I began to enter the corporate world. Eventually, I became less dramatic and realized that I want to talk about something that I'm totally passionate about -- Food and Travel. Thus, Frannywanny was born. As a blogger, I seek excitement in being able to share my day-to-day adventures with everyone. My heart skips a beat every single time I receive a new message from you, my dear readers. At times, someone would come up to me and ask where do I get the determination to blog regularly and I would simply say that blogging is my form of stress release. This is my way of unwinding after a busy day at work. W...