Frannywanny

I got to admit that one thing that I really missed during the quarantine period is my favorite milk tea. When we first had the lock down, I tried in vain to search for any available milk tea shops that might be open during that period and while there sure were, I never really got around to ordering from them for several reasons. First -- I was scared of their sanitation. I wasn't sure of the measures that they're taking to ensure that my drink will never ever be contaminated. Secondly -- I wasn't sure what's good to order as the ones open were not the ones that I would usually go get milk tea from. So as soon as we went on GCQ, Paul and I took the chance to check if our neighborhood Serenitea shop was open and it was! Yahoo! Not only that, they were even running a Buy One Get One promo to make us even happier. So for a couple of weeks, we happily had random milk tea runs and finally, our milk tea cravings have been fully satisfied. I've been staying home more ...

I can't believe that summer is officially here. It happened so fast. I was still enjoying the cool breeze in January and February then suddenly, *bam!* March rolled in and the temperature started to rise rapidly. We started sweating like crazy, skin started to feel really sticky and I have this intense craving for anything cold and refreshing. This brought back memories from a few months ago when Paul and I chanced upon a new milk tea place called Goodgood in Banawe, Quezon City. If there's any place in Metro Manila that truly merits the name "milk tea paradise" then Banawe is definitely it. In every block, you can find a shop selling milk tea, boba tea, fruit tea, you name it, they got it. Even brands that may still sound foreign in other areas of the metro has already made Banawe their home. Goodgood has been growing rapidly with branches in the Scout area, in the Ortigas CBD and even in the foodie strip of Kapitolyo. We visited the one in Banawe which is ...

Remember a few weeks ago, I shared with you the super cute tie-up between my favorite milk tea brand, Serenitea and the very iconic Sesame Street ? Well, as their promotion for those adorable metal straws has come to an end, the fun continues this time for all trivia lovers out there! If you're the type who just loves to test your knowledge on a wide range of topics from pop culture, sports, politics and more or if you're just super competitive like me, well this is one event that you shouldn't miss! The Serenitea Trivia Night will run every Thursday night at a particular Serenitea outlet in the metro. They started last August 22 at Serenitea UP Town Center and today, (yes TODAY ), you can join in the fun at Serenitea Robinsons Cyberscape Gamma in Ortigas. I'll share the rest of the schedule below. So basically, all you have to do is to register and sign up at the host branch at least 2 weeks before the event. They can only accept a limited number of participants...

Sunny Day Sweepin' the clouds away On my way to where the air is sweet Can you tell me how to get? How to get to Sesame Street This song has been our household background music every single weekday morning 30 plus years ago. With just the opening tune, my sister Pan and I would rush over in front of the TV and sit there quietly for the next 30 minutes. In fact, that's the only time we would watch TV and after the show is over, we'd continue with our pretend game of bahay-bahayan  or teacher teacher . Back in the day, we didn't had YouTube so that's pretty much the only screen time we get and we didn't mind at all. My favorite character has always been Cookie Monster followed by the duo Bert and Ernie . Unfortunately, I was never fond of feathered animals so Big Bird somehow terrifies me. For some reason, Elmo wasn't so popular then instead we had Oscar the Grouch who lives in a trash bin and Count Dracula who taught us how to count. One metal stra...

A few days ago, I posted something on my Instagram stories. It was a photo of a milktea which I recently tried and sadly wasn't too impressed by it. I shared my experience in 5 short lines and what I didn't expect was a sea of messages directed to me the next day. So basically, this particular milktea brand was said to be one of the best, if not the best, by a popular foodie influencer. With all due respect to that particular foodie influencer, me not liking the drink is not in any way his/her fault. Taste is, after all, very very subjective. Majority of the comments that I got were from fans of the said milk tea brand. Luckily, the comments were very kind and courteous and none of the scary, violent kind. A lot told me to consider trying it again and perhaps it's because I ordered the wrong drink or I must have drank it wrongly. I also got messages from fellow foodies whom I truly respect telling me that they actually agreed with me. That's how it goes, folks. We can n...

I can't believe that my love affair with Serenitea has almost been 5 years long! I'll never forget how it all began and how it continued to be my go-to place whenever I just need to unwind and calm my nerves with a cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea when I was in Manila. Many milk tea places came and went yet Serenitea stayed strong all throughout. That just goes to show what a strong market leader it continues to be. Yay! Of course, every visit back home is not complete without getting my milk tea fix. Just to show how much we love Serenitea, it was the first place that we went to a few hours after landing in Manila a few months ago. It was also perfect timing that Serenitea just launched a couple of new snacks to go with their winning milk tea flavors! First things first though, I had to get my GIANT Hokkaido Milk Tea with QQ ! Look how big my cup was and I was such a happy camper being reunited with my favorite drink. Yum yum yum! As you know, the concept of Serenitea came...

Thank God It's Friday!!! Since I'm finally back at the work force after a month-long break, here I am again excited at the thought that the weekend is just a day away! I woke up with a smile today knowing that it's the last day of the work week. Even my walk to the bus stop was faster this morning as I suddenly have this surge of excitement and anticipation for what we can do for the next two days. Anyway, Paul and I agreed to meet up for dinner at Vivo City a few hours ago. For those who haven't been to Singapore , Vivo City is actually your gateway to the beautiful island of Sentosa . Here, you can take the tram that will take you to the island within minutes. We've been to this mall during our trip to Singapore 3 years ago but weren't able to go around as we just came here to head to Universal Studios for the day. Looks like this will be the mall that I'll end up knowing by heart if I frequent this place more often. After dinner, we thought of w...

They say, first love never dies . This rings true for my love for milk tea. More than 4 years ago, I first learned about Serenitea during one of our monthly publishers meetings. Our big boss told us that she tried a milk tea place in San Juan and it was pretty good. Being bonafide foodies, we wasted no time and in less than a week we were all able to try Serenitea . Back then, milk tea wasn't still part of one's food vocabulary. Sure, it has been around for decades...even centuries but it's normally found in Chinese tea houses or in Chowking as it's called Nai-Cha for instance. Who would have thought that one day, milk tea would rule Manila and Serenitea was the one leading the pack. In time for the new year, Serenitea has launched 6 new drinks that I'm sure you'll all love as much as your old time Serenitea faves -- be it Hokkaido or Okinawa. A couple of food bloggers and I were lucky to be given a sneak peek on these yummy drinks a couple of weeks ago....

I can still remember the day I had my first cup of milk tea . It was a Friday, the evening after my monthly publishers meeting and after learning about this new milk tea place from no other than my boss, Paul and I thought of having our after-dinner drinks there. I met J, the owner of the said milk tea place and on my first sip of Hokkaido Milk Tea ...I got to say, my life was never the same. I got truly addicted. A cup was enough to calm my nerves as I went through intense preparation for our BIG day. It was my happy pill as I would always drop by to get my favorite drink on my way home from work. I couldn't stop talking about it offline..online...to the point that I've spread the milk tea love bug everywhere. In fact, the Food Club's first dinner out ended with us having some milk tea. The milk tea fad spread far and wide. A lot have opened in almost every mall, in every corner of town. Some brought in foreign franchises, others took the plunge with their own creat...

Believe it or not, I grew up not drinking coffee. Unlike my sister who loves needs her cup of java to wake her up in the morning, I used to prefer a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to go with my breakfast plate anytime. It's quite surprising then that I ended up working for the Green Siren for a fun two years plus. My first day at work really changed my life. It led me to drinking my first cup of brewed coffee and guess what, I liked it! Liked it so much that I never stopped drinking coffee after that. After a year or so, I even got certified as a Coffee Master ! This got my parents thinking how on earth did that happened. Their daughter, the former non-coffee drinker becoming a coffee master. That, my friends, continues to remain a mystery. It has been 4 years since I bid the Green Siren good bye but I continue to relive the fun days every single time I step into a store. The warm smiles, the comforting smell of coffee, the sound of the blender, oh I wish to be able ...

When I first saw Saint's Alp Teahouse along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, my initial impression was that it was a local milk tea store concept. It was only when The Food Club decided to check it out for our after-dinner snacks and drinks that I realized that it was, in fact, a foreign franchise from Hong Kong with branches also in New York . That evening, I was nursing a nasty sore throat so I had to skip the milk tea and settle for just the snacks available. As they were having their dry run, not all menu items were available then. Paul and I decided that we'll just go back some other time to try it once again. Fast forward a couple of months after, Paul and I joined our favorite dinner buddies Richard, Irene and Lauren at Saint's Alp' s newest branch at the Bonifacio Global City . Richard and I were each given a Php. 1,000 credit which we decided to use that evening. We began choosing from the Rice Entrees and it was a toss between the Honey-Glazed Coffee...

A month ago, I received 4 Gift CerTEAficates to try Cha Dao Tea Place , a new milk tea shop near my office. This entitles me and three companions to an XL Drink with Free Sinkers each! Since Paul and I basically had nothing planned yesterday afternoon and my sister and her boyfriend E happened to be at home too, we decided to go out for an impromptu double date over milk tea. So, off we went to Cha Dao Tea Place in Brgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig . The store is quite small where probably only 10 customers can fit at a time. I like the nice touch of having bowls of dried tea leaves on the table. Wish that it was more aromatic for the scent to fill up the room. The servers were extremely friendly, asking us if it was our first time in Cha Dao and after learning that it indeed was, she proceeded to pointing out their best-sellers in the menu. She was very helpful in suggesting and guiding us through our orders. Paul, a non-milk tea drinker were interested to try the Yakult line an...

I truly appreciate restaurants and coffee shops that dedicates a sufficient amount of time and effort to details . For me details is just as important as making sure you get the word out there, it's just as crucial as ensuring that your products are of top quality. Details creates the best ambiance and by giving your customers a good feeling every time they step into your store will surely bring back bigger rewards. Tonight, Paul and I went out on a date. Yes, after killing ourselves with months filled with busy weekends, we decided to just relax and go out tonight. Let me tell you more about our *ahem* romantic dinner date in the next few days. What I'm excited to share is where we ended up hanging out for our night cap before heading back home. After dinner, I decided to text my two girl friends J1 and J2 to ask what were their Saturday night plans. J1 told me she's spending time with her family while J2 immediately called me and invited us to join her and boyfriend ...

One of our agenda as we were planning for our trip to Taiwan was to make sure that that our evenings are well-spent in various night markets scattered around Taipei . Reading up on Taiwan, we found out that there are a lot of night markets all over the country. It surely looks like everyone in Taiwan has an amazing gastronomical night life ! This is one thing I was looking forward to and my excitement grows as the day gets nearer. On our first night, we took the MRT from Danshui and headed to the Ximen Station . It was around 5PM when we got to Ximen and decided to check out the Red House which is just a few steps away from the MRT exit. This is an old market turned into a movie theater turned into a gallery/cafe/performance hall. It has been around for more than a century and still they have maintained the beautiful red exteriors that we saw up close. From The Red House, we crossed the street and followed the huge crowd towards the Ximending Night Market . Near this area is a...

I'm addicted once again. After being witnessing my long running addiction to Serenitea , here I am again falling in love with another milk tea brand that has just recently opened its doors to the Philippine market. I would like to introduce you to ChaTime . It's actually a big milk tea company that originated in Taiwan and has a number of branches in Malaysia, China, USA, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Australia, plus new stores opening soon in Korea, Japan and the Philippines! (source: ChaTime Philippines' FB Page ) I'm lucky because ChaTime's first official branch is located once again just a stone's throw away from my workplace. Just like Cab Cafe , I can easily go there via a short tricycle ride. On my first visit, it was after doing overtime work at the office as Paul and I made it to ChaTime at 9PM. Despite being a few days old, there was already a long line inside the store. I like the clean and brightly-lit interiors. They also have a ...

Not long after my first visit to Happy Lemon , I went back with my high school buddies and enjoyed our night-long chat as we catch up on each others lives. I took T's lead by getting the Milk Tea with Black Pearl Sago (Php. 85) while I convinced E to try the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese . The store was packed despite the fact that it was a weeknight. Familiar faces all around as it is conveniently located without OUR neighborhood. I liked my Milk Tea and was surprised how mild the tea was. Unlike other milk teas, I would spend the evening with a bad hyper-acidity attack. I slept like a baby that night which was a very good sign. my pretty best friends T and E -- they can pass as Happy Lemon's endorser, don't you think? Nothing beats spending a great night with friends who truly loves you for who you really are. Cheers to our two decades long of friendship and a dozen decades more! Love my co-musketeers! ♥

For months, word has been going around that one of Hong Kong's popular milk tea brand is coming to Manila. Wild guesses were thrown here and there as to which particular brand this would be. Finally a happy yellow tarpaulin was put up beside Fully Booked Greenhills and I recognized the cute winking girl from our trip to Guangzhou, China last year. Happy Lemon is coming to town! Finally, the long wait is over and Happy Lemon finally opened to the public a couple of weeks ago. Despite the crazy traffic happening in and around the Greenhills Shopping Center , Paul and I were very determined to finish our Christmas shopping before December begins thus we patiently waited in line to get a parking slot. After almost crossing out our to-do list, we rewarded ourselves with a visit to Happy Lemon . I love the bright yellow interiors and the winking little girl is just so adorable. The store is still having their soft opening at the moment but I noticed that the service was prett...

I grew up learning how to appreciate tea and loving the different tea variants that has entered the market. This goes way back when my family would spend our Sunday afternoon tea bonding with each other at a hotel lobby. While the parents chit-chat, we kids munched on scones, canapes and mini tea sandwiches as we drank cups and cups of tea. At times, we would have dimsum for lunch and together with all of our steamed favorites, we would fill up our teacups with hot tea, be it chrysanthemum, jasmine or oolong. Just lately, you've witnessed how fond I was over a neighborhood milk tea shop where I would make it a point to buy myself a large cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea on my way home from work. This went on for quite some time and I've influenced a number of friends in the process . My tea addiction can be pretty infectious. Before this neighborhood milk tea though, I came across a cute Japanese-looking store at the basement of SM Megamall . It was my sister who first discov...

Call it mutual attraction, I discovered Serenitea and immediately fell in love with the whole concept that kind of took the place of the Green Siren in my heart. A year later, I'm more addicted to it than ever that I even had to impose a two-week hiatus in order to normalize the tea and sugar level in my body. Yesterday, I went back and enjoyed the familiar smell of brewed tea as I entered the store. Getting closer to the counter, I noticed that the server now has a new addition to their regular uniform. They now have cute button pins with words I couldn't not make out from where I stood. Finally it was my turn to place my order and Janet beamed at me as I ordered my usual large cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea (Php. 95). Looking closely I read her pink button pin and it says.... It sure was a great surprise and I love Serenitea more than ever!

Friends over at Plurk.com must have probably noticed how often I would mention dropping by a store named Serenitea for just three things: Hokkaido Milk Tea, Chicken Chops and Peppered Sweet Corn. I first discovered Serenitea exactly a year ago upon hearing the raves of my boss about this cozy tiny tea store along J. Abad Santos that serves good tea drinks. One visit and a couple more, I was immediately drawn by the relaxed ambiance and yes, their good tea drinks and snacks. At first it was Gyokuro Genmaicha followed by Green Tea Yakult. Finally when they offered Hokkaido Milk Tea as a fellow plurker would say tastes like melted Kraft caramel candy, this has been my frequent choice for almost two months now. I like my milk tea plain with only 50% sugar. With Serenitea, you can customized you drink from the type of tea to be brewed then to the toppings that will be added down to the amount of sugar that will be added. It makes every experience very personal. Together with thei...