Frannywanny

shiok [adj.] : Singlish word used to describe a dish that's satisfying, good or delicious. While the Philippines is literally a foodie melting pot with a wide array of restaurants specializing in all sorts of cuisines from all over the world, Paul and I can't help but notice that there seems to be a shortage of Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants around. It's quite mind boggling though given the number of locals who travel to these two countries on a regular basis plus the huge population of Filipinos residing there too. If you ask me, Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine has a very close taste profile as our local Filipino cuisine perhaps with just more heat and the use of a lot more spices. So imagine how happy I was when we recently discovered Shiok Shiok Singapore Food along Nicanor Roxas street in Quezon City. Coincidentally, we dined there on the 9th of August, Singapore's National Day. What a great way to celebrate our second home's special day. Together with ...

I never thought I'd be missing Singaporean food this soon. Definitely not after close to two months of temporarily bidding goodbye to the Lion City. Well, apparently all it took was one bite of something so familiar to let all those wondering memories come rushing in. Talk about a "Ratatouille" moment . We were invited by our dear friend C to check out his newest restaurant called Hey Handsome . Such a cheeky name for quite a classy restaurant that's located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City but as with everything in the restaurant, the name comes with a story. Apparently, the name " Hey Handsome " was inspired by the what most hawkers would randomly call out to customers or perhaps in this case, what they've been calling the chef when he was in Singapore. I suddenly remembered this cleaning auntie that we used to have in the office who would refer to most of my male colleagues as "handsome boy", "ey boy boy" and the like. Non...

What's your favorite meal in the day? For me, it just got to be dinner. Wanna know why? It's because dinner is the only meal wherein I consistently get to have with Paul. Breakfast is definitely out of the question as we're always rushing and busy in the morning as we get ready for work. Lunch, I only get to eat lunch with him during the weekends so... dinner is really when I look forward to enjoying a nice home-cooked meal (+dessert/fruits/after dinner snack) as we update one another about our busy work day. So, often times, I would have to make a mad dash home in order to prepare dinner since Paul normally ends work late. My goal is always to make sure that the food has to be on the table by the time he walks in the door. So given that I get off work 2 hours before he does but it takes me a couple of minutes to get home, this means I have more or less an hour to prep, chop, clean, cook and plate everything. Not to mention, I make it a point to clean as I go too. We...

The entire world knows about Singapore 's fast and reliable transport system. Buses and trains arrive right as expected and should there be any breakdowns, announcements will immediately be made. That said, being late is really a non-existent excuse in the Lion City as everything can be well calculated for from point a to b and back. We also know that Singapore is a pretty small country with a land area of a little more than 700 km 2 . So, when Paul and I had to travel for more than an hour by MRT to get to our lunch destination, I guess that's considered to be quite far. On the way there, I was really crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping that the wait and travel was worth it. Finally we got to Yishun 10 Complex for the grand opening of Burger Up . It's a purely Singaporean concept and I tell you, it's not your ordinary fast food / quick service restaurant system where you queue up, give your order and your food will be ready in less than 3 minutes. Let me walk yo...