Frannywanny

Next to Chinese and Japanese cuisines, my family also has a growing fondness for Korean food. For instance, we all love adding kimchi to our barbecued meats, the wide array of banchan never fails to excite us and pajeon, bibimbap and galbi jim will always be part of our order line-up. So, when I heard that a new Korean restaurant named Sibyullee recently opened at the relatively new Ayala Malls The 30th in Pasig, I took the opportunity to invite my parents out for lunch one day. It was all our first time to check out the mall and I got to say that I love the very relaxed, neighborhood vibe that it gives. The selection of restaurants and retail shops were quite impressive too not to mention that they even have a Rustans Supermarket available at the Ground Floor and a row of cinema at the top floor to complete the mix.

HELLO 2017!!! Just like that, 2016 has made its graceful exit and in comes the start of another year. How has been your 2017 so far? For us, it has been really fun as we got to spend a lot of quality time with family. Well, the festivities is definitely far from over as we're all anticipating the coming of the Fire Rooster in less than 3 weeks time. That right! It's time to stock up on round fruits, fill up our red packets with money (and hope we'll get a lot too) and toss for luck and prosperity. Next to Christmas and New Year, the Lunar New Year is my next favorite holiday. It's also the time where we get to eat, eat and eat some more! Since moving to Singapore, one thing that I look forward to every Chinese New Year is the Lo Hei . I really love it! I enjoy the whole process of saying all the well wishes while adding in each ingredient and tossing it all up for luck. I also love the sweet tangy taste and most of all, the fresh salmon slices and the crunchy chip...

WOAH! December is zooming by so far! Would you believe that Christmas is exactly 9 days away? That also means that I'll soon be flying home for the holidays in less than a week's time. Yahoooo! Anyway, before Paul and I get into the massive holiday frenzy back home, we're so lucky to be able to have an early Christmas dinner here in Singapore. Make it a month in advance to be more exact. Rest assured that this won't be the one and only dinner date that we'll have to celebrate the season but at least we got the chance to do this before our schedules start going c-r-a-z-y. We first discovered Caffe B  exactly a year ago where we were invited to try their Christmas menu . What followed were several return visits to try their special menus to celebrate  Valentine's Day , their lunch sets and even for Mother's and Father's Day . To be honest, what makes us look forward to returning to Caffe B is the great service rendered every single time. We've met...

2016 sure went by like a speeding bullet, don't you think? It was a pretty momentous year all over the world especially in the political-front. Back home, it's a special year with the grand arrival of my beautiful niece A. I can't wait to fly home and spend time with the family and most especially to finally meet our family's first darling baby (this is what my Mommy calls her and the variation gets longer each time with a new adjective adding on to it haha) . ♥ I'm truly in a very festive spirit so do expect a lot of Christmas and New Year highlights here the blog for the entire month of December. Let me start of with one from Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa . I have to say that this is, hands down, one of the prettiest hotels that I've visited in Singapore. From the moment you step in, you get a very relaxed vibe as it overlooks the sea and it covers a huge space -- 27 acre to be exact! It's the perfect place to be if you want a quick break ...

Time surely flies when you're having fun and if you're extremely busy too. Look at that, I just realized that September is over and October has just quickly rolled in. This just means that, in a few weeks, Paul and I will be celebrating our 13th year as a couple! If you put things into perspective, 13 years is pretty much how long a student (at least in the Philippines) takes to finish his elementary and secondary studies. Why is it that 13 years seemed like forever when I was still studying and it has just zoomed so fast when it comes to me being in a relationship with Paul? OMG. Anyways, I have been mentioning on and off here how terrible my backlog is and today I'm going to prove just that. Let me talk about that amazing romantic dinner that Paul and I had... last year . I'm really sorry! I can't believe it took me close to 365 days to tell you all about it. For something this good, I should have went straight to writing about it. Anyway, we were so lucky to ...

Tomorrow is Father's Day. While pessimists might just say that it's merely a marketer's gimmik, I still believe that it's a perfect day to honor the man of the house -- our Dads. After all, how often do we really get the chance to stop and say thank you for all that he has done for the family right? Papa and 10-year-old me at Haw Par Villa, Singapore Recently, Paul and I got the chance to sample the delicious Father's Day Menu  at Caffe B  in Marina Bay Sands but before I start talking about food, let me tell you more about the first love of my life, my Papa. Papa was turning 37 years old when I came into this world. Perhaps, a lot might say that that's just the right age to have a kid but for him, I'm pretty sure he was battling a whole bunch of emotions from happiness, excitement and the very inevitable anxiety. Just like Mommy, I'm quite certain that they had no clue how to raise a child and so I was luckily their guinea pig. They will never adm...

"Life offers you a thousand choices...all you have to do is to take one."  - Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun Don't you just love the quote above? This is perhaps one reason why I love the movie Under the Tuscan Sun  aside from the fact that every scene is making me wish I can just hop on a plane and jet off to this sunny part of Italy. How I wish I can just spend at least a week of peace and quiet, far away from the rest of the world (or at least any cellphone signal) where I can just eat, sleep and write without a single interruption. Guess, it's time to start planning for my next trip! :) Speaking of trips and travelling, let me tell you about the time my family and I spent two days at our favorite getaway destination -- Tagaytay. We had Kong Kong (grandfather), A-I (aunt) and even my in laws in tow so with a big group, we seriously have to plan our meals properly. For one of our lunches, we headed to Marcia Adams'  as it's one of the few restau...

Ladies, who among you can relate to this scenario: Frannywanny : Hun, what are we doing for Valentine's Day?  Paul : Hmm.. oh yeah, where do YOU want to go on Valentine's Day? Frannywanny : ...... So much for Valentine's Day surprises from my Mr. Romantiko. Anyway, for couples who are still thinking of where to go tomorrow, why don't you check out Caffe B at Marina Bay Sands? Paul and I recently discovered this place and it has instantly won our hearts with its delicious and beautifully plated specialties. For Valentine's Day, both Caffe B Restaurant and Caffe B Bar have set menus ready for you to enjoy. Let me start with Caffe B Restaurant : For amuse bouche , we had the Lover's Voyage  which is a very pretty assembly of king prawn with tangy mango salsa and served with homemade croustade and yuzu aoili. It's so pretty and I want more more more! The best way to enjoy this is to pop the entire thing into your mouth in one go. Not very ladylike ...

Crystal Jade Singapore  is celebrating its 25th year this 2016. Since I used to live in the Philippines, I've come to know about the brand barely 6 years ago. However, I will never forget how I immediately fell in love with their signature  Dan Dan La Mian and that's really a big surprise given that I used to have extremely low tolerance for spicy food. To this date, Crystal Jade will always be my go-to place whenever I'm craving for that mouthwatering spicy and peanut-y noodle soup. In a week's time, most parts of Asia will be welcoming the Year of the Red Monkey and we're already feeling the festive season here in Singapore. There are a few things I love about celebrating Chinese New Year here -- tossing our luck in the air with the traditional lo hei , enjoying all of the best ingredients in a pen cai , receiving some hongbao  (red envelopes with money) and lastly, having an abundant supply of mandarin oranges. Back in Manila, we would also eat all the tik...

Three years ago, there was a couple who arrived here in the Lion City with pretty much their entire lives packed in three huge suitcases. It was right in the middle of all the Chinese New Year festivities and as they thought they knew everything there is to know about this particular holiday, they were proven wrong within the span of a week. Walking around the hawker centres, they were startled by the sudden shouts and scenes of people standing around the table tossing shredded vegetables up in the air. It was madness! "What on earth are they doing? ", they'd ask one another. While this sight was very new to them, this couple was quick to adjust and have imbibed all the new customs and traditions that they have learned in their new home called Singapore . Above is a real, true to life story of Paul and yours truly. This was our first experience of the Singaporean-style Chinese New Year and having close to a dozen yu sheng salads, tossing veggies up in the air countless...

Christmas Day is just a few days away! This week marks the start of a series of holiday feasting and drinking and I'm pretty sure a lot of you have been attending Christmas parties left and right too. With our social calendars filled to the brim, where are you heading to for that most special holiday dinner date with your special someone? Paul and I usually make it a point to take time out to spend that moment alone and to enjoy a good meal to celebrate the holiday. This year has been so hectic though that we're actually flying home in a couple of days and that annual Christmas dinner date hasn't been planned yet. Eep! Luckily, we had the chance to check out Caffe B a couple of weeks ago were we were given a sneak peek of their Christmas Menus.

Life is truly funny at times. Just when you thought you got some things all figured out, you then encounter one thing that's totally new that will make you doubt what you already know. Can you relate to this? For years, Pan and I used to be  loyal patrons of several Indian restaurants in Manila . We would feast over plates of basmati rice, paneer, butter chicken, curries and of course, our all-time must-have, papadum. For us, Indian food is all about curry and spices. We thought we know the Indian cuisine inside and out...well not until last night. I was invited to try the newly-launched heritage menu at Muthu's Curry . A popular and rather upscale Indian restaurant here in Singapore. Muthu's Curry has been around since 1969! This means the restaurant is 46 years old -- 4 years shy from the country's year of independence. Nonetheless, being able to be around for this long is an accomplishment already given that not a lot of restaurant can have the same luck to ev...

Someday I wish to meet Chef Keisuke Takeda and when that moment comes, I'll tell him that I'm such a big fan and I think that he's such a foodie genius. You see, Chef Keisuke has opened a total of 6 different restaurant concepts here in Singapore and I was able to try half of it already. The first was purely accidental. I was really new here and with my birthday coming up, I just made a quick research on where's the newest ramen shop in town. This brought me to Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons  that was the first time that the NKids have ever tried this restaurant and we all loved it! In fact, this particular branch has been on top of our list when it comes to saying where's the best ramen in Singapore. Then, on the first day in our new office, my colleagues and I tried Ramen Keisuke Tori King . I never thought I'll ever like Chicken Ramen as I would imagine it to be served like a Chicken Macaroni Soup. Safe, bland and boring. Well, to say that Chef ...

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...