Frannywanny

After a very busy afternoon touring around Ubud on our first day in Bali, Indonesia , we told Swantika that we wanted to end our day tour with some traditional Indonesia Crispy Duck before heading back to the city proper and based on my friends' recommendations, we should go to Bebek Tepi Sawah which was also in Ubud. However, he told us that it's best that we go to Bebek Joni Restaurant or I Made Joni instead as it has a nicer view. Well, he's the expert and I were quite impressed and happy with the places that he brought us to earlier in the day so ok then, Bebek Joni Restaurant  it is. As he entered the huge compound, we noticed that we were the only ones there. Okay, maybe because we were there at 6PM so it was way too early perhaps for the dinner crowd. Not to worry though as the view was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Save for the pesky mosquitoes that won't stop feasting on our legs, we love the soft rustle of the leaves, the smell of grass and the whole provincial vibe. I...

Aside from its beautiful beaches and sunset views, Bali is also known for its coffee. Actually Indonesia is one of the world's top coffee producers and Bali, in particular, is known for a certain type of coffee called kopi luwak . It's actually one of the more premium kind and this is because of how it's produced. Kopi Luwak otherwise known as civet coffee  is produced by this tiny furry creature called the civet cat. They're fed coffee cherries and the coffee beans actually comes out when they poop. I know it sounds gross but people believe that the enzymes produced by the civet cat and the fermentation that happens inside is body brings more flavor and improves the quality of the coffee. So after they excretes it out, the farmers will then clean it, roast and grind it before brewing the coffee. Every time Paul and I travel, we love to inject a bit of history and cultural learning about the place that we're visiting. So, when I proposed the idea of visitin...

As we were researching for our trip to Bali last year, Paul and I noticed that the cafe scene in this beautiful Indonesian island is totally booming. This really got us so excited as we're both fans of cafes and we definitely love visiting new ones too. We actually have the option to take our breakfast in the hotel but since we were only there for 3 full days, we didn't want to waste spending more than one meal in one place. On our first morning in Bali, after taking a million and one shots of the ocean view, we headed to Seminyak to try Sisterfields . This is one of the top cafes rated in Tripadvisor and it was highly recommended by local bloggers and Instagrammers too so we definitely took their word for it. Seminyak is just the next district to where our hotel was thus, making it a short and stress-free 10 minute ride via Uber. Here's a tip: when in Bali, just use Uber (or Grab) as hailing a cab wasn't very much recommended by our hotel receptionist as there ...

One way for me to tell that I've been having a major backlog in blogging is my ever-static travel folders. I can't believe that I haven't told you all about our full trip to Cambodia which happened two years ago, our trip to Bali which was almost a year ago and what about our foodie-filled nth honeymoon to Tokyo? I promise I'll try to catch up! If only my offline life isn't that busy and crazy this year. *whew!* Okay, let me get started on my Bali trip by telling you one of the foodie highlights of our weekend getaway there. This trip was actually to celebrate Paul's birthday with his closest cousins and since we started this "tradition" by going to Kuala Lumpur two years ago, we agreed to celebrate once again this time in Bali. There are no plans yet on where we're celebrating this year but I'm hoping that for once..it will be somewhere cold-er. On our first day in Bali, Paul and I found ourselves alone as his cousins were scheduled to f...

Right after our two-hour crash course in learning how to cook some Balinese specialties , Paul and I headed to MELT ~ The World Cafe for a delicious buffet dinner waiting for us. Starting last April 28 till May 8 , Chef Heinz von Holzen will be in Singapore and this means, you and I can enjoy a special line-up of Balinese specialties which will be included into the lunch and dinner buffet spread of MELT. Saying this without any bias, MELT is one of my favorite hotel buffets in Singapore. I just love that the offerings aren't too overwhelming nor is it too limited. There's always something yummy that you can find in each station and of course, there are my usual favorites. For this evening, Paul and I focused on the center counter where we found all the Balinese dishes served. In fact, you'll find a couple of Balinese dishes in almost all stations so you can actually have a full course dinner meal with all of Bali's specialties. Here are some of our favorites tha...

Planning to visit Batam, Indonesia for a quick weekend getaway? Well, here's an easy guide to help you plan your itinerary: 1) Know how to get there. Visitors from Singapore will find it a breeze as all you have to do is to hop onto one of the many fastcraft boats that will take you straight to Batam Centre for just an hour-long ride. Visitors from other countries may opt to fly in and land in Batam International Airport or to fly to Singapore and have a side trip to Batam. 2) Choose a hotel. We enjoyed our stay at Novotel Batam Hote l and do highly recommend this to you as well. There are also a number of resorts present in the island. 3) Where to eat?!  The most important question, if you ask me. Well, I do agree that a visit to Batam won't be complete without having the following: - SEAFOOD! Try Harbour Bay Seafood Restauran t or Wey Wey which was also recommended to us by the hotel's front desk officer. - Authentic Indonesian dishes: There are plenty...

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...

For our last night in Batam, Paul and I wanted to try the local fare. There were a lot of choices so after walking around Nagoya Hill Mall, we decided to dine at Warung Cobain . There was some bit of a discussion how to pronounce the second word. Paul said it should be ko-ba-in  while I read it as co-bayne  similar to Nirvana's singer Kurt Cobain. Anyway, the restaurant was packed so we had to make do with the tiny table for two by the kitchen. Where was a slightly foul smell coming from I-don't-know-where but we just ignored it and ordered away. First on our list was the ever famous Ayam Goreng (Rp. 11,818) or more popularly known as the Ayam Penyet. This is Indonesia's signature dish which is basically a smashed fried chicken. This is also widely available in all Indonesian hawker stalls, food courts and restaurants here in Singapore. How this dish is prepared is still a mystery to us but we love the juicy chicken meat and Paul enjoyed munching on the crunchy ski...

What to do in Batam? --  This is what I've been typing in Google two days prior to our trip to Batam. I used to be so ready -- preparing itineraries months before a trip. However, I wasn't able to do so for our weekend getaway for two reasons: a) work was t-o-x-i-c b) the trip was basically a spur of the moment, "let's get out of Singapore" kind of thing. I was telling my sister Pan about it and she just told me to be a bit more spontaneous for once in my life. Well, I tried...I really did till 2 days before the trip I woke up panicking that we might be wasting time with no idea where to go and what to do. Then finally, I caved and starting researching like mad. Of course, I had to create a list of restaurants to try bearing in mind that we only have 2 full days in Batam = 4 full meals (not counting breakfast as we planned to sleep longer everyday). After researching through countless of blogs and even TripAdvisor, I happily went to Batam with a short list...

If there's one thing that both Paul and I are quite nit-picky about whenever we travel, it would definitely be our choice of accommodation. Yes, we can definitely save on the plane ticket or would rather pack light to avoid paying extra for checked-in luggages and saying no to ordering meals on board but when it comes to choosing what would be our home away from home , then rarely do we put on our Mr. and Mrs. Scrooge McDuck hats for this. Why? The reason is simple. Yes, it's true we would go shopping or exploring the city for most parts of the day. If you really think about it, we spend no more than 10 hours per day in the hotel. However, we just love the idea of being able to retire back to our room after a fun yet physically tiring day outside. Nothing beats being able to comfortably shower and to peacefully sleep without having to deal with bugs, mites, weird noises and terrible service. That's basically why Paul and I give so much regard to our travel accommodation...

....and I'm back! Did you all missed me? :)  Just kidding, I know I was just away for the weekend. To celebrate this year's Valentine's Day, which was also to make up for our non-existent one last year, Paul and I decided to go on a quick weekend getaway to Batam in Indonesia . Prior to living in Singapore, I have to admit that I never have heard of Batam and have always associated Indonesia with either Bali or Jakarta. Thanks to a number of ferry services operating between Singapore and Indonesia, we were able to get to Batam in less than an hour via Wavemaster Ferry . How silly of me to think that we will be taking a small boat going to Batam similar to one that goes down the Singapore River. Of course, Paul pointed this macho-looking ferry boat which is also known as a fastcraft . Take a look inside, the seats are surprisingly very comfy. Unfortunately, our ride going to Batam was incredibly bumpy making me seasick. I was way much better during the ride bac...

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 ...

My best friend T recently left for a month-long business trip to Indonesia . I still remembered that time when she told me about it and the first thing I said was, "Wow you're going to Bali? no? Bandah Aceh?" This made her laugh out loud and told me she's actually going to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. I can't believe I actually forgot about Jakarta! Silly me... Looking at the map, I realized how close Indonesia is to our Mindanao region. In fact, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world and is one of the highly populated countries too. However, Indonesia is also blessed with a lot of natural resources making it a valuable trading partner for coffee, spices and a lot more. To be honest, when I think of Indonesia there are two main things that come to mind. First, their chips -- remember my entry about Matahari , my favorite snack kiosk that sells the best cassava chips? I love Indonesian chips and this is why I've been bugging T to...

Aside from pasta and fried rice, one thing I don't think I can live without are chips ! Not the healthiest food in the planet but they do give us the comfort that we need after a long hard day at work. It surely hits the right spot, I must say. Luckily, my husband Paul loves chips as much as I do. The funny thing is he favors potato chips while I truly adore corn chips. Nonetheless, we share the same passion for finding different types of chips here and abroad. Thus, it's not a surprise that for all of our trips, our hand carry luggage is always filled to the brim with ... chips. Here in Metro Manila, a trip to SM Megamall will not be complete without passing by Matahari . It's an Indonesian kiosk that sells the best tasting Baked BBQ Cassava Chips and Vegetable Crackers. Initially we would share a 100 grams bag but eventually we realized that this was not enough for sharing thus we both would get our own 100 grams bag each! I love the sweet salty taste of this yummy ...