Frannywanny

For the past few trips back home, Paul and I would purposely leave our schedules open as we would like to allot most, if not all, of our time to family. You see, we normally stay for a week at most and given that we don't really get to fly home on a monthly basis, we would make it a point to bond with our family and bestest friends whenever we can. However, during our recent trip home, we actually found ourselves alone as both families had something planned for the evening. Well, an impromptu dinner date is always good. Since we were already in Quezon City as we spent the day bonding with my Kongkong, we decided to check out Highway Ribbery Grille  as it has been ranked as one of the top 15 restaurants in the Banawe area . Admittedly, I'm not a good navigator so I took a screenshot of the map and showed it to Paul. One look, that's all it took for him to quickly know where we're supposed to head to. My husband is amazing. ♥ For those who are not so good with dire...

This is a classic story of when a foodie dream came true.♥   Exactly 3 years ago in (almost always) sunny Manila, The Cheese Steak Shop opened its doors to the hungry public of the Philippines. That was the time when my taste buds were elevated to higher standards of cheese steak sandwich appreciation. "This is the REAL thing" my mind has been telling me. I've later found my favorites such as the Breakfast Cheese Steak  paired with a cup of crunchy onion rings .  I knew that when we left Manila, this will be one of those restaurants that I'll miss terribly. Oh for two years, I continued to long for that delicious piece of cheese steak sandwich that's packed with thinly-sliced tender beef and a generous serving of veggies. How I wish they'd come to Singapore. Just like that, my wish was granted! A month ago, Paul, O and I went to Kallang Wave Mall to check out the newly opened Cheese Steak Shop . O hasn't tried the one in Manila but hearing how Pau...

I have to admit that I am very sentimental most especially when it comes to... LOVE . Who can blame me? I grew up thinking that once upon a time, a dashing prince will just sweep me off my feet and we'll live happily ever after. Despite this, I would also hope that no wicked witch would come our way but I don't mind having talking tea cups, 7 friendly dwarves (seriously, Fran?!) or a sassy fairy godmother who can instantly give me a ride and a make me a nice looking gown too. ....Well, at least that part about finding my prince charming became a reality but I don't think the others would materialize anytime soon...maybe not ever. *sigh* That's life! So, for the past 11 years, my prince, who knows me so well, would ensure that Valentine's Day would be extra special for us. This year, we took the weekend off to have a nice hotel staycation complete with dinner and a movie date too. Nothing extremely fancy as I'm not really a fan of degustation dinners whe...

One burrito, two burrito, three burrito... OLE!  I just hate it when colleagues leave. Most especially those who are really close to me. So, when my friend and fellow kababayan in the office J told me that he's leaving, I was in disbelief. You see, I've known J for a little more than a year yet I'll never forget how welcoming he was on my first week in the office. It's so cool too that he shares the same name as Paul's favorite action star so my goal was really to make them meet right away. However, who am I to stand in the way of career growth and success? I wished J all the best and we promised to keep in touch. We didn't let him go without saying a proper goodbye and for us, this means going out for a nice and delicious lunch. For J, we headed to Muchachos  which is my colleagues' go-to Mexican place. I've been hearing about this restaurant but since it's not that accessible from our old office, I never really got around to walking all the ...

"It's so beautiful!" I think I must have uttered this line more than a dozen time last Tuesday night when my colleagues and I decided to have dinner at Potato Head Folk  along Keong Saik Road -- a quick 10 minute walk from our office. I was at awe upon seeing this tall 4-storey white and red shophouse at the corner of the road that somehow reminds me of a ship. I don't know why, blame my hyperactive imagination. :) People who have visited Bali must be familiar with the name and yes, this is from the same group that runs Potato Head Beach Club in Indonesia. I personally haven't been to Bali, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about it. Potato Head Folk in Singapore is divided into three establishments -- Three Buns Kitchen , Studio 1939 and the Rooftop Garden . Each establishment occupying one entire floor and each carries a different vibe unique from each other. That evening, our dinner was set at Three Buns Kitchen so this is where this ...

Burgers and Brewskies. By just hearing the name, thoughts of fun bonding sessions with friends come to my mind. It was just perfect that my first visit at Burgers & Brewskies a.k.a. B&B would be with my fellow food bloggers. Paul and I were so excited to go as it will surely be a crazy and happy lunch with these funny, food-loving bunch! B&B is a newly opened restaurant in Burgos Circle and as mentioned in its name, it specializes in burgers, beer and one more B -- buffalo wings! As we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by the familiar happy chatter of our friends coming from the second floor. The restaurant is quite small so I'm pretty sure it can be crowded on a busy day. It has a very laid back feel reminding me of one of my favorite burger places here in Singapore. It's definitely the place to go after a busy day at work and you're in the mood for good food, a bottle of beer and the right company to unwind with. The menu was pretty extensive...

Just like that ladies and gentlemen, my search for the best tasting American buffalo wings in Singapore has finally came to an end. Yahoooooo!! *throws confetti in the air* Moving to another country made me realize how strong the American and Spanish influences have been to the Philippines. Actually, it was more on the food for me. Once in a while, I'd crave for a delicious llanera of Paella Negra or for some good juicy burgers and wings. Singapore is a truly a food mecca but I got to admit that having all these numerous choices around makes it harder to choose and look for the best. When it comes to wings though, nothing beans enjoying crispy deep-fried chicken and coated with a wide array for flavors. Yesterday, Paul and I traveled across the country to check out the newly opened Bedok Mall . I've never been to this part of town and I was really excited to see what yummy food gems one can find in here. Well, I just have to say that I was amazed that Bedok Mall has a n...

Today I started my 14-day Nestle Fitnesse Challenge and so far I think I'm doing quite well considering the fact that I had to battle with temptation brought about by our homemade fried rice, Frito-Lay chips and soda being offered to me earlier today. I was surprised that the Nestle Fitnesse cereal actually tastes good! I'll be having this for 13 more days! Meanwhile, allow me to share with you what my family and I had for dinner a few weeks ago. On nights when our cook runs out of dishes to prepare and Mommy just wants to relax and enjoy the meal, we rely on take outs and food deliveries. One Friday evening, Angel's Pizza, Pasta and Combo sent us one of their newest Holiday Bundle Packages . We got Bundle 3 (Php. 750) which is good for 8 pax. Bundle 3 comes with (1) Big Family Meaty BBQ Pizza which had generous cuts making it quite filling  after enjoying just one slice. The crust was chewy and quite good. Sadly though, I'm not a a big fan of pepperoni so I ha...

There are just some things that I don't think I'll ever get tired of eating... ever -- nachos, cheese, pasta, sushi and buffalo wings. These are my comfort food of choice that I just love to indulge on after a crazy day at work. While there are a lot of restaurants that specializes in buffalo wings, only a few has really made the cut and in my book, this includes Sunrise Buckets . I've previously mentioned how I first learned about and was able to try Sunrise Buckets up until the time wherein they finally opened their first store in Madison Square which prompted Paul and I to pay them a visit a few months after. Fast forward to 2012, we were invited to their second branch at Rockwell's newest development in Pasig called The Grove . It's located right across Tiendesitas and is along C5. hmm.. a bucket for my sister? Together with friends Richard and Irene , we got to The Grove ready to chow down buckets after buckets of Buffalo Wings! Since there were four ...

Welcome to Brgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig – the newest foodie haven in town. Believe me, a trip down East Capitol Drive is like a gastronomical journey around the world. Start from the corner of Pioneer you’ll see Nav and Uncle Moe’s which will give you really delicious Thai and Mediterranean dishes respectively. Drive further down and you’ll hit Kainan Au Gusto and Café Juanita located just around the corner for our local Pinoy fare. As you continue with your drive, you’ll see The Three Sisters' restaurant, the place to get really yummy Pork BBQ and Pancit Bihon and my latest fave – Milky and Sunny , an all-day breakfast nook. Go on another block and you’ll see another line of restaurants like Poco Deli for some cheese and sausages while Lia’s Cakes in Season makes a great dessert stop. Care for some burgers? Charlie’s Grill and Grind is located right across and is right beside Bacolod’s Café Bob’s Manila version – Cab Café . There’s still a couple of restaurant left for m...

Ribs, ribs, ribs! All I can think of are ribs! :) Lip-smacking, fork-tender meat that falls of the bone without a struggle. That's my type of ribs. I found one of the best rib places in Angeles, Pampanga and another one in California, USA yet I continue my search here in Manila . A few months ago, I purchased a Deal Grocer coupon with fellow Food Club members Richard, Jane and Abet to try Chubby's Rib Shack which is located right at the heart of Makati and is also the sister-restaurant of Buffalo Wings n Things . With Christmas just around the corner, I normally try to avoid heading to this part of town especially on a Friday night where everyone normally goes out for dinner and drinks after work. However, just the thought of having a plate of ribs for dinner was enough to convince both Paul and I to brave the traffic and head to Makati to try Chubby's Rib Shack out. The deal was pretty sweet, all I had to pay for was P300 and I get to order anything worth P500 on...

I love buffalo wings! It's funny that while I do not like spicy food, this is one dish that I can't pass up on when given the opportunity. I also love coating my spicy chicken wings with bleu cheese and munching on it until the bones are sparkling clean! Through the years, I've had the privilege to try a number of buffalo wings and while some have failed to meet our expectations , others were quite fantastic that it gets me craving for more every so often . I was able to first taste and experience Sunrise Buckets at my nephew's birthday party two years ago. I loved it that they gave us plastic gloves to use so as not to get our hands all dirty and oily while enjoying their chicken wings. Even my dear Kongkong (grandfather) enjoyed his own bucket of wings that he wouldn't even want to share with my auntie (teehee) ! It was pretty good, not too spicy and the wings had just the right amount of meat too. Fast forward to last Saturday, I woke up right before ...

My sister and I live under the same roof yet in these past few weeks, I hardly had the chance to chat with her. She has been very busy with work that she would come home late at night while I've been feeling extremely tired lately that I was already in bed as early as 10PM (sign of early aging? I hope not!) . I guess she misses me so much already (haha!) that she sent me an SMS last Friday inviting me to an afternoon bonding session before heading home. I immediately said yes and I was so excited that I hardly could sit through all my meetings that day. Finally at around 530PM, I left the office to head to Podium for our much-awaited bonding session. We agreed to meet at Borough , a restaurant that I've been wanting to try out. I'm glad my sister was game enough to take that longer walk to Podium from her office instead of just hopping over to SM Megamall. See, she misses me THAT much! :) I bought a P495 coupon from Deal Grocer a month ago. It's a set consisting...

Do you have a collection? I do. I love collecting all things pink! My fascination for the color pink is quite evident in this blog and with the items inside my bag and on my work desk. My pink post-its, my pink pencil sharpener, pink pencils and pens, pink magnets and a lot more! Even my wardrobe cabinet has gone pink-ified with more than half of my clothes in shades of pink, fuchsia and red. Back when I was a child, I would collect all sorts of things from stickers to stationaries, from rubber stamps to button pins, I even have a growing collection of all Hello Kitty and Donald Duck items! People may not understand why I love collecting these items but I guess it just brightens my day being able to discover a new button to take home or a Donald Duck item to admire. The Real Thing's Cinnamon Snifter -- one of their many Coca-Cola concoctions! Then I met KV Golamco who is a HUGE Coca-Cola collector. I've known quite a number of people who loves to drink Coke, but to...

A lot of us have grown up with the popular pizza parlors in Manila and definitely, Pizza Hut stays at the forefront in our trip down memory lane. I love Pizza Hut for their amazing innovations on how they have made every pizza experience truly satisfying. It began with their cheesy thick crust pizza that I would remember staring in awe as the Pizza Hut serving would pull up a slice and there would be a lot of mozzarella strings that would lace around my pizza. This was followed by having more cheese stuffed into the crust and then there was a whole piece of sausage making even the simplest slice of pizza meaty and really yummy. This Christmas, Pizza Hut recently came out with yet another innovation – Lechon Pizza . It’s a thick crust pizza with roast pork and topped with crunchy skin and Pizza Hut’s very own lechon sauce! It’s a real indulgence as you can taste the smokey meat and enjoy munching on the very crunchy crackling skin. As part of Unilever Foodsolutions’ -- Manila’s ...

After reading reviews made by fellow Club members namely Jane , Rowena and Richard , who all had nothing but raves about Flaming Wings , Paul and I knew that we have to schedule a visit to try it SOON. A couple of weeks after the Club went, we scheduled to have a casual dinner date in this popular buffalo wings spot located right at the heart of Katipunan Avenue. We arrived a little past 7 on a Saturday night and the place was jam-packed! Luckily, we found our little table for two and immediately scanned the menu. We zeroed in on the buffalo wings and decided to get the 5 pcs. basket (Php. 235). After learning from my fellow bloggers that 5 pieces buffalo wings means 10 cuts, we requested the server to split this into two different sauces -- Smokey BBQ and Mild n' Sweet . Paul's a huge fan of barbecue flavored dishes and this was his first choice upon reading the menu. He paired this with Ranch dip which I think was a perfect choice. We ate this with gusto and enjoye...