Frannywanny

Mother's Day was a month ago and in a week's time, we will be celebrating another special day -- Father's Day. As they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach so why not whipped up these easy dishes for the special men in your lives? It need not be fancy or complicated to make. What matters is it comes from the heart, right? Get your little ones involved too as they can help you out with the preparation:  Breakfast in Bed  There’s nothing like waking up to a delicious yet nutritious breakfast made with love. One easy yet impressive dish you can try is the classic banana pancakes. All you need is 20 minutes of prep time, and you’re good to go.  Ingredients:  ● 1 cup all-purpose flour  ● 1 tablespoon white sugar  ● 2 teaspoons baking powder  ● ¼ teaspoon salt   ● 1 egg, beaten  ● 1 cup milk  ● 2 tablespoons vegetable oil  ● 2 ripe bananas, mashed  Instructions:  1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powde...

 I guess this is truly the "new normal" . How things have quickly moved online -- paying bills, processing payments, ordering food, sending out courier items and many more. Since the start of the quarantine, our family has heavily relied on our friends who have took their products online. From breads, to fish, from veggies and fruits and even cooked food. I've lost count of the number of deliveries that have been made and with that, we follow a very strict sanitation protocol to ensure that the dreaded virus stays out and away from our home. As you know, we had a scare just a month ago and it was really stressful and horrible. It was so hard to isolate someone much more to isolate 4 people in the family and to adjust how we do things here. The inconvenience was one thing but more than anything, it was the emotional stress that really took a toll on us. The fear that one may be positive and could have possibly infected the rest was one thing we were so scared of. Thankfull...

To borrow Andy William's famous line, "It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrr!" While he's definitely pertaining to Christmas which, which by the way, is 87 days away (yahooo!!) , I'm talking about The Great Meat Feast  at The Carvery  in Park Hotel Alexandra . I still remember when the hotel opened a little more than a year ago, I've been getting positive feedback and raves from fellow food bloggers about their amazing buffet line-up which is said to have one of the best steaks in town. That's really a bold statement given that there are a lot of steak restaurants here in Singapore and some are even owned by Celebrity Chefs and Michelin-star Chefs too. With testimonies like that, I was certain that The Carvery  was definitely worth checking out. So, when I got an invite to be part of an exclusive sneak peek session of The Great Meat Feast  at The Carvery , I made sure that I won't miss it no matter what! Our tasting took place more tha...

If there's one mall that I would recommend for visiting friends to go to, that would definitely be Suntec City . It's amazing how this mall has transformed itself through the years. I remembered when my family and I first visited Suntec sometime in the 90s. We went to check out the wishing fountain and had dinner at Tony Roma's after checking out the Warner Bros store. Fast forward to 5 years ago, the mall has expanded to several more towers and while the Warner Bros. store wasn't there anymore, it has been replaced by countless other retail shops and more F&B outlets too. Just when we thought they're be happy with that and no more expansion will be done, then Suntec had another renovation and expansion two years ago where they have added more wings. Today, it's one of my favorite malls in Singapore because of its wide variety of restaurants and cool foodie concepts such as Pasarbella and the Sky Garden which has been converted into such a hip and happ...

Fire up the grill!  Those four words are music to my ears. I just love BBQs as it's really simple to cook and even to prepare yet the rewards of enjoying freshly-grilled cuts of meats is truly heavenly. Not to mention the aroma that hits your nose while it's cooking. There's also no hard and fast rules when it comes to BBQ-ing. Basically, you can grill any type of meat, have any kind of rub that you prefer and just make sure it doesn't turn out toasted or charred. This is the perfect way to get cooking especially for amateur cooks. If you ask me, I love BBQ'd seafood and beef. Give me a slice of tender steak and a mountain of grilled scallops, prawns, fish and squid and I'm one happy camper. So, when Paul and I were invited to be part of the Asian BBQ dinner at Grand Park City Hall , we immediately said YES! Similar to the Afternoon Tunch , there are a couple of similar local dishes such as the Kueh Pai Ti, Satay, the Laksa, an assortment of hand-rolled m...

Our dear friend A is in town and this just gave the group another reason to get together for a nice dinner last Sunday. A's dinner choice was  The Chop House in Vivo City and we just couldn't be happier! After all, who says no to having steak and burgers for dinner? Researching more about The Chop House , I was surprised to know that this is actually part of the Wooloomooloo Group . As you all know, Wooloomooloo is ranked to be one of the best steak houses both in Singapore and in Hong Kong. I've been wanting to try Wooloomooloo since I moved to Singapore last year so consider this my first step to Wooloomooloo. What sets The Chop House apart from the famous steak place is that it has a more casual vibe. They're known for their self-service bar system where diners can avail of tap cards with credits that will allow them to try as much beer as they want. Paul and I started our meal with a bowl of Pumpkin Soup (S$10) which was very good. I tell you, after tryin...

Over dinner at Prata Planet one evening, my friends and I began talking about steak. Yes, I was in the presence of steak-loving guys who take their cuts of meat seriously. I asked around where's the best steak in Singapore and I got a number of recommendations. My list of places to eat in Singapore is starting to get really long... hooray! One of those recommendations given was Morton's Steakhouse at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Well, that's one restaurant that I can happily put a check on my list as I was able to visit this a few months back. Let me tell you about my Morton's experience.  Stepping inside the restaurant, Morton's Steakhouse has a similar feel to most fine-dining steak restaurants -- heavy wooden interiors, dimly lit with candlelights on every table (or in this case a really cute lamp), servers in black and white. The menu was pretty simply and straight-forward. We were served with bread for starters. I have to admit that I wasn't ab...

During our staycation at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria , Paul and I decided to have dinner at Seven Corners . It has been a while since we've had a buffet dinner and what would make our visit home more enjoyable than to allow ourselves to indulge, right? Having had the privilege to try a number of hotel buffets in the Metro, Paul and I have grown to love a number of hotel buffets for one or two of its specialties. For instance, we love one hotel buffet for their to-die-for Caprese Salad , another one would be for their abundant seafood choices , another one would be for their impressive Japanese selections ...and the list goes on and on. While I wasn't my usual self that evening that I just tried a few dishes and quickly waved the white flag, I happily watched my husband enjoy the buffet selections of Seven Corners . I got to admit, Seven Corners have quite limited choices but we all know that quantity doesn't always equate to quality right? We began our dinner wi...

June was a fun month for me. It began with a bang where in I celebrated my birthday for the first time here in the Lion City. This was followed by a quick visit by my friend Leslie  and finally the week that I've long been waiting for has arrived. My family came over to visit too! I tell you, it was the happiest week of my life! I didn't mind that I get to go home later than usual and Paul and I would normally end up sleeping past midnight. We'd also be really exhausted from all that walking and commuting too. I also didn't mind that we had to do all those touristy stuff and get all sweaty and sticky due to the Singapore heat. In other words, I was just too happy to mind. I couldn't be home for Father's Day but I made it a point to celebrate this with my dear Papa a few days in advance. It was a no-brainer on where to take my dad out for dinner. He loves steak so I began researching on where are the good yet affordable steak places in town.  Then c...

Paul and I love sandwiches. Back when we were dating, there was actually a period then when we would go to Subway every so often and share a footlong sandwich. Our staple variant was the one with shredded kani sticks with mayonnaise. We loved it so much that we were both so sad that they decided to remove it from the menu permanently. I guess our regular patronage wasn't enough to keep it up on the menu board for a long period of time. Aside from Subway, we also love bun sandwiches -- beefy burger for him, crunchy and deep-fried fish sandwich for me. However, when it comes to Cheesesteak sandwiches , there's only one place in Manila that has won our hearts and loyalty. That's the Cheese Steak Shop along Amorsolo street in Makati . More than a year ago, we first visited The Cheese Steak Shop back in their first location along Arnaiz road . The move wasn't too drastic as they literally moved just a few block away. This store had more parking spaces but it can still b...

This year, my friends and I are turning 31! I'm still in major denial that I'm no longer in my 20s and I'm getting inch by inch closer to the big 4-0! Oh nooooo?!?! Well, age is indeed just a number and what matters is you are still young at heart. Agree? Last January, we celebrated Estee's birthday by having an intimate dinner just us girls. We had it at the newly opened Beso Cucina Vinoteka at the Bonifacio Highstreet Central . Aside from ramen, more and more Spanish restaurants are opening left and right. I'm not complaining though as I loveeee good paella and a wide array of tapas. Estee's birthday celebration began with a carafe of Red Sangria to toast for a fun and fab year ahead for my dear friend. I'm no drinker but I liked the sweet and mild taste of the sangria. To go with our drink, we had a couple of tapas to get our meal started. Estee ordered the Gambas (Php. 380) and I have to say that this had to be the biggest gambas shrimp that I...

Every time Paul takes me out on a date, I still feel all giddy and excited about it. Mind you, we have been dating for more than 9 years already! While we're no longer the college kids that we used to be where sharing a cup of Mocha Frappuccino and a plate California Maki would turn me all lovey-dovey , I still blush and get tiny butterflies in my stomach whenever he tells me to prepare for a date. As we were planning our mini staycation at the Manila Marriott Hotel a few weeks back, we both agreed to just enjoy the hotel's facilities and not to go out..not even for dinner. This just means that we will be having ALL our meals inside the hotel. Luckily, our overnight stay also came with a complimentary dinner at Cru Steakhouse . Yay! It was both our first time to actually dine at Cru except for the time wherein we were invited to try Marriott Cafe's Sunday Brunch which includes crossing over to Cru for some juicy steak and seared foie gras. Remember we had guests ...

Don't you just love long weekends? Yesterday, I woke up thinking that it was already Sunday. While I know I still have a full day to relax, I somehow felt glum over the thought that I'm heading back to reality work the next day. Good thing I realized that it was just Saturday and there's still one more day left to enjoy! Weeeee!! ♥ I'm really cherishing all opportunities to just stay longer in bed and to hang out at home with no agenda lined up. The holiday season is here and I brace myself for the busy months ahead! Last Sunday, I woke up to hear my parents and sister debating. The topic? Whether to eat out or not. It was already 11AM and no one has still made a decision. Pan has been looking forward to eating out while Papa was feeling extra lazy and wasn't up to leaving the house that day. Mommy and Paul were just game to go with whatever we finally decide in doing. Getting out of my sleepy state, I suggested that we just order in. Spotted: Frannywanny ment...

From the moment that I got engaged, I simply thought that Paul and I will be able to have more time to spend dating, going out on regular movie nights, enjoying a weekly massage and a lot more. In other words, I never thought that after being married for two years, our schedules would turn from hectic to crazy to crazier! Every weekend, we have deliveries to attend to, a growing business to take care of and a number of functions and parties to attend. That's how our two day weekend run and we don't even have a baby to worry about yet! Our weekends are normally filled to the brim that we truly cherish rare lazy weekends with not a single thing to do. This is the reason why both Paul and I love having impromptu dinner dates that allow us to unwind and to just enjoy a really good meal. A few months ago, we got an invite to we spend a quiet night at Dusit Thani Manila 's Italian restaurant -- Tosca . We've dined at Tosca before, first, for an event for work and second, a...

Recently, my best friend T and I had a fun R&R weekend in Tagaytay City . Believe it or not, it was our first time to go on a trip together despite being friends for more than two decades already! This is because a handful of plans have been postponed and cancelled again and again. Finally, after two decades of planning, we finally took the first step by having an all-girls bonding session that weekend! How I wish my two other best friends C and E can join us next time. Well, there was just one major thing that T and I did all weekend... that was to eat . We started by having lunch followed by grabbing some milk tea...then we headed to our hotel and after resting for a few minutes, we drove to Tagaytay Highlands to do a little walking to prepare ourselves for our much-awaited steak dinner at Highlands Steakhouse ! It was my first time to dine here and I was really excited about it. I'm glad that T made reservations as we got to the restaurant at 7PM sharp and it was alrea...

On June 17, 2012 -- the world celebrates Father's Day . Similar to Mother's Day, my family also makes it a point to go out on this day dedicated to my dad, kongkong and uncles. I've received a number of text messages and emails from friends asking for recommendations on where they can take their dads and husbands out on this special day. Here are some of my recommendations, majority of which are my Dad and Paul's personal favorites too: For Dads who take his MEAT seriously.... 1) Elbert's Steak Room   For me, Elbert's is truly the king of all steak places. Whenever someone would ask me where to have the best steak, I'd always say Elbert's in a heartbeat. I'll never forget the night when Paul and I shared a huge Ribeye steak complete with all the sidings, the delicious Fantan bread and desserts to cap our delicious meal off. Elbert's Steak Room is located at the 3/F Sagittarius Building III, 111 H. V. de la Costa Street, Salcedo Village...

This continues my Bonifacio Highstreet Central food review. I really love hanging out at this new wing of the Bonifacio Highstreet complex. What's there not to love about this place? With at least 80% of its tenants being restaurants, I'm just halfway through and I love how a new restaurants pop out whenever I pay a visit. Last week, at the height of my intense preparation for Yummy Eats 2012 , I said yes to a dinner invitation after getting non-stop raves not only from my blogger friends but from a certain colleague as well. As I've mentioned before , my friend T really has great taste in food and after hearing her talk about this new restaurant called 'Cue and their delicious pork chop, I knew I have to put that on the list and schedule a visit ASAP. Paul and I got there a few minutes before our agreed meeting time and we were quickly ushered to our reserved table. 'Cue stands for barbe cue as this restaurant features a lot of really good meat dishes. Defi...

A couple of Fridays ago, The Food Club was invited to have dinner and a few glasses of wine at Café 1771’s The Winebar . This came as a perfect timing given that it was the end of a stressful workweek and a great way to welcome the much-awaited weekend. We arrived just about the same time and as we made our way up to the 2nd floor of Café 1771 in El Pueblo , we were all impressed with the sudden change of ambiance. From the bright pink and blue décor of the Whimsy section, climbing up the wooden staircase led us to an all-wooden interior that reminds me of a scene from The Godfather or one of those Al Pacino films that Papa loves to watch over and over again. After leading us to our table, we were offered some wine to get things started. I sadly had to decline as I’m not really much of a drinker…an “eater”, yes…a drinker, no. Nonetheless, my companions seem to enjoy their selection of wines which I think went perfectly well with our wide-array of dishes that evening. In true Ca...

I guess our love for food truly runs in the family... I strongly believe in this as every member in the family loves everything and anything about food. From cooking to trying out new dishes, from visiting new restaurants to actually writing about them , we can just talk about food for hours and which actually makes a very interesting dinner topic. However, my cousin took a step further and opened his very own deli. That, in itself, is a true testament about how passionate he is about food and that he would love to share this with his customers. Meet the Deliboys . The brainchild of Wilcon Syjuico and Perry Choi , this cozy looking deli located at the 3rd floor of the newly constructed Northeast Square is your go-to place of delicious cheese, cold cuts and steak. The best part is, these are sold at very reasonable prices making you want to go back for more. One afternoon, wanting to unwind so badly, I was invited by my mom to have a light afternoon snack at my cousin's deli...

I've been a blogger for almost ten years already. While this blog was just created four years ago, I have been busy documenting my everyday college life in my first ever personal blog which unfortunately has been kept hidden to the public eye since Frannywanny.com was born. For ten years now, blogging has been my best stress reliever. I enjoy jotting down my thoughts and sharing my experiences to the world. Aside from writing and maintaining my blog, I also enjoy visiting sites of fellow bloggers most especially that of food bloggers . The links you see in my sidebar are some of my favorite blogs which I frequent on a daily basis. Yes, like you I get excited whenever I learn about a new restaurant discovery or a new grocery item that I would also like to try. I'm thankful that majority of the owners of these blogs that I follow have eventually became really good friends of mine. I always look forward to dining out with them as we get to experience a new restaurant together...