Frannywanny

Spontaneity . That's one thing that I've been trying my darnest to practice year after year. For someone who's incredibly OC, I tend to stick to routines and follow schedules to a T. Thus, when I texted a couple of friends to ask them out for lunch one weekday, they were pretty much surprised to receive such an impromptu invite from yours truly. Well, I was equally just as surprised myself that they were all game to meet up in less than two hours. We agreed to check out MadeCa as majority of us haven't tried it yet. I really haven't heard about this restaurant as I rarely get to visit the Podium Mall . Located at the 5th floor, this is a new Mexican - Filipino restaurant. A fusion restaurant. count with me!!! - Count Dracula (Count von Count, Sesame Street) To be honest, I'm not a big fan of fusion cuisines as normally it just doesn't work out that well. I still love restaurants that offer authentic cuisines be it Chinese, Filipino, Japanese or Ital...

Stepping inside Ma Maison in Greenbelt 2 , I can't help but recall a scene from one of my favorite movies -- Julie and Julia . I'm not sure why.. Could it be because of the kitchen set-up with copper pans and dainty-looking tea-cups? The restaurant gives off a very homey vibe that matches the line of European hostel keys that hangs by the cashier's area. Ma Maison , after all, means My House when translated from French. We truly felt welcomed with the delightful service as well as the yummy food. We actually were able to try a lot of dishes majority of which were pretty good that Paul and I found ourselves back at Ma Maison days after. For starters, we had the Escargots Baked with Garlic Butter (Php. 385). I have a confession..in my many years of eating..I've..never...ever...ever...had...escagots. However, there will always be a first time and that happened at Ma Maison. I had not one...not two but three delicious escagots swimming in garlic butter on to...

Last week, Paul and I were privileged to be invited to an intimate dinner to sample a number of signature dishes which will only be available for a very limited time at the Jasmine Restaurant of the New World Hotel in Makati . From September 19 to October 1 , that's a total of 13 days only, Chef Wong Kam Chung from Shanghai will serve his specialties to the patrons of the restaurant. Being the executive chef of the famous YUE 1525 in New World Hotel in Shanghai, Chef Wong is a veteran in preparing a number of Cantonese dishes including his special Double Boiled Whelk Soup with Chinese Herbs and a lot more. Since the drive from my office to Makati took a while, we arrived quite hungry and ready for our lauriat dinner. We began with two appetizers which were totally different from the usual cold cuts platter that we're all used to. We had Lotus roots stuffed with Glutinous Rice (Php. 480). A long platter where you get eight bite-sized pieces. It has a very sweet taste...

Lu has this certain comfort feel that each diner gets in every visit. My friend T even considers Lu to be her second home. Aside from the fact that she's friends with the owners of Lu, the servers themselves already know her favorite dishes and would immediately know what to serve for dessert. My first visit was during the WaterPlus launch where we were treated to a healthy four-course dinner that has kept me gushing how delicious everything was even days after. Dinner began with Courgette Flower Crisp with Roasted Bacon and Basil Birch . While the name may sound a bit intimidating and confusing, simply put, it is deep fried Zucchini Blossoms placed on top of crispy bacon and served with a shot glass of miso soup-like sauce. It gives a very Japanese feel to the meal which Paul and I love. Up next was some Caramelized Grilled Pork and Rice Noodle Salad . From the Japanese-inspired starter, we had a Vietnamese feel with the refreshing cold noodles topped with sweet gri...

My cousin Jeff came home for a two-week long visit and a special dinner was of course scheduled. My cousin sure has good taste in choosing a Katre . Said to be a Mediterranean fine dining restaurant I was really expecting to see a lot of hummus, kebabs and skewered dishes on the menu. It was yet another meatless Friday and I was really praying that there will be at least 2-3 seafood dishes that I can choose from. My family arrived first and we were able to secure a table for 8 at the 1st floor of the restaurant. My mom initially wanted to get a table at the 2nd floor, however it was full and even those that were not occupied at that moment were already reserved. I guess, it is best to call and make reservations in order to get the best seats in the house. Nonetheless, our ground floor table was pretty good too. It can just be a teeny weeny struggle to get the server's attention once in a while. I love the fine dining ambiance of the restaurant, this is a perfect date place ...