Frannywanny

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by fellow blogger E for a nice dinner tasting at Bridge . The direction to the restaurant was pretty simple -- it's along Seah street, behind Raffles Hotel. That was easy! As much as I love hole in the wall cafes in far-flung a.k.a. unexpected places, I do appreciate those that are strategically located right in the city. This area is accessible by foot whether you're coming from the City Hall district, Bugis or if you just love to walk... even from Clarke Quay. This is one reason why I thought the restaurant's name meant that it was the " bridge " in between the North Bridge Road and the South Bridge Road. Oh silly me! Apparently, Bridge is a restaurant that bridges the gap between fine-dining and the bistro scene. Now that makes a lot of sense! It's known for its extensive brunch and for our dinner that evening, we had a preview of the delicious dinner repertoire that they offer as well. Dinner began with a pla...

I came across an old quote recently: "The only thing CONSTANT in life is CHANGE."   -François La Rochefoucauld In today's fast-paced, ever-changing world, we have been witnesses to things coming and going in such lightning speed. Restaurants opening and later bidding us good bye. Take these past 6 months for example, I've had my heart broken multiple times upon hearing news after news of restaurants closing both here in Singapore and in Manila . Competition is indeed very tough in this business but together with that comes inflation of goods, shocking increase in rent and sudden death of food trends. So, when a certain restaurant reaches a milestone, a big celebration is should definitely in order! I was recently invited to try the Anniversary Set Menu of Red House Seafood who's celebrating it's 38th anniversary this year. This restaurant first opened at the Upper East Coast Road back in 1976 but has moved out of their original site years after. It l...

It's summer in Manila and if I can make one wish that the travel genie can grant then it would be to transport me back to the Philippines where I can have a week-long vacation at the beach where I can swim to my heart's content and to eat all the seafood that I want. Anyway, during our brief visit back home, Paul and I were not able to visit the beach as we barely had enough weekends available.Still we made sure to fill our tummies with the best catch of the sea as we had a fun dinner with friends at the Diamond Hotel . It was perfect timing that they recently launched their Friday Lobster Buffet and upon receiving an invite to check it out, I immediately said yes! After all, as my friend Leslie would put it, how can you say NO to lobster?  Dinner was at Corniche and I always look forward to dining here. I love the spread and my favorite sections are the cheese and cold cuts, the salad, the Japanese station and lastly, the dessert. Thus, we always make it a point to ...

In contrast to both my parents who grew up somewhere near Chinatown in Manila, I was a Quezon City girl. Exploring the different food spots along Tomas Morato at a very young age was my weekly past time. Even my husband was a Manila boy. Oh how I enjoy it as I listen to their simple childhood stories of them walking around the safer streets of Manila. When I think of Manila I remember my history class teaching us about how life was back then during the Spanish colonization. Pretty ladies in frilly clothes and men in white coats fill my imaginative mind. I remember how my mom would tell us that two horse carriages would bring her to school and back. She was considered privilege by having this type of luxury. It makes me realize how colorful our history really was. Having a mix of Chinese, American and Spanish influences, life back then was more simple, fun yet very colorful. A visit to the Manila Peninsula hotel for a surprise date with my husband just a month after our weddi...