Frannywanny

From one foodie mecca to another. Putting cleanliness, ease in mode of transportation and security aside, Manila and Singapore still share a couple of similarities most especially in being the best place to be for food lover's like you and me. Back home, our neighborhood alone is quickly becoming a go-to place when you're in the mood to try new homegrown (a.k.a. local) food concepts. One thing we have to remember is that it was in San Juan where the country's milk tea pioneer, Serenitea , first opened shop. San Juan is also known to be the modern-day Chinatown. Here, you'll see a number of Chinese delis, Chinese specialty shops, three Filipino-Chinese schools, a Buddhist temple and a lot more. In the past year alone, more restaurants opened and one of those was Mu Noodle Bar . I must have been out of the radar but I felt like Mu Noodle Bar opened so quietly that it was only through hearsay that I found out about this modern Chinese restaurant. What prompted me to t...

Tonight, I left the office later the usual as I had to attend a work-related event. It's a Friday night and with no other plans for the evening, I invited Paul to join me for late dinner. There's a newly opened restaurant in the neighborhood called Toki Q and I've been excited to try it as I see it every day on my way to work. Finally, it's now open and ready to serve the public. Toki Q boasts of being the first restaurant in the Philippines using the Rotating BBQ griller. Contrary to traditional grillers, it takes one Yakitori stick 3-5 minutes to grill while others would take more than 10 minutes, give or take. This allows them to serve your order fresh and hot just the way a yakitori should be. I tried the Combo 2 with Miso soup and Drink (Php. 149). All orders except for the group platters come with Unlimited Rice. This is perfect for office workers looking for a good lunch option nearby. The rice was sticky and fragrant which I like. The Combo 2 comes wit...

*SPONSORED POST*  3:30 AM, onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 311 My short one-hour and a half nap was interrupted with this message from the pilot: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Local time is 30 minutes past the hour of three in the morning … I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board Cebu Pacific again.” Yes, I am finally back in Manila and my amazing three day vacation in Taipei has finally come to an end. I was feeling a bit light-headed as sleeping in the airplane was not exactly what I’d call comfortable nevertheless; our flight was pretty smooth all throughout. After speeding past through immigration and customs, we found Mommy and our driver Kuya M waiting for us at the Arrival Gate. Traffic was non-existent at this hour so we were able to zoom pass EDSA in minutes. Arriving at our neighborhood, I asked Mommy if we can grab something to eat. Obviously, everything was close...

A year ago, Paul and I tried My Thai Kitchen when it opened a branch along Wilson street. My experience was ok but simply not memorable at all. I guess we chose the wrong dishes or the taste was just not at par with our expectations, needless to say, we never went back since then. However, I do believe in second chances. A year after, with raves given by my sister and friends, we decided to give My Thai Kitchen another try. This time we were careful, taking into consideration recommendations given by the server, we were hopeful that our second visit would be a charm. One thing I like about My Thai Kitchen is its attractive menu. With well-photographed dishes, it can easily convince diners to order more. We began with Fried Spring Rolls (Php. 155) for starters. I love the glass noodles and minced meat added inside and the sauce perfectly complemented the crunchy rolls. This can be enjoyed as a starter or together with a cup of Thai Jasmine Rice. Just like our first visit,...

I grew up learning how to appreciate tea and loving the different tea variants that has entered the market. This goes way back when my family would spend our Sunday afternoon tea bonding with each other at a hotel lobby. While the parents chit-chat, we kids munched on scones, canapes and mini tea sandwiches as we drank cups and cups of tea. At times, we would have dimsum for lunch and together with all of our steamed favorites, we would fill up our teacups with hot tea, be it chrysanthemum, jasmine or oolong. Just lately, you've witnessed how fond I was over a neighborhood milk tea shop where I would make it a point to buy myself a large cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea on my way home from work. This went on for quite some time and I've influenced a number of friends in the process . My tea addiction can be pretty infectious. Before this neighborhood milk tea though, I came across a cute Japanese-looking store at the basement of SM Megamall . It was my sister who first discov...

In our family, one's birthday celebration does not begin and end on our respective birth dates itself rather it starts a couple of days (even a week) before and ends one to two weeks after. However, what remains constant is that intimate birthday dinner that we always look forward to with just the 5 of us. This year, my mom, sensing my craving for Uni Sushi decided to celebrate my birthday at Yuujin Japanese Restaurant along Wilson street. We're a family who loves Japanese food and we love sashimi and sushi with loads of wasabi! Yuujin reminded me of my favorite Sugi Restaurant that my family used to frequent on a weekly basis. With the wooden furnitures and brown/white color scheme they should have added some tatami rooms to add more authenticity to the entire feel. I allowed myself to fully enjoy our dinner that I almost forgot to take photo had it not been for Paul who reminded me before I almost dove for the sushi platter. My apologies also for not getting the ex...

It has been two years since our last visit to the Land of Smiles a.k.a. Bangkok and one thing that why we miss it so much is because of their delicious food. Every meal was an adventure as we try their local favorites such as the Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pomelo Salad and of course the Thai Iced Tea. I think we must have had Pad Thai in almost every single meal during our three days, two nights stay. After work, one week day, Paul and I found ourselves at My Thai , the newest Thai restaurant along Wilson street in San Juan . It's part of the same group as Pho Hoa and Jack's Loft wherein you may also cross-order from these two other restaurants. Inside, the interiors was predominantly red with tiny black drawers lining up the wall. We chose to sit at the couch which was way more comfy than being in the yellow wooden chairs. Our My Thai picks I was craving for Thai Pork Bagoong Rice (Php. 230) which is what I first ordered even without opening the menu. No visit to a...

What's your gimik style? I must admit mine normally consists of an intimate and delicious dinner followed by a long night cap over coffee. When given more time, I would probably choose to watch a movie or to sing the night away at the KTV. I was never good at bar-hopping and perhaps the only reason why I would visit a bar is when they do also serve good food . Such is the case when I received an invite from fellow blogger Hannah to attend the Grand Opening of Luna Resto Bar along Wilson street in Greenhills. Aside from the fact that it's perfectly located within my neighborhood, I believe that Paul and I deserve a break from our usual routine and it's time to do something exciting such as spending the night with friends while enjoying Luna's good food and drinks. To get the party started, we were served with the Luna Nachos (Php. 220). Said to be the Best Nachos in Town , true enough, I love Nachos and this version earned at least 10 thumbs up signs from our table. ...

"I badly need a massage." This has been my most recent complain everytime Paul would ask how my day was at work. Thankfully, my boyfriend knows me well enough to immediately get my (billboard size) hint. Not that I do intense manual labor but it's more of my need to take time out and to relax -- physically and mentally. Finally, I got my wish. Taking my friend Jane's recommendation , we tried the newest spa in the neighborhood. The drive to Ahavia was a very short one. Located at the not-so-busy side of Wilson Street, we entered a private parking lot that leads to the garden entrance of the spa. The ambiance instantly reminds me of Thailand: the artistic decors and my personal favorite -- the outdoor chairs that is shaped like a cupped hand. Upon entering, we were greeted by Ms. Carol, a very very very friendly and accomodating woman, whose son owns the spa. Surveying the interiors, I can't help but notice that it looked like a typical home with the spa ...