Frannywanny

Oh wow! It's been close to 3 months since we bid goodbye to the Lion City! Time flies so fast...when you're busy! With that, I think I should write about one of the things that I miss the most about Singapore. Crystal Jade . I know that this is pretty much a household name when it comes to Chinese dining with close to 20 outlets all over Singapore and even more overseas. I've had my first taste of Crystal Jade right here in Manila when my friend T brought me there to have her favorite Dan Dan La Mian . I was never a fan of spicy food but it was only Crystal Jade's version that I find to be really yummy. However, it was when I went to Singapore that I learned more about the brand. Did you know that Crystal Jade has several concepts under its wing? Let's see if I still remember them... there are the fine-dining ones such as Crystal Jade Prestige at MBFC, Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant which is like the flagship outlet in Takashimaya and Crystal Jade Golden Pa...

What's your favorite meal in the day? For me, it just got to be dinner. Wanna know why? It's because dinner is the only meal wherein I consistently get to have with Paul. Breakfast is definitely out of the question as we're always rushing and busy in the morning as we get ready for work. Lunch, I only get to eat lunch with him during the weekends so... dinner is really when I look forward to enjoying a nice home-cooked meal (+dessert/fruits/after dinner snack) as we update one another about our busy work day. So, often times, I would have to make a mad dash home in order to prepare dinner since Paul normally ends work late. My goal is always to make sure that the food has to be on the table by the time he walks in the door. So given that I get off work 2 hours before he does but it takes me a couple of minutes to get home, this means I have more or less an hour to prep, chop, clean, cook and plate everything. Not to mention, I make it a point to clean as I go too. We...

For someone who spends her weekends trying a restaurant or two, there are just days wherein I would go back to the ones that I've tried and "tasted"  through time. These are the restaurants that I have full confidence in bringing a guest to as I know the best dishes by heart and I have full confidence that it will be just as good as how I've enjoyed it the last time..and the time before that. One of my favorites here in Singapore (and basically in most parts in Asia) is Din Tai Fung . A restaurant that originated in Taiwan, they are very popular worldwide for their to-die-for Xiao Long Bao which is one of my all-time comfort food wherever I go. In fact, our first taste of Din Tai Fung was back in 2010 here in Singapore . We've been to a few more outlets after that, even to the one in Taiwan too.  It has been 4 years of non-stop patronage and loyalty still Din Tai Fung serves consistently the best Xiao Long Bao for me. In addition to their XLBs, let me...

From one foodie mecca to another. Putting cleanliness, ease in mode of transportation and security aside, Manila and Singapore still share a couple of similarities most especially in being the best place to be for food lover's like you and me. Back home, our neighborhood alone is quickly becoming a go-to place when you're in the mood to try new homegrown (a.k.a. local) food concepts. One thing we have to remember is that it was in San Juan where the country's milk tea pioneer, Serenitea , first opened shop. San Juan is also known to be the modern-day Chinatown. Here, you'll see a number of Chinese delis, Chinese specialty shops, three Filipino-Chinese schools, a Buddhist temple and a lot more. In the past year alone, more restaurants opened and one of those was Mu Noodle Bar . I must have been out of the radar but I felt like Mu Noodle Bar opened so quietly that it was only through hearsay that I found out about this modern Chinese restaurant. What prompted me to t...

The Chinese New Year celebration goes on and on here in Singapore. It's pretty much similar to how us, Filipinos, celebrate Christmas! People would take time out from work to go on long vacation leaves, others would go home to their hometown, others would just stay in town and spend time with their family. However, what we notice is that in most of the Chinese restaurants here, even in small neighborhood eateries, families would gather around the table to toss shredded vegetables and seafood as they shout out their wishes for the coming year. This is called Loi Hei (in Cantonese), Yu Sheng (in Mandarin) or Prosperity Toss (in English). This is a practice commonly done in Singapore and in some parts of Malaysia. Last Monday, I had the chance to experience my first loi hei with my new colleagues. We headed to a Chinese restaurant in Clarke Quay and were presented with a plate filled with colorful vegetables like carrots, radish, red peppers and a lot more. The highlight of the Y...

Who doesn't love rice? Well..I do! Born and raised here in the Philippines, we Filipinos are known to be avid rice lovers. Personally, I enjoy rice in all forms! You name it, I love em all! Paella, risotto, garlic rice (sinangag) , congee, brown rice, Thai Bagoong Rice, sushi and my one and only love -- FRIED RICE . In Korea, we enjoyed more rice options such as the ever-popular Dolsot Bibimbap which is somewhat like Fried Rice only it's not fried, Omurice and my long-time Korean favorite, the Kimbap . After traveling to Yeouido to see a line of pretty Cherry Blossom trees (hooray for Cherry Blossom Festival in April!) , we walked around the area to search for a place to have lunch. We saw a line of small eateries, some of which are filled with locals having their lunch break. It was then that we spotted Gimgane . Uncertain on what it serves, Richard, Rowena and I entered the restaurant to check the menu out. Thank goodness they have photos of their dishes on the wall ma...

I'm saying Chow Fun's because we're an "us". There's a history and histories don't happen overnight. In Mesopotamia or Ancient Troy or somewhere back there, there were cities built on top of other cities, but I don't want to build another city. I like this city....I mean I guess what I'm trying to say is - I'm saying Chow Fun's because I love you. - Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer), The Story of Us I'm so happy that another new restaurant has recently opened in our neighborhood! Really, I'm never leaving this part of town as it's really becoming a foodie mecca! Love love love ♥ Everyday on my way to and from work, I saw how this restaurant has turned from a vacant space into a pretty modern establishment. I love the bright colored assorted chairs, the cute hanging lamps and the fact that it gives a very modern Chinese vibe. No red table clothes, no Chinese music playing in the background, the menu is simple yet every items sounds m...

The first time I heard about Din Tai Fung was from my mom who, after coming home from her Singapore trip, couldn't stop raving about this restaurant that serves the best tasting Xiao Long Bao that she has ever tasted in her life. She and my aunt loved it so much that at some point my aunt even considered bringing this amazing brand to Manila. It didn't took that long for me to also try Din Tai Fung myself. Ten months ago, when Paul and I went to Singapore for our Honeymoon, we set a dinner date with his cousin J for a fun Xiao Long Bao dinner at ...where else?!... Din Tai Fung ! We were fortunate that there was a branch located at the mall adjacent to our hotel. We had a great time! I love their Xiao Long Bao and Pork Chop Fried Rice . Needless to say, Paul and I have officially added Din Tai Fung into our list of favorite restaurants. Read more about our DTF Singapore here. Fast forward to our Taipei trip, of course Din Tai Fung was in our list of must-visits as th...

Four years. It has been four long years since college friends Daff, Anne, Tim, Len, Paul and yours truly shared a meal together. Call it falling out. We've had our own drama episodes in the past until little by little we've learned to pull down our pride and agreed to start on a clean slate. After all, that's what friendship is all about, right? Paul and I would regularly double date with soon-to-wed Len and Tim and last Wednesday night was no different. I sent Len an SMS to ask how she's doing and she invited me out to dinner. Only this time, she asked if I am game to invite Anne and Daff to join us. Without hesitation, I texted back, "sure, why not?!" I haven't seen them for a long time and it would really be nice to catch up with old friends..after all, we've known each other for more than a decade already. Looking back, they were all seated at the front row as they watched my love story with Paul unfold. We agreed to meet at Shi Lin a...

Last Monday, Chris invited the Club to dine at Coco Asian Kitchen at the Greenhills Promenade. Paul and I are familiar with this restaurant that opened last 2009 but never got around to trying it as we were loaded with wedding preparations for the first half of last year and an assortment of trips for the second half of 2010. This just goes to show how time flies, while we frequent the Greenhills Shopping Center almost twice in a month, we would just have enough time to run our errands of paying the bills, buying some groceries or having our clothes altered. It has been a while since we had the privilege to leisurely stroll around and try the new restaurants in this area. I'm glad that 2011 seems to be a more laid-back year for us. Giving us sufficient relaxing weekends and weeknights where we can unwind either as a twosome or with our group of friends. We were introduced to the owners of Coco Asian Kitchen , a local concept with dishes taken from various Asian cuisines. With...

At some point I wonder if Paul and I have met each other when we were kids. Probably we could have been at the same place and at the same time but we were too young to notice anyone else besides our family back then. While recounting our childhood stories, we noticed that we have shared a number of similar memories. Perhaps there have been other opportunities for us to meet but He made it all possible on that fateful night of May 11, 2003 where both of us attended a big group dinner without any idea that right at that moment, we were to meet the one whom we will be spending the rest of our lives with -- we were each other's soulmates. A couple of weeks back, we got an invite from fellow blogger Richard to have dinner at Chinatown's Best Food . On our way there, I was recounting my past experience of frequenting Chinatown's Best Food when they were still in their old location also along Banawe. The restaurant has came a long way. From a small al fresco eatery to a multiple...

Mien-San Noodle House has been around since I was still in Grade School. I remember spending Friday afternoons there with my parents as we enjoy their delicious noodle soup and dumplings. They have been a permanent fixture along Granada Avenue that their bright yellow signage just makes up the over-all look of this semi-commercial/residential area. Not so long ago, I blogged about Mien-San being our go-to place whenever hungry strikes late in the evening . It has been a regular hang-out for guys after a basketball game and families who are craving for some warm noodles before they head to bed. Recently, Mien-San had a little face lift where the little yellow signage was replaced by a bright red store facade signage that spells out M-I-E-N S-A-N which can easily be read meters away. The size of the store doubled as compared to its old located and they have added more dishes to their menu. It's a good thing though, our favorite choices were all still available. For Paul...