Frannywanny

You know when you suddenly have a craving so bad that you just can't stop thinking about it for days? That's what happened to me recently when I started craving for anything cheezy and all I can think of were those delicious baked rice dishes at Tori Chizu . I can't believe it took me this long to actually write about it. I swear, the 1st year of motherhood just went by like a blur that I hardly had time to do anything but to take good care of my babies. No regrets though and here I am making up for lost time by telling you about my food discoveries. So anyway, back in July (I know!), Paul and I chanced upon Tori Chizu  at Eastwood City Walk. We used to frequent this part of town a long time ago and it was only when we agreed to meet up with some friends that we found ourselves in this familiar part of town turned not-so-familiar as there sure were a lot of changes from our last visit which was half a decade ago. Tori Chizu  is from the same company handling Bonchon C...

McDonald's will forever be one of my favorite fastfood chains. I just love how they continue to innovate and add new and interesting items on the menu. I'm pretty sure it's fun to be part of their R&D team. Imagine, in just a span of 3 months, they've introduced a number of new menu items and they've made improvements to an old favorite. First off, the new BBQ Mayo Crispy Chicken Sandwich  (Php. 49) Yes, it is actually possible to dine at McDonald's for only Php. 100 or less. We tried this for merienda today and I actually liked it! You get one whole chicken fillet that's topped with a generous amount of tangy mayonnaise and smokey BBQ sauce. The bun was rather on the thin side similar to the ones they use for the Burger Mcdo but it was all alright. I like how the barbecue sauce complemented the mayonnaise and it definitely went so well with the fried chicken fillet. Have it with fries and soda and you got yourself a complete meal .

Back when I was still living in the Lion City, I remember looking forward to planned lunch outs with my colleagues D and I. These two ladies are truly the best food buddies as they're always so game to try anything and just about everything. Be it going back to our favorite Fried Chicken Biryani restaurant or heading all the way to Orchard for a good Indonesian lunch feast, there's never a dull lunch moment with them. McDonald's is also one of our shared favorite fast food not only for their breakfast items but for their promotional products too. However, as I start to reminisce about our love for McDonald's in Singapore, I will always remember I's great love for McSpicy (or anything insanely spicy for that matter). While my spicy tolerance is pretty much as good as being able to enjoy a saucer of green chili with my daily mixed veg platter, my colleague I can really go all out with an already spicy ramen bowl with more chili or her ever favorite, McDonald...

Growing up, pizza has been one of my favorite comfort food. I guess I've told you about this before  and I hope I haven't bored you out. It's about my regular afternoon snack routine with Pan where we would order a box of our favorite local pizza together with a bucket of mojo potatoes and we have been having this for close to 30 years. This has been our signature sisterly bonding activity and just recently, Pan and I did this again when I was back home for a wedding last January. Yes, not even a fully made up face and my long gown can stop me from enjoying our favorite snack. I have a strong feeling this practice is meant to last a lifetime and we'll continue to have our pizza afternoon sessions for decades to come. I can't wait for Pan and I to also share this tradition with our little ones for them to hopefully love pizza that way we both do. Anyway, since I've moved to the Lion City, I got to admit that I've always been on a hunt for the best pizza...

Many times, people would ask me how long have I been blogging and whenever they would hear the answer, their eyes would widen and the next thing they'd say is " wow! that's a pretty long time. " Well, they're right. Personally, I am also amazed myself that Frannywanny.com has been around for 8 years already and still counting! It just feels surreal. It has been a fun ride and I know it will continue to be. I can still remember that day when I first decided to open this blog after months of writing about my foodie stories in Multiply for just my friends to read about. A year or so, I started meeting fellow bloggers whom eventually became my good friends too. Oh, and how can I forget those moments when I get to see my blogging idols in the flesh. Believe it or not, I still get all giddy and starstrucked whenever I get the opportunity to be around the guys and gals whom I've been stalking following online pretty much on a daily basis. Wonder who they are? Jus...

The entire world knows about Singapore 's fast and reliable transport system. Buses and trains arrive right as expected and should there be any breakdowns, announcements will immediately be made. That said, being late is really a non-existent excuse in the Lion City as everything can be well calculated for from point a to b and back. We also know that Singapore is a pretty small country with a land area of a little more than 700 km 2 . So, when Paul and I had to travel for more than an hour by MRT to get to our lunch destination, I guess that's considered to be quite far. On the way there, I was really crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping that the wait and travel was worth it. Finally we got to Yishun 10 Complex for the grand opening of Burger Up . It's a purely Singaporean concept and I tell you, it's not your ordinary fast food / quick service restaurant system where you queue up, give your order and your food will be ready in less than 3 minutes. Let me walk yo...

Most balikbayans / OFWs will surely agree with this statement: "No matter how long your trip back to the Philippines is, it will never be long enough."  In other words, it will always feel like you just have so many things to do with so little time. The best solution for this? Multi-task . Believe it or not, I have begun creating day-to-day itinerary whenever we fly back to Manila. Every minute is precious and can never be wasted not doing anything. Of course, we have to make sure that we have set aside ample time to bond with our families too. For this particular trip, Paul had to go to LTO to have his driver's license renewed. Since we went right on the last work day before Christmas Day, we were greeted with a shockingly long queue and what used to just be an hour-long processing time took us almost half a day. Not wanting to rant that we have just wasted half a day waiting in line, it was a good thing that the LTO office was just right across Tiendesitas where t...

September 24 was our company's Foundation Day and to celebrate it, we dedicated 8 hours of service at the Soup Kitchen of Willing Hearts . Our "work day" began as early as 6:15AM, yes THAT early! I think it has been more than a decade since I had to be up at 5AM but believe it or not, I was up and awake even before my alarm rang. That only happens when I'm really excited about something. Team VML Qais at Willing Hearts I'm no kitchen diva, but I happily de-shelled dozens and dozens of eggs, chopped close to a hundred cabbage heads and packed thousands of styrofoam boxes. All these meals will go to the underprivileged community in Singapore most of which are the elderly. As you know, I really have a soft spot for all the aunties and uncles who sadly have been left to live on their own and are trying their darnest to make ends meet. I'm glad that I had the chance to serve them for a day. 

Peer pressure [n]: social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. ( Source ) I know, I know... I'm too old to be "pressured" by my peers but when it comes to food, I have a good circle of friends whom I trust for their recommendations. Included in this circle is my friend I . She's a foodie herself and is a great cook too. She's someone who got an amazing taste in food and so far, I've loved every single recommended restaurant that she has brought the NKids to. So, when I  began talking about McDonald's Grilled Chicken McWrap  (S$5.40 a la carte / S$7 meal) and how it's one of the healthier options on McDonald's menu, I knew I had to give it a try. All the more when she and C would bring home these McWraps to enjoy for breakfast or to bring to work the next day. So, over lunch today, Paul and I decided to head over to McDonald's for me to fi...

After a mind-enriching afternoon spent at River Safari , my family decided to head over to Raffles Shopping Centre for dinner. Not quite sure where to eat, I suggested that we try one of my favorite lunch places -- Osaka Ohsho . I know there's a branch in the Philippines already but since none of them have tried it yet, I might as well let them try the one here in Singapore, right? Luckily, we got there after dinner rush so we didn't have to line up anymore. We were immediately brought to our table where a bright red iPad menu was waiting for us. How cool huh?! No need to ask for the menu, no need to wait for the server to come to the table to get our orders. All we had to do was to flip through the options and to tap on the ones that we'd like to get. The program works just like an online shopping website where all orders goes to a "shopping cart" and when we've completed our order, all that needs to be done is to send it to the kitchen . Within minut...

Kids nowadays sure have no idea how much fun and simple life back then was. Yes, we may not have iPads or the latest gadgets and toys for us meant... TOYS . Barbie dolls, plastic houses, a full doctor/teacher/fireman/police set, jackstones, boxes of jigsaw puzzles, board games and battery-operated cars/helicopter/trucks/pet and more! It may not make a sound or give you magical points, nor could a robotic voice tell you a story or sing you a lullaby but toys back then allowed us to hone our imaginations. I remember spending our summer break playing house, teacher-teacher or fulfilling my childhood dream as a supermarket cashier with my plastic cash register that goes "ting!" every time I open the cash drawer. In contrast to today's age of gourmet eating, the 90s was the fast food era. Oh how we spent those years munching on fries, chomping down burgers, slurping cones of ice cream and cups of milkshake. I tell you, it was bliss and while most of us have to pay for it tod...

Konnichiwa! When the Ebi Burger was launched in all McDonald's stores all over Singapore last week, I made a mental note to check this out over the weekend. I love shrimp and fish burgers as this is what I normally order over their beefy burgers thus I was really excited that McDonald's is adding more non-beef burger options to their menu. Yay! We agreed to share the Ebi Feast Meal (S$7.75) which consists of an Ebi Burger, a Tropical McFrizzy, large French Fries and Tropical McFrizzy drink. I just wanted the Ebi Burger and happily gave the rest to Paul who enjoyed this meal with his all-time favorite -- the Quarter Pounder Burger. Now, I'm excited to open this box and to reveal, what hopefully is, a treasure inside. Ready?

During one of our SaturDates, Paul and I decided to check out the food court in Takashimaya Department Store in Orchard Road. While we have this impression that this is a very high end department store, I'm quite fascinated by the fact that it houses a lot of Japanese brands and we all know that there are just a lot of delicious Japanese food finds out there. While checking out all the different snacks, drinks and whatnot, we chanced upon this brightly colored stall selling yakitori-style food items. Meet Snax! by CP Foods .  We're no stranger to CP Foods and I even blogged about this cool $1 promo that they had a while back .While it was our first time to see their Takashimaya stall, I do recall seeing the one in JEM a few months ago and I really liked the fried shrimp popper that I was given as a sample by their friendly staff. I was planning to buy it but since we were rushing then, I just told myself to save it for our next visit.  Checking out the glass c...

My friend T and I have known each other since the very first day of college. Somehow, we instantly clicked and later on both became part of a group together with my best friend L and 4 other girls. We were inseparable all throughout our university days despite taking different specializations during our junior year. However, just like in any relationship, our friendship has experienced some bumps along the way that we somehow lost touch for a couple of years. I guess we're really destined to be good friends again as fate brought us together here in the Lion City to pick up where we left off. Yay! When you're living far away, you learn to treasure the ones who makes you feel right at home. It's a good thing T and I work close to each other that we make sure that we meet up over lunch at least once a month. During one of our lunch dates, we agreed to check out the much talked about food court at the Asia Square Building. It's the office building of Citibank and I've...

A day after the incident , I went home feeling under the weather. I guess my resistance suddenly went down and I immediately felt my tonsils acting up again. Well, there was this white paper bag that caught my eye and somehow, it made me smile. Like what I said before, surprising me with food is always ALWAYS a good thing. Thank you Col. Sanders!  I peeked inside and found three red boxes that are quite similar to the kind that we'd use for Mom's chocolate cupcakes. Instead of having cupcakes or any sweet treats inside, KFC filled each box with the new BBQ Shredder Sandwich . Yep, that's the name of the new sandwich. If you ask me, I find using the word 'shredder' a bit off. Those in the corporate world would associate the shredder with trash. We shred all unnecessary documents, we shred all unused forms and memos, we shred all things we have to dispose. I personally wouldn't use the word "shredder" when food is involved. Well, that's me so ...

Paul and I had so much fun during our trip to Seoul, South Korea ! We enjoyed our trip so much that we are actually planning for a return visit next year. This time, hopefully to see the pretty autumn leaves in Nami. I'm really crossing my fingers and toes for this. Our trip was just perfect. The cool weather, our very accessible hotel, the places that we were able to visit and a lot more. Our home away from home -- Hotel Skypark 1 was located at the heart of Myeongdong . It was a good choice given that we just relied on reviews posted in Agoda.com and luckily, what we saw up close was exactly what was mentioned in the said reviews. Our hotel was located right in front of a famous fast food chain called Lotteria making it so easy to locate and so convenient should hunger strikes. Initially, I thought Lotteria originated in South Korea but researching about it told me that this brand actually opened first in Japan by a South Korean and later on found its way back to its mo...

Tonight, I left the office later the usual as I had to attend a work-related event. It's a Friday night and with no other plans for the evening, I invited Paul to join me for late dinner. There's a newly opened restaurant in the neighborhood called Toki Q and I've been excited to try it as I see it every day on my way to work. Finally, it's now open and ready to serve the public. Toki Q boasts of being the first restaurant in the Philippines using the Rotating BBQ griller. Contrary to traditional grillers, it takes one Yakitori stick 3-5 minutes to grill while others would take more than 10 minutes, give or take. This allows them to serve your order fresh and hot just the way a yakitori should be. I tried the Combo 2 with Miso soup and Drink (Php. 149). All orders except for the group platters come with Unlimited Rice. This is perfect for office workers looking for a good lunch option nearby. The rice was sticky and fragrant which I like. The Combo 2 comes wit...

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 tr...

For Catholics all over the world, Lent began last Wednesday. This is the time when we try to make a sacrifice by either giving up something we really like doing or eating, practicing more good deeds and a lot more. For me, I abstain from meat . I do this for every Fridays of Lent beginning Ash Wednesday and this goes on until Easter Sunday. Of course, temptation is out there. It’s really hard to say no to that juicy piece of lechon meat or to have a cheese steak sandwich especially when it’s right there sitting happily in front of you. Still, I stick to my sacrifice and for years I’m proud to say that I’ve been pretty much successful at carrying it out all throughout the 40+ days of Lent. What make this sacrifice extra challenging is when we eat out. At times, it's just so hard to find a place that serves really good seafood options that's also friendly on the budget. Imagine my glee when I found out that Jollibee's Tuna Pie is BACK! Hooray!

Here's a case when I chose not to blog on the my first restaurant visit...neither on my second but just decided to wait and go back for a third round before I finally give my full review. I first heard about Hainanese Delights from my colleague ML who is a certified foodie and a budding food blogger. It was during one of our work-related events in Robinsons Galleria when she pointed out this fast food-like restaurant with a bright pink signage to me. I made a mental note to check it out but since I rarely get to visit the mall, it took me more than a month before I finally had the chance to try Hainanese Delights for the first time. My first visit was ok, nothing amazing as I was only able to try one dish and a can of Coke. Nothing more. My second visit came shortly after when Hainanese Delights opened at Robinsons Pioneer , a mall that's just within walking distance from my office. ML and I were invited to a lunch meeting there and we were able to sample more dishes ...