Frannywanny

"Can we have dinner tomorrow at Momma Kong's? I made reservations already." This was the message I got from my friend C when he and his family visited the Lion City a couple of weeks ago. I'm ashamed to admit this but I wasn't sure where and what exactly is Momma Kong's . It sounded like a little hole-in-a-wall home-cooking eatery to me. However, I trust my friend C though for having really good taste in food so even without any research I happily replied back, "ok! see you then!"

Huat Ah! This is probably the first Singlish phrase that I've learned when we moved to the Lion City exactly two Chinese New Years ago. As half of the city went overseas and the other half were busy visiting families, we took this time to make our visit to IKEA to quickly furnish our new place. All around us, people were tossing shredded vegetables while screaming " Huat Ahhhhh!! " I had no clue what they were doing then but who would have thought that this would be one exciting practice that I always look forward to every Chinese New Year -- Lo Hei . Paul and I loved it so much that we even brought back packs of Yu Sheng Salad to share this "veggie-tossing" practice with our families in Manila.  This is just one of the many things I love about Singapore and the Singaporean culture. Another thing we love (and we're pretty sure the rest of the world do too) about Singapore is the yummy hawker heritage . Many have been saying that hawker centres won'...

It has been a while since Paul and I had our weekly hawker challenge and we just felt that it was time to go for one again. What a perfect timing that the Chinatown Food Street recently re-opened making it our next hawker stop destination. Admittedly, compared to the two other hawker centres that we've visited and reviewed, this one had a more touristy feel. It was better ventilated, the kiosks are quite limited but have a good mix of basically anything and everything you'd like to try in Singapore, tables are cleaner and you'll see a lot of tourists dining here all day long. We were a bit hesitant to do the Hawker Challenge here simply because we know that anything tourist-y also means it can be pricey but as Mommy would always tell me, you'll never know unless you try . The first step is to walk around . Visit every stall and see what they have to offer. Most of these were specially chosen from all other hawker centres so you're assured of getting pretty ...

Back when I was still a kid, Papa would always call me " sleepyhead ." This is because it would take him almost half an hour to successful pull me out from bed especially on a school day. No amount of knocking, tickling, singing loudly, turning on the radio, opening the curtains would wake me up from my slumber. The truth is... I really do love to sleep. However, what Papa doesn't know is that there's just one way to quickly get me out of bed and that's what Mommy has mastered -- preparing a really delicious breakfast spread and making sure it reaches my senses. So on days when Mommy's in charge, she would whip up a mouthwatering spread of garlic fried rice, hotdogs and scrambled egg. I tell you, the scent of fried garlic alone is powerful enough to wake me up, to get ready in twenty minutes or less and to head straight to the dining room with a big smile on my face. Still, I got the coolest and smartest parents on earth, don't you think? Breakfast i...

Following our Saturdate hawker challenge at Tiong Bahru Food Market , Paul and I ventured out again the next Saturday this time to Chinatown . We really enjoy being able to challenge ourselves to a try a different set of hawker specialties given a set budget of S$15. Will we be successful again this time? Chinatown is such a fun place to be. There's this old world meets modern city feel that I really love. Growing up, our trips to Singapore would never be complete without visiting this area. Mommy totally loves this store called Yue Hwa which, believe it or not, still exists at present. The store must have been around for more than 20 years! Here, she would buy our super soft and fluffy comforters, beddings and all sorts of Chinese-style linens and products that you can think of. I think it was also here where I bought my chongsam blouse, once upon a time, when I was crazy enough to think I wanted to channel Mulan. Anyway, so one Saturday night in Chinatown, Paul and I walked...

I'm feeling very exhausted lately. True, I just had one of the most relaxing trips ever but here I am back in the daily grind leaving me physically and mentally drained day in and out. Not even the two day weekend is enough to rejuvenate me. Does this mean it's time for another vacation soon? Hmm.. A few months ago, The Food Club was invited to have a quick weekend break at the new Ramada Manila Central Hotel located right at the heart of Binondo, Manila . While we're used to taking a weekend getaway outside of Metro Manila , Paul and I welcomed the thought of just staying in town but still being able to have some R&R away from home. Up until this day, I really get excited every time I have the chance to visit Binondo a.k.a. Chinatown. It reminds me of the time I would go on food trips with friends as we would enjoy the various snacks and treats found in every nook and cranny of this place. I also have spent a good amount of time here when I was preparing for my...

After combing through the narrow alleys of 168 mall and haggling our hearts out till we were able to get a good deal, our group headed to Charlie's Tea House in Ongpin for lunch as this was highly recommended by fellow blogger Abet and his lovely wife Joan . Luckily, Joan was able to secure a long table for all of us thus we were immediately seated as we entered the tiny eatery. When your hungry and people around you were happily eating, it makes it extra harder to choose what to order simply because everything just looks so good! Irene suggested that we all order family style and share the dishes among the 7 of us. Great idea! Our first order was one whole HK Fried Pigeon (Php. 320) as Abet got me excited about it when he was describing what was good in Charlie's Tea House. The pigeon was quite small that you get only 4 slices (one quarter each) however complete with the must-have salt and pepper dip. It was delicious and not too oily. I'm definitely going back to C...

Kuala Lumpur is every shopaholic and cultural fan's mecca, the city is bustling with malls, skyscrapers and food alleys. While we were not able to travel out of Kuala Lumpur during our 5 days stay, we decided to make the most of loving the city and enjoying everything that it can offer to its visitors. Jalan Bukit Bintang Ask anyone who has been to Kuala Lumpur and this will definitely be part of their list of must-visit. This is Kuala Lumpur's answer to Singapore's Orchard Road or Hong Kong's Causeway Bay. Starting from the Pavillion Mall which is a high end mall that houses an IMAX theater, spas, a fitness gym and more than a hundred retail stores. I love the mix of stores and food establishments which makes it very relaxing to stroll around. This is also the closest mall to our hotel thus we found ourselves visiting Pavillion every single day during our Kuala Lumpur stay. Just across the Pavillion, there's the Starhill Mall which also has a number of ...

Our second day in Singapore began really early. It's a good thing that Paul and I took the time out to drop by the convenience store that was located at the ground floor of our hotel to buy a couple of instant noodles the night before. Since call time was at 8 in the morning, eating breakfast inside the room is the most sensible thing to do to save us more snooze time. After quickly getting dress, our group met up again at the hotel lobby to wait for the organizers of our tour. At exactly 9AM we rode our assigned bus and our Uniquely Singapore tour was just about to begin! 1st stop: Clarke Quay and the Royal Selangor Museum Located just a couple of minutes away from our hotel, we quickly got to our first stop. Clarke Quay is located along the Singapore River and is a popular night destination among the locals. During the day, we enjoyed watching the peaceful clean river as colorful ferry boats goes up and down bringing passengers through the entire stretch of the river. Too bad w...