Frannywanny

It's no secret how much I love Cebuano lechon. Apart from my all-time fave, very sosyal  Truffled Stuffed Lechon , I love the saltiness of the Cebunao lechon and the fact that minimal dipping is required. Apart from this, I love Cebu . The Queen City of the South where you can get the yummiest finds. It's here where I load up on roasted meats, dried danggit (fish) and my ever favorite -- dried mangoes with chocolate. So, when word went around that Rico's Lechon from Cebu will open their first store here in Manila sometime back in August, I was really excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, being full time Mommy to my twins doesn't really make me as mobile as I used to be so even a short trip to the Bonifacio Global City entails a whole lot of coordination, planning and logistical arrangements. You see, every time I visit Cebu, I make it a point to have lechon. I have my go-to Cebu Lechon spot which I would frequent every time I'm in the city. Somehow, I know ...

There's a new kid in town and I'm pretty sure you'll like "him" very much. After all... who says no to Lechon ? Aside from the ever popular Adobo which is probably the dish that's synonymous to Filipino cooking, Lechon remains to be one that never fails to make every Filipino and non-Filipino's heart skip a beat. From the shiny, mouth-watering crunchy skin down to its fragrant and tender meat, I remember making several visits with my local colleagues and friends to this famous Cebu Lechon stall in Paya Lebar in Singapore whenever they'd ask me to take them to try a Filipino dish. In fact, there are several versions of lechon all over the country. Some would serve it with sarsa (sauce), others would stuff it with aromatic tanglad (lemongrass) , my talented friend D has her classy Lechon with Truffle Rice inside and well in Cebu, it's serve just as it is. The meat has a hint of salt and the skin slightly thick with a layer of fat underneath a...

Lunch Break! Normally, lunch for me would consist of two slices of wholewheat bread and my choice of veggies or meat that I would tabao  from my favorite soup restaurant beside my office. On other days, I would bring some home-cooked packed lunch or if I want to go healthy, it would be a huge container of salad. Given that I tend to work as I eat, lunch has always been something light and quick for me. It has indeed been sometime when I was able to sit down, enjoy a real good meal and to chitchat a little longer. Well, after a series of stressful workdays, the kind genie (a.k.a. my friend WT) must have heard my plea and he granted me one wish -- to join him for lunch at Melt - The World Cafe in Mandarin Oriental . What makes it event better? The fact that Melt recently launched a 10-day long Filipino Buffet promotion highlighting a wide-array of classic dishes that I miss so much. This got me really excited that I've been looking forward to this lunch since Monday. ...

Yes, you read that right. Cebuano Lechon  here in the Lion City! This just got to be every Singapore-based Filipino's dream come true! It's true, Lucky Plaza has been there for ages and it has been our go-to place whenever we're craving for some home-cooked favorites but even after all those plates of adobo, laing, sisig or bopis, somehow the flavors still have not hit a perfect bull's eye. I often would think it's probably because I have a really picky sense of taste and the fact that my taste buds have been quite spoiled after all these years of being exposed to really good food back home. It sure reminds me of home, that's true, but there's just that lack of authenticity still, I guess. Then, a few weeks ago, I heard the news about a stall selling Cebuano lechon in Paya Lebar . A couple of bloggers began raving about it and even my friend D told me that she's excited to give it a try. Sounds promising! Finally, the chance to visit this side of ...

Back when I was still in Manila, I got to admit that the local Filipino cuisine was never one that I'd really crave for. As the saying goes: "You'll never know the value of what you have until you lose it..." perhaps a more apt saying would be "Absence makes the heart grow fonder..." Being miles away from home and not having the luxury of eating our local cuisine whenever I want to, I've grown to love it more and more. You have no idea how our eyes would sparkle at the scent of garlicky adobo or how our heart would do leaps and cartwheels at the mere sight of a shiny, crunchy roasted lechon. Thus, whenever we're home, we make sure to make up for lost times with our favorite dishes. One of the highlight of my recent visit was during a private dinner hosted by my favorite "lechon diva" D of Pepita's Kitchen . Note that I was burning with fever that evening but I made sure that I didn't miss this gastronomical experience. Of course...

We only had three whole days in Cebu and with all the meetings, trade checks and a grand cooking demo lined up, the only thing that kept all of us in high spirits was the thought of being able to eat good food for all three days. Of course, I made sure that my team won't go home disappointed so I did my research and had my list all ready. Given our short visit, I wanted to give them a little bit of Cebu's best -- gastronomical-wise. We were able to try two of the best lechon brands in the city, had an amazing night cap while enjoying the best warm brownie cup in La Marea and of course, our celebration dinner just had to be in one of the best local Cebuano restaurants as recommended by fellow bloggers and the Lonely Planet .  This is none other than Golden Cowrie Native Restaurant . Golden Cowrie has been around since 1982 (we're of the same age!) . They're known to offer really good local dishes which we luckily were able to try that evening. The ambiance exu...

So my tale continues with my second lechon encounter. I can't believe that I was able to try 4 different lechon brands in the span of 3 days! *pat on the back* After our filling lunch at Zubuchon on our first day, I had a very light dinner that evening as my body feeling extra guilty for all that meaty indulgence. I think though I made a wrong move by just ordering a teeny-tiny chimichanga at Mooon Cafe as I woke up really hungry the following morning. It was a good thing the hotel's buffet spread was pretty good so I was able to fill my hunger with a generous amount of danggit, eggs and garlic rice. Truly a hearty breakfast to prep me for the busy schedule ahead. Day 2 was our BIG day, it was when we had our cooking demo and prior to that, ML and I went around Cebu City to do some trade checks as we wanted to make the most of our short 3-day visit. After going around SM Cebu, we asked our Cebu-based colleague R where's a good place to eat. Seeing that we have time...

As soon as we landed at the Mactan Domestic Airport in Cebu, the first question thrown my way was "where to eat?" Of course, being the aspiring tour guide that I was, I went prepared. Armed with a list of recommended restaurants shared by my dear readers, I checked with our driver which one was the most accessible given that we have to head to Summit Circle Hotel right after. He told me that Zubuchon , which is located at the Mango Mall , would be the best option and you can just imagine the excitement that filled the air inside our crowded van as the thought of enjoying Cebuano lechon for our first meal made our hearts do cartwheels and somersaults. I've been reading about Zubuchon as this is the brainchild of renowned food blogger Marketman . People have been raving at how good it was and so it truly was perfect to make it our first meal in beautiful Cebu. I love the clean  red and white interiors which was totally different from the other lechon places both h...

Just how much food can you possibly eat in one sitting? This thought entered my mind in the middle of the meal last Thursday as I joined a couple of bloggers for a special lechon dinner at Pepita's Kitchen . When I got Spanky's invite for this particular dinner, I was just expecting an informal set-up where we will be pigging out on lechon, lechon and more lechon all night long. However, as we arrived at Pepita Kitchen 's very own Dedet Santos ' lovely home, we joined a long table where I immediately noticed the pretty ceramic plates in front of me. On top of my plate is our menu for the evening, I counted the dishes and realized that we will be trying a total of *gasp* 15 dishes that evening. Can I handle it? Let's see. Check out this cute lechon bread sitting cozily in front of me. Hello babe! Dinner began with two pates and a plate filled with Skyflakes. One was the Pinoy Pate which was the green pate made of balut (one-day-old chick) and wine while ...

There's a different feel the moment you step into the big wooden doors of Manila Hotel . The historical nostalgia that gives you a sense of the old yet with a touch of the new. I remember hanging out at the lobby with my family as we enjoy our tall glasses of Halo-halo on a warm summer day. I love walking into their big wooden bathroom doors and the fact that they're the only hotel back then that had a dispenser for disposable toilet covers. It's amazing how Manila Hotel continues to keep up with time. I've witnessed this during my lunch at Cafe Ilang-Ilang a few days ago. While there are more and more hotels offering irresistible buffet choices, I believe that Cafe Ilang-Ilang is one hotel buffet that you should consider and here are some reasons why: They have 9 (yes counted them all!) stations to choose from. From kimchi, bulgogi and chap chae...You'd be transported to Seoul without having to ride an airplane. I love their Chinese station where I couldn...

In my previous post, I talked about Red Ribbon's two new delicious cakes that are truly noche buena-worthy. Here, I would like to share with you 10 of my favorite Christmas Party dishes that I would always order when I do not have enough time to whip something up before heading to our annual potluck dinner. Thanks so much to Spot.ph for giving me the opportunity to share my list and I hope that you and the readers will find this useful this Yuletide season. :) SPOT.ph’s Top 10 Christmas Party Food-to-Order List Watch out for the next installment of this article as I will share my Top 10 Christmas gift ideas! :)

I got a treat for lunch today :) Normally, lunch at work would consist of a sandwich and a piece of banana. This is part of my ongoing campaign to eat healthy. Well, I took a break today . Joining a couple of colleagues as we made a trip to Quezon City to try a certain restaurant, a big brown signage caught my eye the moment we arrived at the venue, Sabroso : Incredibly flavourful lechon , it read. In an instant, I recognized the restaurant as as this has been mentioned a couple of times by my good friend Jane . Who can ever say no to lechon..most especially one so crispy and mouthwatering? Standing outside the restaurant, we unanimously decided to give it a try and to have lechon as an appetizer. Since we didn't want to fill our stomachs up right away, we ordered a one-fourth kilo (Php. 140) of crispy lechon to share. Service was quick, it took them less then five minutes to bring the platter of lechon to our table. We surveyed the crispy, shiny lechon skin that covered up the r...