Back to Back at Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant, Robinsons Magnolia

This particular entry marks my 1,192nd blog post here at Frannywanny.com. This means that I've written that much in the span of 6 years! Quite a LOT, isn't it? Out of all the entries, I'd say that 80% are on the different restaurants I've tried locally, 15% are those I was able to visit abroad and the rest are on shopping finds, home ideas, beauty, my occassional musings and a lot more. Therefore, if you do the math, I've visited about 953 local restaurants to date. Now, that explains why I'm still a far cry from having a supermodel body. Haha!

Given the numbers I've mentioned above, there are still some restaurants that I'm surprised I haven't gotten around to blogging about. Thus, I'm making it my 2013 resolution to ensure that they make it to this blog site for me to share my favorites with you. One of those is my go-to place whenever the need to have some comfort food comes about. I'm talking about Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant.

For years, I would frequent Conti's mainly for two things -- their Baked Salmon and the Mango Bravo Cake. It's really convenient that there's a Conti's branch located within my neighborhood allowing Paul and I to easily drop by to buy the cake before heading off to a birthday party or what not.

During our recent visit home, we agreed to meet up with our dear friends L and T for lunch. Conti's recently opened a new branch at Robinsons Magnolia and being the "balikbayans" that we feel we already are, we chose to dine there to be able to check the mall out. We agreed to meet up for late lunch which was around 1PM. By then, we were expecting for the restaurant to be empty. Well, I just have to tell you that there was still a line outside at that hour. Luckily, I was able to make prior reservations so we didn't have to wait and were quickly ushered to our table.

I didn't have to check the menu out to know what I'm getting. This is a rare occassion wherein I was 101% sure of what I will be ordering. Of course, when dining at Conti's, do not ever miss out on the Conti's Baked Salmon (Php. 355). This is, if I'm not mistaken, the only menu item that Conti's has attached its name to it. I am normally more inclined towards ordering signature dishes or those with the restaurant's name on it as it somehow gives me an assurance that it's the best the restaurant has to offer. As for Conti's, they made the right choice in making the Baked Salmon their signature dish. This is really one of the yummiest item in the menu! How can you ever say no to tender salmon steak baked with parmesan cheese and garlic. It's served with buttered veggies (read: corn kernels) and java rice. If you asked me, I'd be happy having just the fish, some buttered brocolli or string beans and garlic rice. The java rice was too overpowering and for a yummy fish like this, you need something more subtle. Somehow I felt that the rice was not complementing the salmon but rather it's struggling to be in the limelight too.

Paul was craving for some traditional Pinoy breakfast fare that's why he chose the Chicken Tocino (Php. 150). According to him, it was just a-okay. He wishes he got the Homemade Beef Tapa instead though. Maybe on our next visit, dear husband.

Of course, what's a meal at Conti's without having cakes. Since L & T are not quite up to having Mango Bravo since, lik us, they've been ordering this since time immemorial, we agreed to try something else. Taking the advice of our server, we tried the Choco Overload Cake instead. I like how the cake had varying layers with different kinds of chocolate. From chiffon to mousse, it wasn't too sweet making me like this cake a lot.

Frannywanny's Birthday Treat at Mitsuyado Sei-Men!!!

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 market leader should not make you complacent. You always have to be on your toes to innovate, innovate and innovate some more. I'm so happy to see that Mitsuyado, being the first ramen house to serve Tsukemen-style ramen, has expanded their menu and boy were they all delicioso!

Let me begin with the appetizer. I love Edamame and believe me, I can consume an entire bowl! It's so good, a bit salty yet overly addicting. Give it a soft bite on one end and slowly poke your finger through the thick rubbery shell to pull out the slippery beans inside. I don't even use my finger anymore instead I just let my teeth push the beans out to coat it with the salt that covers the "shell".

For those who loves pork, you just have to try the Char Siu Plate (Php. 180). The meat melts in your mouth as it's so tender and I love dipping this into the mustard that comes with it. It's so addicting and would perfectly go well with a bowl of Japanese rice.

Whenever Paul and I dine at a Japanese restaurant, we somehow make it a point to order a plate of Gyoza (Php. 180). If you like your gyoza filled with soup similar to a Xiao Long Bao inside, then this will definitely hit the spot. I like mine juicy but not saucy so this was just a-okay for me. However, I got to admit that I was impressed with the quality of the wrapper. It stayed intact from serving plate to my plate to my mouth. Bravo!

Cova Tapas y Sangria in Jupiter Street, Makati

In the past months that I'm away from home, I had this big realization. While everyone thinks that Long Distance Relationship is hard... Long Distance Friendship is just as challenging and truly a test to see who are the friends you seriously have to keep in your life. Not wanting to sound melodramatic but yes, we do know that we all have our own lives but real friends are there regardless of time, distance or whatever conditions are there. After all, that's what social media is for. It connects people. This is a sad reality that I'm coming to terms with but hey, that's life.

Anyway, the reason why I brought this up is because everyday, I wake up thankful for the friends who would continue to keep in touch. Their presence makes us feel like we're not miles and miles away. During one occasion, I was even able to witness a special moment in the life of my friend B who tied the knot with her prince charming P. I saw them exchange their vows and had their first kiss as husband and wife. Thanks to our friend K who connected me via Skype. I cheered and clapped as if I was also in the chapel with everyone else. Perhaps, if there was a camera aimed at me that moment, I would have looked extremely silly but that's okay. All I cared about was to be part of B's special day. B and K have been my good friends for years. We may not get to see each other on a weekly basis but every chance we get to hang out, I always go home with a big smile on my face. Being with them, even for a few hours, can immediately erase all the day's stress and worries away. Aside from that, we all share a love for food and eating out with them is just so much fun.

One dinner, we decided to meet up for some Spanish fare. Our choice venue was at Cova Tapas y Sangria which was relatively new then and was creating a buzz in the foodie community. I was also on a paella love phase back then thus the consecutive visits to different Spanish restaurants around town. Cova's ambiance is like a bar. Dark, modern and hip, it gives a very stylish vibe and a place where you can hang out with friends after work.

Our meal began with the very popular Huevos Cabreados (Php. 320). This is such a fun appetizer wherein you get shoestring potatoes (think: Piknik), chorizo, aioli cream, salsa and topped with sunny-side-up! You see, this dish has all of my favorite things -- aioli cream, egg, chorizo, sweet tangy salsa and potatoes! The best way to eat this is to mix everything up. Make a little mess, that's okay. It's just fun to enjoy the different flavors this singular dish can bring. Cova's version was very good and I'm glad we can now have this in Manila. Making it more accessible should the craving for more Huevos Cabreados comes about.

Spicy Thai at The Line, Shangri-la Hotel Singapore

For a few hours last night, it felt like Paul and I rode on a magical jet that transported us to Thailand for dinner and back to Singapore right after. In reality, we just had another visit back to Shangri-la Hotel Singapore to join a couple of online writers and bloggers for their media preview of the upcoming Spicy Thai Festival happening at The Line from May 17 (Friday) to 26 (Sunday), 2013.

If you remember, a month ago, Paul and I were lucky enough to be given the chance to have a fun weekend staycation at the Shangri-la Hotel Singapore. During this time, we were also able to have a hearty Sunday brunch at The Line, the hotel's interactive international buffet restaurant.

This time we're back to experience the new dishes that resident Thai Chef Ratree has in store for all The Line dinner customers from Friday onwards.  

Let me share with you the dishes that we were able to try during our 6 course dinner last night: 

Our dinner began with a very familiar appetizer called Miang Kam. I was so happy to be able to try this again as I enjoyed this tremendously in Thai Bistro in Manila. However, I was spoiled back home as the Miang Kam was already topped with the fillings and all I had to do was to roll it up and to eat it in one go. Here, it's a deconstructed version where the ingredients are laid out in front of you and it's really up to you how you want your Miang Kam to go. Want it more sour? Add more lime! Want it spicy, load up on the chili. It was still delicious nonetheless and a lot of fun mixing and matching the fillings. 

We also had the Khaotang Nga Thong which was one of my favourites for the night. It's another fun DIY starter where you have a good amount of crispy rice crackers and an assortment of Thai chutneys beside it. I particularly liked the one at the left as it's made of pork and had a sweet, creamy taste. The one beside it had salted egg and the dark brown chutney is made of chili paste. All were good and I wish we had more rice crackers to spread these chutneys on. During the buffet though, you'll surely be able to get all the rice crackers that you want just make sure you're getting just what you can consume.

Following the delicious rice crackers, we had a trio of more appetizers -- Yam Som O, Lab Gai and Yam Woon Sen. 

The Yam Som O is very popular in Manila as this is the traditional Thai Pomelo Salad. It tasted just like how it does back home only it had a spicier kick. 

The Lab Gai is minced chicken with ground rice and mint leaf. They have also incorporated chopped red chili into it making it really fiery hot. Wrapped in cucumber, I really like how the cucumber leaves a refreshing and soothing after taste. 

Lastly, the Yam Woon Sen is spicy glass noodles (think -- sotanghon) with poached prawns. I really like this a lot but I couldn't finish it because it was once again too spicy for me. 

At this point, I took a break and checked out the buffet spread. Amazing! they even had a huge Roasted Turkey available that evening. I had to resist from trying this as we still had three more courses to go. However, I couldn't resist the fresh sashimi and sushi plus a couple of soft cheese slices. These were able to soothe my burning tongue. *phew* 

Marufuku Japanese Restaurant in Pasig

Back then I used to think that the only way to go is to surround yourself with lots of friends. The more the merrier, they say. However, as I grew older, I learned (in somewhat the hard way..) that quality still beats quantity anyday. Today, I have learned to let go of the rotten apples in my life and to keep the best ones close ones to my heart.

They say, the greatest friends you'll ever have in your life are those whom you've met in high school. I really think this saying is true. After all these friends chose to love you without any prior judgement on your status in life, the amount of money you have in your bank or who your family is. All they cared about is that you choose them as groupmate for the class project, you get to have lunch together and you're there for each other no matter what. I'm lucky that I found a number of great friends back in high school and even luckier that we're still very much in touch with one another at present.

A few months ago, one of my best friends C went home to Manila with her hubby J for a quick visit. It was perfect timing that Paul and I were still in town allowing us to still see C and J even for a short while. Of course, the entire group (a.k.a. the Four Musketeers) reunited for lunch at Marufuku Japanese Restaurant. What used to be a constant table for 4 in our school cafeteria became a fun table for 6 with our two husbands joining us. Someday, it'll be a table for 8 or even more when we're all married with kids! Yahoo!

Marufuku just opened back then thus I made it a point to check it out before I bid Manila goodbye. I love Japanese food so I was really excited to give this a try. Since they were still on soft opening, the menu was simpler and they had set meals to make it easier for us first timers. Paul got the Set Menu 2 (Php. 495) which consists of a plate of Chicken or Pork Teriyaki, Tonkatsu, Yakitori or Sunagimo, Salad, Miso Soup and a bowl of Japanese Rice. What a great deal, right? He was happy with his set meal most especially with the chicken teriyaki which he said was sweet and tender.

Yummy Eats 2013

You got it folks! It's THAT time of the year again where all foodies troop to one venue to spend one whole day eating, sampling, buying and learning how to COOK! I'd go as far to say that this could be the Philippine's very own National Foodie Day... it's Yummy Eats 2013 after all!

So, if you're the kind who's always on a look out for what's yummy out there then please mark your calendar and remember THE date -- May 18, 2013.

I may be miles away but this event (and the magazine) is very close to my heart. I can still remember my very first Yummy Eats back in 2011 and I can't believe they're now on their 3rd year! Woohoo!

This time, it's the baby of my dear friend ML so please show her the love and be there at the NBC Tent on May 18, 2013 (it's a Saturday!) from 10AM to 6PM. There will be 50 new food finds for you to check out and who knows, you might just find a couple of favourites.

Yummy Eats 2013 will be one fun day filled with a lot of activities that you can watch and enjoy. Here's the schedule line-up for the day:

12:00 NN: McCormick Cooking Demo
12:45 PM: Corelle’s game segment
01:00 PM: Hunt’s cook-off challenge
02:45 PM-03:00 PM: Raffle/ Minute to Win It
03:00 PM-04:45 PM: Magnolia Butter segment

I was able to take a peek at this year's food concessionaires line up and I tell you, I'm so tempted to just hop on the plane and to be there next weekend. I saw a lot of new food brands that sounds so interesting and there are a couple of old favourites that will be giving you first dibs on their upcoming products!

Take my advice, be sure to be at the NBC Tent next Saturday. Invite your friends and family and and make it a whole day eating and cooking affair. To beat the long lines, why not buy your tickets online?

Still not convinced? Watch the video below to see what happened during last year's Yummy Eats:


So, save the date and tell me all about your Yummy Eats 2013 experience, okay?

Thinking of Mommy on Mother's Day

A mother holds her children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever 

- Unknown

While doing my research for work a couple of days ago, I chanced upon this quote and I liked it. For one, I think it's so true by just looking at how my own mommy cares for us. I've mentioned before that despite being an adult myself, I still do get my Mommy's weekly reminders -- eat well, exercise often, get enough sleep, don't stress yourself out so much, take vitamins, don't eat too many fatty/oily food, cook more veggies...and the list goes on and on. I live thousands of miles away from home and this doesn't stop my mom in sending me her daily sms to check whether I've had dinner, if I'm home and what am I doing up so late. Surprisingly, I do appreciate all these messages and nothing brightens my day than hearing from my family.

Theater lovers -- Me and Mommy

During one of my long walks home, I was able to think. Not about what I have to do at work, not about what I'll be eating for dinner but about my life. Everyday, I am thankful that He has blessed me with so many things. Finally, I found a career that I am so passionate about. I've been pretty lucky in the career-front. After all, not a lot of people can say that they have fulfilled a big childhood dream at the young age of 28. Then I began backtracking. Initially, I would say it's all luck and fate but looking beyond that, I thought of my parents.

Friends whom I grew up with are witness to how both my parents would bring us and pick us up from school. They did this every single day ever since I was in nursery up until I learned how to drive on my own..which was during my university years. They've NEVER been absent in any special activity that we may have. Even Papa would be there during Open Houses, school performances and of course, our graduation ceremonies. My Mom has always been joining our field trips as one of the class mommies and unlike others who would probably detest having their moms around, I honestly enjoyed every moment of it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is -- I wouldn't be ME without my parents. They were not instant millionaires and they've obviously made it clear to me and to Pan that money do not grow on trees. How they were able to send me and my sister to the best schools in the country is due to their hard work and determination. As a result, we got the best education which has equipped us with quality know-how to be able to face the competitive world that we are in now.

Sunday is Mother's Day and I feel a bit sad that I won't be home to celebrate it with Mommy. However, what she doesn't know is I've prepared a little surprise for her. I am praying that she won't read this before Sunday as I'm taking a big risk by revealing it here to all of you. Mommy is not the type who likes cakes as she isn't fond of anything overly sweet, creamy or oily. Just like me, she would scrape ALL the icings away and just eat the chiffon cake inside. So sending her a cake is out of the question.