Frannywanny

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, is...

Today is the last day of February and in just a few minutes March will come running in. Time flies really fast!! I'm really excited for March because of four big happenings -- my best friend T's big birthday bash, the wedding of my dear cousin, the Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run (with dogs!), and lastly, the grand opening of J. Co Donuts and Coffee ! A month ago, I received boxes of J. Co Donuts that I happily shared with my colleagues. Once again, the generous people behind J. Co Donuts and Coffee Philippines sent another batch of donuts and this time they came in mini, bite-size versions. I find them so cute! As a result, my sister and I quickly transferred some J. Pops , as they're called, to a clean plate and off it went to the microwave oven as we love biting into warm, soft donuts.

Let's start the countdown!!! Indonesia's very own donut and coffee brand is finally opening its doors in Manila! I've been hearing about J. Co. Donuts and Coffee ever since our trip to Singapore and Malaysia almost two years ago and was once again intrigued by it after my sister's trip to Singapore where she was able to try their coffee and liked it very much! Admittedly, I do not have a sweet tooth and has one of the lowest sugar tolerance in the family but I was really excited when 3 huge yellow boxes were delivered to my office one afternoon a month ago. I opened each one of them and the smell of freshly baked donuts instantly made my tummy rumble. Since I was still swamped with work, I shared one box with my colleagues who all liked the ultra moist and fluffy-soft donuts. The boys gave their thumbs up while the girls immediately asked where J. Co. is located. I grinned and told them the good news... J. Co. will soon open their first branch at The Strip in SM ...

Krispy Kreme brightened up our Tuesday morning by sending over a box of their newest product that's bright green and has a very familiar scent. It was perfect time as Paul and I were actually on our way out for work and he was still feeling a bit hungry from breakfast so this special donut was like heaven's answer to his hunger pleas. He took a quite bite and commented that the icing tastes like Coney Island's Bubblegum Ice Cream. He offered me a bite to which I took and it actually reminded me of my favorite childhood bubblegum brand -- Bazooka. Personally though, I am not a fan of overly sweet nor minty donuts so the Original Glazed Donuts are still my #1 favorite. This is a limited time offering as it is Krispy Kreme 's way of welcoming the launch of the first ever blockbuster movie this year -- The Green Hornet . A show, we're both very familiar with as we grew up catching certain episodes of the TV Series. Paul remembers Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher ...

In Hong Kong, there are only two main things you should not miss to do… to shop and to eat. While we were busy hitting our favorite shops all around Hong Kong, we also kept our eyes open for delicious finds as well. Such was the case of these to-die-for Chocolate Sticky Donuts (HKD $7) from the Little Mermaid Bakery – I remember reading how much fellow food blogger Leslie enjoyed these delicious indulgent donuts during her trip to Hong Kong and I grabbed the opportunity upon finding it near City’Super at Harbour City on our second day in Hong Kong. The case was almost empty and I was lucky to find the last clam-shell with four donuts sitting on the shelf. I grabbed it and quickly marched to the counter to make sure it will be truly mine. Paul was even telling me to ask if we can just get two as four donuts might be too much for us. I didn’t want to bother the sales clerk anymore and told him that we’ll eventually be able to finish it before heading back to Manila anyway. Let...

Here's a refreshing addition to the growing line of choices at Krispy Kreme ! We're big fans of of KK's donuts but normally would just get their Original Glaze as the chocolate-y ones are too sweet for our liking. While I was initially sad that they were out of Pull Aparts today, I took a bold step and tried the newest item on their glass case -- the Mango Creme Cake ! I was hoping that the cream where the sweet cubes of mangoes were lying was not too sweet or rich. I guess, I have to take my first bite to find out. I love the different texture that this particular doughnut has, it surely was similar to a flaky cake that slightly crumbles as you slice it up. I love the sweet mango cubes and yes, the cream was light and smooth. Hooray for Krispy Kreme's newest creation. :)

The Green Siren did it again! what's in the box? Bringing in another, what I feel will be, winning product for all Starbucks fans to enjoy. Presenting, America's very own, Top Pot Doughnuts ! This delicious, hand-forged doughnuts will be select Starbucks Coffee stores from April 12 onwards. By saying these are hand-forged, these precious yummy snacks were created making very little use of machines. Just like a cup of Starbucks coffee that's hand-crafted to suit your taste. There will be three flavors to choose from: Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut , Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnut and my personal favorite, the Top Pot Apple Fritter ! Best to serve these warm, you'll enjoy the melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon-sweet taste in every bite! I also love it that the sugar glaze leaves a favorable crunch on the outside too. The good news is that all Top Pot doughnuts have zero grams of Trans Fat! Yahoo! Watch out for these coming in your favorite Starbucks Coffee...

Take a peek at what was delivered to our doorstep last Saturday.... *yum* After the successful team up of America's well-loved doughnut company and every kid's favorite cookie , now comes another exciting creation! This time, Krispy Kreme presents the Snickers Doughnut ! Soft and moist doughnut topped everything that I love in a Snickers bar -- crunchy nuts, sweet chewy caramel, nougat and rich chocolate coating! Snickers has always been my guilty indulgence back in high school. I always grab a bar during finals week to calm my nerves. I'm so happy that Krispy Kreme has made this delicious flavor for Snickers fan all over the country. Be sure to drop by your favorite Krispy Kreme to grab this yummy treat! :)

Who would have thought that America's well-loved doughnut factory, Krispy Kreme , will someday team up with every kid's favorite cookie, Oreo ? Well, they just did! To celebrate Krispy Kreme 's 72nd anniversary, doughnut lovers and chocoholics can now unite and enjoy this yummy crunchy creation! I was lucky enough to receive a box of the new Chocolate Kreme Cakes and I enjoyed biting into the soft cake-like doughnut topped with chocolate creme and sprinkled with crunchy Oreo bits. This is definitely a feel-good sweet treat! There's no news yet if this will be a regular mainstay in the Krispy Kreme menu board or it will just be available for a limited time only but my best advice is to head to your favorite Krispy Kreme store and enjoy this delicious creation NOW! :) *thanks to Krispy Kreme and GMCI for the photo

Guess what surprised me early this evening that simply completed my day... a special gift from one of my favorite bloggers Thank you so much, Franco. It was an honor to be able to write for Table for Three Please and I'd love to do it again..and again...and again :)

My mom is simply the best. Sure, she can be a nagger..and believe me she can be pretty good at it. She will always remind me to take my vitamins, to sleep early, to exercise, to come home before midnight and the list goes on and on and on. She is also not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something wrong and will also be the first to boast of our achievements. Mommy is the best shopping buddy, movie partner and food trip companion. She is someone whom my sister and I would run to when we had a bad day at work or things just didn't turn out the way we would hope it would be. Despite her petite frame, she was the strongest one during our family's darkest moment . I'd like to think that Papa's health has improved so much because of her patience, determination and unconditional love. It's Mother's Day again this Sunday! Once again, my sister and I are thinking of sweet surprises for her. Look what landed on my email inbox just this morning... For our mommy who tre...

The countdown begins! In less than 3 days, Krispy Kreme will open its 8th store in SM Mall of Asia!!! Now citizens from Pasay and nearby cities can have their fill of Krispy Kreme's mouth-watering Original Glazed doughnuts anytime, anyday! What's special about this store is that it will be the first drive thru store in a mall ! Yesterday, Paul and I were lucky enough to be a part of an exclusive party that the people behind this mouthwatering doughnut brand prepared for the media. Thanks also to Shar and Becky who extended the invite to yours truly. Ü Arriving 30 minutes before the time mentioned in the invite, we already saw a crowd forming in front of the store. Bongga! (Exceptional) was my initial comment. MTV was a major sponsor and they really went all out with a beautiful photo backdrop, tall cocktail tables, a buffet set-up by Albergus, a small stage, roving lights and lots of Krispy Kreme representatives ready to answer to your needs. After registering our names, we ...