Frannywanny

I was already based abroad when SM Megamall opened a new wing called the Fashion Hall. Despite it's name, this area quickly became a favorite of fellow foodies as in here you can find a number of international restaurant franchises and some cool local ones. Since I can't just hop on a plane and fly home on a whim, I would continue to grow my list of restaurants in hopes that I'll be able to visit them when I'm in Manila. So, last October, Paul and I decided to have a really belated birthday celebration with my in-laws. While planning for the said meal, I referred to my list and zeroed in on Alqueria  which is a Spanish restaurant conveniently located in SM Megamall. I miss having Spanish food as I haven't really fond a good one in the Lion City which would match up to my favorites here. As SM Megamall is forever crowded, it was a challenge to park most especially on a Sunday. That said, we got to the restaurant past lunch hour and everyone was feeling hungr...

If there's one mantra that my parents live by, it would be this: "The family that eats together, stays together." Given our busy schedules, we all make it a point to at least have dinner together. At home, dinner time would last for more than 2 hours as we would take this opportuntiy to update everyone how our day went and basically what's going on with our lives. I have to say that having these moments allowed us to stay very close as a family. I guess, this is the reason why I miss my family so much now that I'm miles and miles away. I think of them every single day and most especially during dinner time. A few months ago, I availed the Casa Marcos coupon from Deal Grocer . For only Php. 799 (from Php. 1,500++), we got a paella of our choice and a caraffe of sangria too! We all love paella so this dinner was definitely highly anticipated by everyone. When I told my parents that we made dinner reservations at Casa Marcos , Mommy got so excited as she reme...

This particular entry marks my 1,192nd blog post here at Frannywanny.com . This means that I've written that much in the span of 6 years! Quite a LOT, isn't it? Out of all the entries, I'd say that 80% are on the different restaurants I've tried locally, 15% are those I was able to visit abroad and the rest are on shopping finds, home ideas, beauty, my occassional musings and a lot more. Therefore, if you do the math, I've visited about 953 local restaurants to date. Now, that explains why I'm still a far cry from having a supermodel body. Haha! Given the numbers I've mentioned above, there are still some restaurants that I'm surprised I haven't gotten around to blogging about. Thus, I'm making it my 2013 resolution to ensure that they make it to this blog site for me to share my favorites with you. One of those is my go-to place whenever the need to have some comfort food comes about. I'm talking about Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant...

This year, my friends and I are turning 31! I'm still in major denial that I'm no longer in my 20s and I'm getting inch by inch closer to the big 4-0! Oh nooooo?!?! Well, age is indeed just a number and what matters is you are still young at heart. Agree? Last January, we celebrated Estee's birthday by having an intimate dinner just us girls. We had it at the newly opened Beso Cucina Vinoteka at the Bonifacio Highstreet Central . Aside from ramen, more and more Spanish restaurants are opening left and right. I'm not complaining though as I loveeee good paella and a wide array of tapas. Estee's birthday celebration began with a carafe of Red Sangria to toast for a fun and fab year ahead for my dear friend. I'm no drinker but I liked the sweet and mild taste of the sangria. To go with our drink, we had a couple of tapas to get our meal started. Estee ordered the Gambas (Php. 380) and I have to say that this had to be the biggest gambas shrimp that I...

I have a thing towards neighborhood, hole-in-a-wall food finds! This is most especially when I end up having a good meal there then it gives me that sense of fulfillment and the feeling of success that I've once again found a hidden gem. I think I've been all over San Juan and Kapitolyo, two neighborhoods that hold dear to my heart yet more and more neighborhood restaurants are popping out here and there that it can be quite a challenge trying to keep up with it. Manila is truly a booming wonderland for foodies like you and me! Recently, Paul and I visited Galli Village Cafe , a fairly new restaurant in San Antonio Village in Makati. It was upon an invitation from a former business contact that brought us to this side of town on a not-so-hectic Monday evening. With us were fellow bloggers Richard and Abet and their lovely wives too. I got there famished! Having had a light lunch earlier that day, I felt my tummy rumbling angrily as soon as I saw the llanera of Paella Valen...

When I predicted that 2012 will be a busy year, I wasn't expecting for it to be THIS busy. I've been buzzing around like a busy bee ever since I returned back to work on the 2nd day of the year. Meetings conducted one after the other, reports growing by the number and a lot more! Don't get me wrong, I entered the year with an optimistic heart and I'm just so happy doing what I'm doing right now. In other words -- I. Love. My. Job. Still, after a hectic work week, what makes my heart flutter is the thought that the weekend is here! This is the only time when I can stay in bed longer, catch up on my favorite TV shows and go out and eat, eat, eat to my hearts content! Aside from Chinese and Japanese cuisines, I love Filipino food. How can I ever say no to that mouthwatering Lechon or that heart-stopping, oil-dripping Garlic Pork Adobo that goes perfectly well with steamed white rice? Oh the thought of it always puts a smile on my face. There are a lot of Filipi...

Every single time I dine at Mario's Restaurant in Tomas Morato , I can't help but reminisce about my childhood years. The time when I would dine there with my parents and we would order their Grilled Tanigue with Dill Sauce for starters, have our own plates of Caesar Salad and this immediately will be followed by our respective choice of main dishes -- on most occasions I would switch back and forth between the Lamb Chops or the Chicken Parmigiana. Our meals will never be complete without looking at their dessert cart where my sister and I would always choose the gelatin with fruit cocktail inside. Oh how I always feel like a grown-up woman every time we dine at Mario's as I would carefully slice through my lamb chops or fork through my crisp salad. Fast forward a little more than ten years after, I'm back at Mario's this time really as a grown married woman with my husband sitting beside me as we attended a special dinner hosted by Fil and Anton Benitez , the ...

After spending the entire afternoon trick or treating with my 3 year old Supergirl niece Julia and 1 year old Peter Pan nephew Jairus, I hurried home to get ready as Paul and I were to double date with.... my parents! It's funny that all throughout our 8 years of dating, I realized that Paul and I never really had the chance to go out with just my parents. Normally, my sister would join us or sometimes we'd even have the entire clan dining out with us. More than anything, I just want Paul to feel more at ease with my parents especially with Papa who, at times, thinks I'm still his 5-year-old daughter and is still in the process of realizing and accepting that I am a 29 year old grown woman who has been married for more than a year. I guess my story is nothing out of the ordinary as I'm sure most daughters, especially those who are really close to their dads, can totally relate with me. *nods slowly* Since this is a rare occasion, I made sure my choice of restaura...