Feel like a Princess at the Swissotel Stamford Hotel

After 10 days of travelling, walking, shopping and eating, we're finally back in Manila for a quick stop before enjoying 3 gorgeous days under the sun. Meanwhile, allow me to share with you some bits and pieces of what made our honeymoon simply perfect.

Let me start off with our hotel accomodation in Singapore. Thanks to Paul's cousin J, who recommended this hotel to us, we checked in at the Swissotel The Stamford Hotel.

Little did we know that we just check ourselves into the tallest hotel in Singapore. I remember having a photo with my sister back when we were little and the hotel was simply called The Stamford. I was at awe! I couldn't believe how beautiful our hotel was.


Entering the room, we marveled at the lovely comfy-looking bed. Perfect to make you feel like a king and queen. The room was very spacious given that we got the standard type, there's a tea box with TWG tea packs and a glass study table on the side.

Stepping out on the balcony, I enjoyed the view of the following...

Suntec City

Singapore's CBD

and the beautiful Esplanade

Not bad huh?!

The next day, we went down to the 2nd level for breakfast. We were given the choice to either have it at the hotel's Kopi Tiam or at the Cafe Swiss. We chose the later simply because of its beautiful bright interiors.


They had a very wide selection of breads, hot Japanese, Chinese, Vegetarian and Indian dishes, we enjoyed the cold cuts and the egg creations too.


Paul enjoyed the different spreads that we generously applied on his bread. From Nutella to Strawberry Jam to different cheeses and a lot more, this is definitely what you call BREAKFAST.


I loved the Nasi Lemak as well as the Smoked Salmon which I had for 5 consecutive mornings.

Service was superb as we enjoyed daily replenishments of coffee, tea and toiletries. We were also well-guided by their friendly concierge representatives during times when we need help on how to get to a particular location.

Proximity was perfect too! It's located adjacent to the Raffles Mall that has an MRT Station at the basement and it's within walking distance to the Esplanade, Merlion Park, Suntec City and a lot more. We basically just kept on walking all day long!

This just got to be the best hotel accomodation that we've had so far. Definitely a perfect honeymoon choice where we were treated like a prince and a princess. :)

Swissotel The Stamford is located at 2 Stamford Road, Singapore.

Grab some OREO!

How do you enjoy your OREO cookie?

This has been a constant pantry conversation that never fails to elicit laughter and amusement. Some would just eat it whole while some would twist it open, lick the cream and enjoy the chocolate cookie one bite at a time.

My style is different though...since I am not fond of the cream but I adore the crunchy chocolate-y cookie and so I carefully twist open my OREO, scrape out the cream and give this to Paul who happily enjoys his OREO with extra cream and pop the entire thing into my mouth.

My sister, on the other hand, took inspiration from an old OREO advertisement as she dunks her cookie into a glass of cold milk before taking a bite.

Recently, I stumbled upon this fun website that allowed me to get a free OREO sampler pack at any 7-11 outlet of my choice! Not only that, we get to play the twist, lick and dunk game that will allow us to win fun prizes! :)

Go on, sign up now at http://shareoreo.com/ and get your very own OREO sampler pack!! :)

Hitched!

After 7 long years of dating....more than a year of preparations...dealing with a million butterflies in our stomaches...


We finally made IT! :)

Now off to our honeymoon for a fresh batch of food adventures!!! Catch ya'll later! :)

Double Date at Asian Twist

We're so blessed to have a number of couple friends whom we regularly go out on double/triple/quadruple/quintuple (!!!) dates with. Paul and I truly enjoy chatting with them and sharing stories knowing that we can all relate with one another.

Such is the case with one of our favorite couples S and J who just got married not so long ago and are now busy opening their very own hardware shop (for readers living in Quezon City please drop by their shop called N.S. Amoranto along..you guess it right! N.S. Amoranto street!). I always look forward to dinner dates with S and J simply because they are really fun to be with! We can all just chat and chat all night and end the evening feeling happier and stress-free.


One evening, we got a message from J inviting us out to dinner. Since we were just around the vicinity, we agreed to meet up near their hardware shop as Paul and I are looking for something new. J suggested Asian Twist. Following S' instructions, we were able to find the restaurant in no time. While waiting for S and J, I surveyed our neighboring tables and noticed that a lot of people were ordering Bibimbap-like meals. I browsed through their menu and saw that they have added a twist to this Korean favorite. Not only would you Bibimbap have the usual ground meat and veggies, you may opt to get the Bagnet version or one that has an assortment of seafood.

Finally, S and J have arrived and before catching up with one another with a lot of stories lined up, we let J go through the menu and order our dinner.


First on the list was California Maki, I have been eyeing this since I first saw this on the menu and I guess I have showed my enthusiasm by nodding repeatedly. It might be a bit far from authenticity but it was a pretty good one. For one thing, I love it that they were very generous with the ebiko, one thing a lot of restaurants would scrimp on. They were extra creative too by adding tempura flakes to get that Japanese feel.


Next was the Stir-Fried Beef and Vegetable Teppanyaki. I got to say, J made a great choice as this dish was fragrant to begin with and flavorful with all the crunchy veggies and tender beef sauteed in their delicious teppanyaki sauce. So yummy!


I told J that a lot of people ordered the Bibimbap and she was just as curious as I was that we agreed to get a bowl of Seafood Bibimbap to share. Even the guys enjoyed this rice dish as they were once again generous with the mix of squid, kani and shrimp. Who would have thought that Bibimbap can be done in so many ways! I love the burnt rice layer too! I'm definitely going back for more!


Last was the Crispy Pork Knuckles (Crispy Pata). This was perfect had we ordered a couple of ice cold beer but since we all had work the next day, we stuck to a pot of hot herbal tea instead. We felt that there should have been more meat as the fat portion was pretty bit and the rest was the huge knuckle bone.

I'm so happy that S and J led us to this new discovery. We should definitely explore this part of town more often as there seems to be a lot of hidden gastronomic gems in every corner.

I can't wait to go back and try their other Bibimbap dishes! Thank you S and J for the lovely dinner! :)

Asian Twist is located at 101 N.S. Amoranto (formerly known as Retiro street), Quezon City. Call them at 711-2248 / 749-3878.

Frannywanny on Billboard

Despite having a very hectic schedule which is somewhat taking a toll on my body and spirit... A colleague told me today that he saw my Billboard ad along EDSA early this evening and THAT made my day.

Sharing with you my ad courtesy of Nuffnang Philippines:



Catch it along EDSA North Bound near Guadalupe Mall! Woohoo!! My ad along the biggest, most busier road in Metro Manila! :)

The Time has Come

This just goes to show how time can really fly...


Almost a year ago, I blogged that our countdown has officially begun as we marked our 365 days race to the altar...

As of today, we are down to our last 6 days and I'm sure that will go by in a snap. I can feel a million butterflies in my stomach, I feel like I'm racing against time. With so many things to do, how I wish time can slow down a bit and allow me to take my time.

Finally, we're down to the final leg and just about the same time next week, I will officially be married to the man of my dreams.

I will try to update you all once in a while but for now my world has to stop as I attend to the biggest event that I will ever have in my life.

Wish me luck, dear readers!

- Fran