7th FLOW Surf Yoga Samba Weekend Retreat

Summer is HERE!!!

While the weather may be pretty contradicting at the moment, April is just a few days away and I am definitely crossing my fingers for sunshine-y days ahead. A travel bug attracts other travel bugs. Your entries to my recently concluded Crumpler giveaway contest just made me more excited for summer knowing that we're all raring to head out to various domestic and international destinations in the coming weeks!


For those who are still planning their fun summer getaway, check out the 7th FLOW Surf Yoga Samba Weekend Retreat on April 28 to 30 at the Aliya Surf Camp in Baler, Aurora, Philippines.

This is an exciting 3-day weekend that will surely spark your spirit and leave your body and mind relaxed and revitalized. I'd say this is what most of us need at the moment. ;o)

Fondue Love at Eleven Tables

I was born to a family who loves to eat. Save for my Dad who has turned into a picky eater after his operation, the women in my family continues to be avid food lovers and our dinners, for instance, can go on and on and on.

Sadly, it's only I who wasn't gifted with a sexy body that whatever I eat immediately zooms straight to my hips and butt. I'd call it ala-JLo asset if only I don't have a growing tummy too. *boo!* Just watch how my sister and Mommy would eat. They'd be the first to sit down for dinner and the last to leave the table. After dinner, you'd find them nibbling on chocolates, dried prunes, chips and a lot more. Life is truly not fair. *sigh*


Anyway, one night after dinner, Pan and I were still craving for something sweet. Since we miraculously ran out of our chocolate stash at home, we decided to take a short drive to have some fondue! Yes! Fondue for dessert sounds yummy! The best thing is, I know just the place.

After doing my regular blog hops, I learned about this new restaurant called Eleven Tables serves all types of fondue and wine. What a classy combination! Located the Ace Plaza, this is the newest addition to the growing Kapitolyo restaurant family.

The place was filled which means all 10 other tables were occupied and we got the last one table in the house. What luck! Browsing the menu, Pan and I knew that we now wanted more than dessert. How can we say no to Bacon, Cheddar and Tomato fondue (Php. 340/600)? We enjoyed reading the menu as it has illustrations for fondue types. Since Mommy reminded us that we were there for dessert, we agreed to just get the small size that's really good for 2 pax. The large fondue, on the other hand, is good for 4 pax.


The Bacon, Cheddar and Tomato fondue came with bread, baby potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli. I love how generous they were with the dipping sauce. With our long-stemmed forks, we began dipping and biting into the cheesy covered veggies. I love how the bacon perfectly coats my piece of broccoli flower.

I'm definitely trying the Beef and Seafood Bourguignonnes on my next return.

Best Food Forward at the NBC Tent

I jump-started my weekend with lots of eating. Yes, after weeks of not being able to eat out as we've been having a crazy, jam-packed month, I made up for it last Saturday.


Paul and I headed to the NBC Tent to join our friends and favorite food buddies Richard, Irene and Lauren to check out the Best Food Forward which was on its 2nd year already. Like a very organized expo visitor, we made our way in by going through each aisle starting from the right side of the tent as we moved towards the left. There were also a lot of concessionaires located outside wherein most of them where selling grilled or deep-fried items.

I find this year's BFF to be more organized and attractive as they did away with the white sintra boards and stainless steel dividers which were present last year. The set-up actually reminded me of how we did Yummy Eats last year. Since most booths that needed major cooking were situated outside, this also eliminated the smoke from filling up the main tent and eventually sticking to our clothes and hair. My only comment was it was too hot! With more than 100 concessionaires in one venue and more than a thousand visitors present that day, they surely needed a stronger air-conditioning!

Nonetheless, the warm temperature didn't stop this foodie from visiting every single stall and sampling the various food items from Mochiko's mochi ice creams to my favorite Simply Pie mini quiches, from Gold Leaf Teas' delicious iced tea to Dragonfly Dessert's cake pops. Yep, all my favorite brands were there and I was definitely in food heaven.

Let me share with you some of my food discoveries from Best Food Forward:

1) Crunchy Pork Belly by Carlo's Kitchen


This was the first thing that we tried as Richard excitedly pointed this stall out to us. How can you go wrong with crunchy and perfectly crispy bagnet (pork belly)? Selling for Php. 100 per order you can walk around the NBC tent while munching on this mouthwatering treat...which was what we did, actually.

2) Shrimp and Garlic Quiche by Simply Pie


My friend Gail knows that I am one of her biggest fan. Back when Paul and I were selling at Mercato Centrale, I look forward to having Gail's yummy mini quiches for breakfast. After trying and falling in love with her famous Spinach, Feta and Sundried Tomato Quiche, she now made me try her newest flavor --Shrimp and Garlic. One bite and I gave Gail a two thumbs up! She has once again hit a jackpot by creating this delicious savory quiche! Definitely a must try.

Presenting the Crumpler Dry Red # 6 bag!!! ...and the WINNER is...

I love being the bearer of GOOD NEWS! Just the same way that I love receiving good news myself. Before I finally reveal who's the lucky winner of the recently concluded Crumpler Dry Red blog contest here at Frannywanny.com, I'd like to thank ALL 109 readers who took time out to submit their entries. If only I have 109 Crumpler Dry Red bags to give out, I'd gladly play Santa to all of you who joined right now.


The guessing game is over and I'd like to present to you the Crumpler Dry Red 6! This is what one lucky reader will be receiving from me very very soon!

Before anything, let me show you why this bag was my bag of choice and what makes it oh-so-ahhhmazing. This is one versatile bag. You can easily turn it into a sturdy backpack or into a light suitcase. It has a convertible strap that gives you the chance to either tote it like a sling bag, carry it like a backpack or hold the handles too. Furthermore, it can easily fit your 17" laptop and a few clothes and toiletries for overnight use. Seeing it, I'd call it a perfect travel bag especially for busy individuals like yours truly who continuous to jungle work-fun-personal-business and a lot more.

Read more about the Crumpler Dry Red #6 here.

Initially, I just had a simple summer travel plan. It just involves visiting a country up north to see the beautiful Cherry Blossoms and to stuff myself crazy with all the kimchis, bibimbaps, bulgogi and pajeon that I can take. However, lady luck must have been on my side that in the span of a week I now have to prepare for two more additional trips happening one week after the other. It'll be a busy season but I'm loving it and I'm thankful for the blessings! ♥

Pastry Princess at the Greenhills Town Center

"What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And everything nice..."
- What are Little Boys Made Of, a nursery rhyme


After our filling dinner at Sumo Sam, Paul and I decided to walk around the Greenhills Town Center to check the other establishments out. As we reached the back portion where Ha Yuan, a kebab place and an Asian mart are located, we also found Pastry Princess. I couldn't help but enter this cozy looking cafe that has a pretty baby pink interior.


Oh how I drooled as I look at the glass case filled with all sorts of yummy looking cupcakes! Suddenly, I wanted to have a cupcake for dessert! (Who said I was full from our Sumo Sam dinner? Not quite!)

The store is small but with free WiFi, this makes a great place to work or to hang out while enjoying a cupcake or two! In fact, we saw a mother-son tandem enjoying their chosen cupcakes that evening. The son was happily playing while the mom was busy with her laptop. They also serve coffee, tea and some fruit juices too!

Check out the pink poster on the wall. 

Definitely my life mantra! 

Satur-dating at Sumo Sam, Greenhills Town Center

While Paul and I love going out with our friends and family; once in a while, we make time to just spend a quiet evening enjoying each other's company. One Saturday night, we decided to have dinner out at the newly opened Greenhills Town Center located along Granada which is adjacent to Gilmore and Ortigas Avenue. We've been looking forward to checking this place out as it's located so close to home. Another place to consider when dining out most especially when we want to avoid the Greenhills Shopping Center traffic.


Greenhills Town Center is a small commercial complex that houses a number of food establishments like McDonald's, Ha Yuan, Seattle's Best Coffee, Red Buffalo and our dinner choice for that evening -- Sumo Sam. There are quite a number of new food shops that I will make sure to visit in the coming months.


Sumo Sam is located right at the entrance of Greenhills Town Center making it very easy to locate. Note though that parking is quite limited which is why we ended up parking at the side street beside the complex. We didn't mind the short walk since the weather was pretty cool that evening.


As we entered Sumo Sam, we were quickly led to our table and were handed the very heavy menu. I've dined at the other Sumo Sam branches before making me quite familiar with the menu. We started with a cup of Chawan Mushi (Php. 189). My favorite egg custard simmered in a delightful Japanese soup stock and mixed with crabmeat, mushroom and spring onions. My sister and I used to drink Sugi's Emperor's Soup and this one tasted just like it. I love Chawan Mushi though I make a conscious effort to just have this once in a while to avoid elevating my cholesterol level. Better to start early!

Jollibee Sundae Mix-ins MILO Blast goes to Mercato Centrale

How was your weekend?

As we are minutes away from Monday, I'd like to share with you how I spent these two amazing stress-free days! Boy, time flies when you having fun!


Yesterday, I woke up earlier than usual as I spent my Saturday morning at Mercato Centrale. Aside from visiting our former co-tenants, we joined the fun sampling activity conducted by Jollibee as they treated ALL market visitors and vendors to a cup of the new Jollibee Sundae Mix-ins MILO Blast!!!

What's cool is that even Jollibee was there to join in the fun!

Of course, I couldn't help but have a photo op with the happy orange bee! :) Jollibee, meet Mickey Mouse (points to my favorite weekend shirt)!

J. CO Donuts & Coffee Philippines opens in SM Megamall

The wait is FINALLY over!!!

My newest favorite donut brand, J.CO Donuts & Coffee Philippines, opened its doors to the anticipating public yesterday, March 15, 2012 at SM Megamall Building B and I'm lucky enough to be invited to be part of their exciting launch.

I got there just in time before the program started and the store was filled with so many people! It actually took me a while to finally locate Paul who was already waiting for me inside. There were just to many festivities happening -- nonstop donuts sampling, endless coffee and yogurt supply, fun photo booth session and a lot more!


Call me a stage best friend but I am so proud of T who's one of the driving forces behind this great Indonesian brand. Her numerous trips going back and forth to Indonesia has paid off as they finally opened their first store here in Manila and there's 4 more in the pipeline opening really soon! I beamed with pride as she delivered her welcome remarks to the crowd. Boys, isn't she gorgeous? ;)


Local celebrities and J. CO brand ambassadors Luis Manzano and Karylle hosted the program. I love Karylle's dress and I really find her so pretty! She and Luis were actually dressed as two of the J. CO donuts flavors -- can you guess which ones?

Frannywanny and Jollibee @ Mercato Centrale!!!

Hi readers!

I've been blogging for five years and what really keeps me going is YOU! I still get the thrill out of receiving messages that you guys would leave on my comment box and most especially when I get the chance to meet some of you outside.


This Saturday, I'm heading to Mercato Centrale and will be hanging out there with the cool Jollibee crew as they will sample the new and totally yummy Jollibee Sundae Mix-Ins MILO Blast to all market visitors that day!

To make things more exciting, I'll be spotting groups of friends enjoying this cool treat and will be rewarding them with Jollibee GCs!


I hope to see you guys on Saturday! Mark your calendars, March 17; 7AM to 2PM at Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City!

It'll definitely be one cool day!

Manang's at the Ateneo de Manila University

Back in college, I didn't go to the Blue school. However, I'd consider myself an honorary Blue Eagle with a sister and two best friends whom I would regularly visit at the Blue school whenever possible. One thing that I'll never forget during my visits is having lunch at Manang's. My school, on the other hand, is located at the heart of  the Ortigas business district thus lunch prices ranges from P100 up. I'd really be lucky to be able to score a good lunch below that price.


I'll never forget when T first made me try Manang's for lunch and as I got to the cashier, I thought she said one plate of liempo (pork belly) was Php. 130 when in fact it was only Php. 30! I think Manang found me silly for pulling out an extra hundred peso bill from my wallet and later giving her a shocked look as I realized I'm paying so much more.


Lunch was fun! I loved the tender, perfectly grilled pork belly that has a good amount of meat and a few tendons and bones here and there. Have one plateful for yourself, a cup of plain rice and a can of Coke and be ready to have one of the simplest, yet truly satisfying lunch you'll ever had in your university life. It has been more than a decade since and I continuously dream of Manang's liempo every now and then.

Thus, one Saturday, my sister and I agreed to have a double lunch date at Manang's in Ateneo. Paul hasn't tried Manang's yet and I'm so excited to let him taste the yummy liempo too!

CONTEST ALERT!!! Crumpler Philippines launches its Dry Red Line

Summer is definitely here and one thing that I love about this time of the year is that it's the perfect season to hit the beach! While I'd love to get a tan (or at least I continue to dream to get one); this year, I'm heading somewhere cold to chill like a polar bear and to have a perfect excuse to wear my fluffy, puffy coat!

Don't you just love traveling? I simply get the thrill out of getting a new stamp on my passport and really, I hope that I'd be able to fill it all up someday. I just love looking at the different stamps and visas that I get from every country.

With numerous traveling comes endless packing. This is one skill that I admittedly have yet to perfect. I use to be a travel hoarder wherein I tend to bring my entire house with me when I travel. As a result, I always have to deal with overweight luggages or a frustrated Paul, trying his best to make everything fit. That was until I went to the US for a two weeks vacation and there's really no other way to go but to pack smart and to just bring the essentials. I've learned the secret of rolling your clothes to lessen the empty spaces and how to pack in liquids without making a mess. I have a long way to go but I'm getting there.


Crumpler Philippines recently launched a new line called Dry Red. A visit to their store and I was given the chance to see all 11 kinds. From a toiletry bag to backpacks, from handy overnight laptop bags to a huge check-in spinner bag, they have it all and they got it in my favorite color...RED!

Let me share with you some of my favorites:

Dry Red 4 : The Check-In Luggage


Since Paul and I travel together a lot now, we usually share a huge luggage for our clothes and travel necessities and have a smaller hand-carry for our gadgets and urgent needs (eg: hat, shades, shawl, etc). Just recently, our poor luggage was destroyed perhaps due to mishandling by the plane staff. The combination lock was cracked into half and the only way to safely lock our bag is with the use of a padlock. So much for modern luggage safety measures. What I love about the Crumpler Check-In Luggage is that it has a huge capacity of 58L but only weights 3.7kg.

No fancy lock mechanism making it safe from possible cracks and damages as it gets tossed around during transfers.

Dry Red 9 : The Rolling Tote


Call it love at first sight but I find this handy rolling bag a cutie. This is perfect for overnight business trips where I can snugly fit my laptop and pack in some clothes too.

Frannywanny's Contest Alert!

Wanna win THIS?


Visit this site again on March 12, 2012 to know how to join! :)

Visiting Uncle Cheffy at the Ortigas Center

There are times when you just want to let your guard down and to just be able to relax, have fun with friends and most importantly, have a good and truly satisfying meal. My first encounter with Uncle Cheffy was last year when my sister-in-law chose to celebrate her birthday at their Burgos Circle branch. I helped her order our lunch and I was really happy with the two choices of thin-crust panizza and the seafood dishes that we got for the family to share.

There were just so many restaurants and so little time that it has been 5 months since our last visit. I can't believe it took us this long to be able to go back to Uncle Cheffy again..what a terrible "nephew" and "niece" we were!


So there we were, one weeknight at Uncle Cheffy in Ortigas Center with dear friends Richard and Irene. It was a fun double date and we were there ready to feast on Uncle Cheffy's house specialties. Dinner began with the Uncle Cheffy Salad (Php. 175/230). I love eating fresh greens and most especially enjoy having this to start my meal. Call it silly but eating a plate full of greens somehow lessens the guilt of me having Lechon and lots of carbs later on.

The salad was delicious. I love the mix of crisp lettuce, creamy potatoes, asparagus and (surprise, surprise!) pork belly! Ack! Not so guilt-less after all but hey, I ate two plates nonetheless. It was delicious and I'm definitely going back for more of this.

Next came the two pans of Uncle Cheffy's Panizza. We had a total of four flavor -- Seafood Lovers Panizza, Larry's Craving, All Meat Barbecue and Uncle Cheffy Favorite Panizza. The first two had salmon on it which I really love. The Seafood Lover's Panizza (Php. 125/220/425) has salmon, shrimps, clams, squid, herbs, onions and three kinds of cheeses. The Larry's Craving (Php. 130/250/495), on the other hand, has smoked salmon, escargot, shiitake mushroom, chili flakes and three kinds of cheese. Between the two, I prefer the Larry's Craving flavor more. I really am a big fan of smoked salmon and they were pretty generous with the serving, if I should say.

I love how thin and cheesy their panizzas are. It makes it more flavorful and so addicting to munch on. I skipped the All Meat Barbeque (Php. 130/235/450) due to the inclusion of the beef teriyaki but from the looks of it, this pizza will surely wow the meat-lovers out there.


Uncle Cheffy Favorites Panizza (Php. 125/200/395) was also a crowd pleaser. I love how light this pizza flavor is with oven-dried tomatoes, mushroom, garlic, anchovy, basil, chili and three types of cheese. This is perfect for my Mom who loves her pizza topped with veggies.

I had a total of three small slices and after, I was starting to fill quite stuffed. I can't believe we will have our main entrees up ahead.


We had the Garlic Studded Pork Belly Lechon (Php. 95 per 100g). Talk about sinful. I love the crunchy skin and the tender meat. Their homemade liver sauce goes so well with salsa as it perks up the already flavorful taste of the lechon.

Coffee, Tea by Me at Studio SnR

Believe it or not, I grew up not drinking coffee. Unlike my sister who loves needs her cup of java to wake her up in the morning, I used to prefer a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to go with my breakfast plate anytime. It's quite surprising then that I ended up working for the Green Siren for a fun two years plus.

My first day at work really changed my life. It led me to drinking my first cup of brewed coffee and guess what, I liked it! Liked it so much that I never stopped drinking coffee after that. After a year or so, I even got certified as a Coffee Master! This got my parents thinking how on earth did that happened. Their daughter, the former non-coffee drinker becoming a coffee master. That, my friends, continues to remain a mystery.

It has been 4 years since I bid the Green Siren good bye but I continue to relive the fun days every single time I step into a store. The warm smiles, the comforting smell of coffee, the sound of the blender, oh I wish to be able to work at the coffee bar again.


I guess the coffee fairy heard my prayer as I got an invitation to be part of a special coffee and tea making workshop at Studio SnR. Since it was just a few weeks after Valentine's Day, the folks over at Studio SnR were kind enough to invite both Paul and I do join the workshop! Hearing about this, my sister was also interested and also signed up for the workshop herself. Triple the fun, I'd say.


So there we were one Saturday afternoon ready to get drunk with coffee. We arrived quite early for class and had time to look around to check the different espresso machines out by Saeco and the countless bottles of syrups and sauces by Far Skyes! If only I can bring them home! :)


Our class began with Ms. Liz Tan of Saeco explaining to us how to brew and create that perfect shot of espresso. Oh how I miss perfecting that show, the thrill of seeing the 3 shades of brown in my shot glass that represents the heart, the body and the crema.

Go all around the world at Restaurant 5

Don't you just love going out for lunch? Taking a short breather away from the office and having a really good and filling meal? That's what I did a couple of days ago. I was invited by my friends over at Discovery Suites to try their lunch buffet at Restaurant 5 and luckily, I was there on the day that they were highlighting a couple of Spanish dishes.


Spell P-A-E-L-L-A!! My love affair with that orange, baked rice will go on for a lifetime! I love the flavorful Arborio rice cooked with the juiciest meats and the finest catch from the sea. The best part of course lies at the bottom of the pan. Socarrat, as they call it is the thin burnt layer that is so crunchy and good.

Jollibee Sundae Mix-Ins MILO Blast

There are a number of brands that truly played a big part in our childhood life. First there's Jollibee, I'm sure every kid has had at least one birthday party celebrated with the happy-looking bee together with his friends Hetty, Popo, Mr Yum and Twirlie. There's the usual parlor games and Jollibee's signature food items such as the Jolly Spaghetti, Chicken Joy and Fries! I celebrated my 3rd birthday party at Jollibee Virra Mall back in the 80s and have almost hundred photos to remind me of it.


Another brand that comes to mind when talking about our younger years is MILO. I can still remember their jingle: "Growing up with Olympic energy, growing up with Milo! Milo everyday!" Every summer, we look forward to taking up a new sport and what do we drink? Milo of course! I love drinking a cold can of Milo before my swimming class in the morning. My sister and I would have this every single day and believe it or not, we even lost a lot of weight! Milo truly gave us the energy to do our laps and routines for an hour every day.

Put them together and I get a feeling of nostalgia. Those days when Mommy and Papa would take us to Jollibee for merienda or when we will visit the grocery and fill our carts with ready-to-drink cans of Milo.


Last Thursday, Jollibee launched a new sundae flavor and it's called the Jollibee Sundae Mix-ins MILO Blast. Created with vanilla ice cream and mixed with MILO powder and breakfast cereal! I love how it was well incorporated into the ice cream and not just sprinkled on top. I get to bite into cereal pieces even as I reach the bottom of the cup.

Mangetsu Japanese Restaurant in Jupiter street, Makati

It has been almost a year since my colleague told me to try this really good Japanese restaurant called Mangetsu. Back then, the restaurant used to be located in Mile Long along Amorsolo street in Makati. Time flies so fast that we have been so busy and before we know it, Mangetsu in Mile Long closed down to relocate. Shucks. I can't believe we just let one week pass after the other and just like that, the year has ended without us being able to try this highly-recommended restaurant.

Fast forward to the start of 2012, I learned that Mangetsu is finally open again and this time it's located along Jupiter street, a place I am very familiar with. We wasted no time and there we were a few days ago to have dinner with two of my favorite food bloggers Jin and Leslie.

We agreed to meet early, too early that we were the first batch of customers to arrive for dinner time. Good thing too as we got the full attention of almost all servers.

Of course, I did my research by asking my colleague on what to order. She's really good and I trust her taste. In fact, she was the one who tipped me about Cirkulo and the things we have to order there. As a result, it has remained to be one of my favorite Spanish restaurants in town. T, really should start a blog. I'm sure it'll be a hit!

Mangetsu's interior is very modern Japanese. I love the wall shelves filled with Sake bottles and the stacks of ceramic plates that will greet you by the entrance. The place is very big with rectangular tables perfect for big groups to dine in.

Don't you just love the peanut chopstick holder? Cute!


We started with some Nama Uni Sashimi (Php. 340) which came in a pretty boat-like platter. In it is a container filled with nori strips and a bowl of fresh uni sashimi. I love uni, yet, after several instances where I always end up with nasty tummy aches, I've been staying away from this buttery goodness ever since. T advised me to just have uni in highly reputable Japanese restaurants (a.k.a. the authentic ones) hence, I've been extra picky about it ever since.

As I took my first bite, I said a little prayer hoping for a safe and peaceful tummy condition afterwards. It has been days since and I'm happy to report that Mangetsu's uni seemed to have passed the quality check with flying colors. Oh how I enjoyed the silky and creamy uni. So goood...