Frannywanny

It's the start of the Lenten week and this means, I'll be shying away from meat and will say hello to more seafood! I think I really have to add more to my yearly sacrifice as admittedly, I love seafood so much that I really do not mind having this on a daily basis. A few weeks ago, I went to join a couple of my blogger friends to try a new restaurant at the equally newly-opened hotel called Hotel Boss in the Lavender district. I was surprised at how big the hotel was and I have to say that it's very strategically located as it's just a block away from Kampong Glam where all the cool cafes are and Bugis is just a few meters away. There are also a lot of dining options at the ground floor of the hotel whether you want to go local or to treat yourself to a wide-array for international fare. Gills n Shells  is located along the Rochor Canal where there's a cemented jogging path which will lead you straight to the Lavender MRT . I love the cool breeze that you...

Back when I was starting this blog, I honestly had no idea about good food photography much less food styling . In fact, if you scroll down to my first few blog posts, my photos were pretty grainy and tiny as I used my then trendy Nokia phone to take those *ahem* amazing photos. A few years after that, Paul got into photography and the quality has improved so much. Later on, he learned the basics of proper lighting, setting the right angle and food styling. All those, we do in order to give you the most mouth-watering photo possible with the least amount of editing as that's one skill neither of us are good at. We like to keep things natural anyway— #nofilter as the youngsters would say. Social Media and this blog have changed our lives in such a creative way. Cooking at home is not just merely frying something in a pan, transferring it to a plate and ta-da, it's time to dig in. Nowadays, it involves taking a photo of the ingredients or if you dare, creating a Snapchat vi...

Every time we fly home, Paul and I would go over our growing list of restaurants to try in Manila. I tell you, it has really been a challenge to keep up as there's just too many new restaurants and only a couple of visiting days available. As much as we love trying new restaurants, we also take this opportunity to re-visit our favorites. I'd say we get better in planning our itinerary through time. Take this recent visit for example, this is finally the only trip where we got to spend a lot of time with both families. Spending lunches with my in laws and dinners with my side, we took a break from our crazy back-to-back schedule to have quiet meals at home, long hours catching up or dining at our favorite places. So, for our first dinner in Manila, Mommy suggested that we go to Lugang Cafe . This has been one of my family's favorite restaurants as we are all fans of xiao long bao (steamed soupy dumplings) and Lugang Cafe makes one of the best in town. I'm so happy t...

Dear readers, Please make my birthday wish come true! I'm up against 4 extremely talented food/cooking bloggers for the Tefal Chef Challenge and after attending a cooking demo conducted by Chefs Jason Vito and Benson Tang of ONAKA , we're now tasked to create our very own recipe! Sadly, voting is only open to all those with Singapore IC/FIN numbers (in other words, you have to be based here to vote!). Nonetheless, I would like to ask you to pleaseeeeee ask your Singapore-based friends and relatives to vote for me! All who sends in their vote get the chance to win their very own Tefal Blendforce Triplax Blender & Chopper woth $79.90. Everyone can vote once  a day! To all Singapore-based readers, I'm countin on you! *hugs* Please VOTE for ME!!! ♥, Fran Here's sharing with you the entry that I've recently posted at the official Tefal Chef Challenge website . Don't you just wish that the weekend can go on forever? Imagine not having to rush ou...

Quietly tucked in one of the hidden corners of Bonifacio Global City is a bright and inviting Italian restaurant called Tuscano . Upon receiving an invite to have lunch there with fellow foodies Richard and Irene , Paul and I found the restaurant after a wrong turn and a phone call to Richard for more verifications. The restaurant is located at the ground floor of The Fort Residences thus parking is pretty limited. We truly welcomed the Valet Parking service that the restaurant offers allowing us to just hand over our keys to the valet and he'll do the rest. I love Italian food mainly because I love pasta! Luckily, Manila is booming with more and more restaurants that would save you the plane ticket to Italy and still you'll be able to enjoy a good plate of pasta or some freshly baked thin-crusted pizza anytime you want! Still, I wish that Paul and I will one day be able to visit Europe and eat all the pizza, bread, pasta and cheeses to our hearts delight. Someday...someda...

Forgive me dear readers as I'm still in truffle heaven. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face as I thought of that delicious plate of pasta that I had last night. Indeed, this just got to be one of the best hangovers that I've ever had and here I am daydreaming about it again as I type this entry. Finally, after months of planning, Paul and I met up with a couple of his cousins for dinner at Lusso . This is to bid goodbye to two cousins who will be traveling soon and to also celebrate ML's birthday at the same time. What a fun celebration! We initially had a hard time looking for the restaurant as there was no huge signage which you will commonly see in most restaurants but rather all they have is an engraved signage spelling out LUSSO at the handle of the restaurant door. Very subtle yet so elegant. Reservations were made and our party of 12 was comfortably seated inside. The menu came in the form of a small lengthwise piece of paper with back-to-back print...

After spending the entire afternoon trick or treating with my 3 year old Supergirl niece Julia and 1 year old Peter Pan nephew Jairus, I hurried home to get ready as Paul and I were to double date with.... my parents! It's funny that all throughout our 8 years of dating, I realized that Paul and I never really had the chance to go out with just my parents. Normally, my sister would join us or sometimes we'd even have the entire clan dining out with us. More than anything, I just want Paul to feel more at ease with my parents especially with Papa who, at times, thinks I'm still his 5-year-old daughter and is still in the process of realizing and accepting that I am a 29 year old grown woman who has been married for more than a year. I guess my story is nothing out of the ordinary as I'm sure most daughters, especially those who are really close to their dads, can totally relate with me. *nods slowly* Since this is a rare occasion, I made sure my choice of restaura...

Va Bene when translated in Italian means "ok", "alright", or "just right". Given the very positive sounding name, Paul and I drove all the way to Makati to meet up with our friends L and T in this little pasta deli within the same compound of the Petron Gas Station . Their big day is fast approaching and we can feel the excitement (more of it coming from us) and the tension (more from them) . However, knowing how organized my friend L is I'm sure everything will go as planned and I can't wait to witness their special day. It's amazing, we began double-dating just around the same time T was courting L and Paul was courting yours truly. Later on, we became a couple two years before they did (obviously, my friend L was really hard to get! haha) and imagine our excitement when L told me that they're engaged just a few months after Paul and I tied the knot! We really are soul sisters as we seem to be celebrating the same milestones in life ...

This week was very stressful...both at work and for my personal life. With so many pending tasks calling out my name all at the same time, I just wish I can just close my eyes and everything will just move around in a snap. However, if there's one moment this week when I hope time would just stand still and things would go in slow mo, it would be during my lunch last Wednesday with my sister. We felt like one of the girls of Sex and the City enjoying their lunch out in a lovely restaurant with the best tasting food. Yes, I felt like I was in heaven for two hours away from the office. Well, I just had the most delicious crepe I've ever tasted in my life and I enjoyed this with a glass of bubbly too! Crespella with Tartufo Sauce Crepe stuffed with ham and cheese and covered with rich, creamy truffle sauce...need I say more? Definitely found heaven on my plate.  Let me tell you more about this particular lunch in the following days. Meanwhile, enjoy the weekend ever...