Frannywanny

Save the date guys!! Chef Daniel Green is coming to Manila! He's a popular TV personality, an award-winning author and a chef who has successfully lost 65lbs (amazing!) without having to hit the gym and has managed to keep the weight off simply by....eating right! Now, isn't that what we've all been dreaming off? So be sure to catch him at Dusit Thani Manila on the dates listed above. Calling all food entrepreneurs!! The UP Junior Marketing Association (JMA) is organizing a food bazaar called COCINA tentatively scheduled on August 12, 2011 at the UP Diliman Campus. This event aims to raise funds for the K.I.D.S. (Kids Integrated Development through Schooling) program which provides educational assistance to 25 less fortunate students who are at the top of their class but is in need of financial support. The bazaar is open to up to 50 interested concessionaires. Contact the following to know more on how to be part of this fun event! Jet: 0917-8245077 MJ: ...

Last Friday, despite the strong winds and non-stop rain, The Foodie Club got together to throw a special cheese-themed despedida which we coined as CHEESEPEDIDA for our dear friend Chris who's leaving in a few weeks time. Our plan was to throw a potluck dinner where everyone in the Club will bring a cheese-filled dish . Paul and I brought containers filled with our best-selling Pichi-Pichi with Cheese , Irene made her mouth-watering Quezo de Bola Cheesecake , Doña Joan prepared her signature Baked Macaroni with Cheese , Janey bought two types of pasta from Cibo , Didi (whom we miss dearly) sent over boxes of Pizza (with lots of cheese!), Tita Jane and Cara completed our meal with Cheese Ice Cream and Trixie and EQ brought bags of yummy chips with cheese ! You may have noticed that our line-up was filled with desserts and carbs, thus Irene and Richard offered to order from BBQ Chicken to fulfill our protein needs. I've been hearing about BBQ Chicken even when I...

Times surely flies when you're having loads of fun! I can't believe June is about to end and July is just a few days away! June is always a fun month for me. Of course we open the month with me turning a year older which also prompts the start of more than a week-long celebration with friends, family and basically everyone who matters in my life. This is followed by a couple more birthday celebrations in the family -- 4 cousins and my ever loving Kong Kong who incidentally is celebrating his 83rd birthday today (woohoo!!) . Since I'm definitely in a celebratory mood, I'd like too share the happiness with you guys by running a quick contest that will give 4 lucky readers the chance to receive a special gift from ME! Wanna know what I'll be giving out? Here they are! For the food lovers out there: (2) P1500 City Delivery gift certificates P600 worth of Boulevard Diner GCs Because a girly-girl just needs her Beauty Loot: Pond's White B...

I can still remember the first time I went to watch a circus act, I was very young then ... too young that I remembered buying a coloring book as a souvenir. Together with my parents and my little sister Pan, we trooped all the way to Araneta Coliseum excited to watch our first local circus show. The place was packed and I remember that we were lucky to get good seats. Good enough for us to see the performers up close. I was enthralled by the flexibility of those doing the trapeze and I held my breath and squeezed my Papa's hand as we watch from one heart-stopping act to the other. It had been more than a decade since but that amazing experience stayed with me forever. Fast forward to the present and I found myself on the way to Quirino Grandstand with Paul last Saturday night as we were both excited to watch Cirque du Soleil's Varekai . It has been a long time since we've watched a circus act and we honestly had no idea what to expect. The only thing we both know is th...

After our double date dinner with Richard and Irene which was also our first time to visit Minato Sizzling Steakhouse (now known as Jang Ga Nae ) in Pasig, we have been back a couple more times to celebrate my birthday and just recently for Father's Day. The restaurant now operates under a new name and had undergone major renovation where they did away with the low tables and created 4 function rooms and more regular tables to accommodate their growing number of customers. Through the number of times that we've dined there, we have grown fond of a few dishes that have become a staple on our dining table. Let me share them with you: Pork Ribs (Php. 240) - Delicious and tender pork ribs that you grill right on your table. I love that they use charcoal giving the meat a more robust flavor. Don't know how to cook? Don't worry, their very efficient server will take care of it for you as you will just sit back, watch and relax. This comes with a basket of fresh greens...

Through the years as Paul and I have visited thousands of restaurants here and abroad, we have opened our eyes to the different themes and styles imaginable. Normally, restaurants would just have the fun, casual vibe that matches their food. It's either that or a more refined, formal setting for fine dining restaurants. Aside from coffee shops that continue to grow in every corner of the metro, I secretly wish that there would be a little restaurant that would be inviting enough for you to stay and daydream the afternoon away. I'm talking about a restaurant with pretty interiors matched with classy trinkets decorated here and there. Perhaps they can throw in a nice reading nook where I can keep myself engrossed in my favorite chic lit novel while enjoying a piping hot plate of pasta. This is probably the kind of restaurant I'd have someday...the kind that girls like me can stay for hours on end as they catch up with their friends or spend that much-needed me-time. It s...

A much-awaited meet-up with my dear friend Sab brought us to Papa John's Pizza one late afternoon. Papa John's Pizza has been around since last year and I actually saw a couple of branches in California during my visit last February. In fact, one of my cousins once worked for Papa John's when he was still residing in the US. Paul and I arrived a few minutes before Sab did and I ordered the Waffle Fries (Php. 90) to ensure that we have something to munch on as there's lots to catch up on the moment Sab arrives. It came piping hot and crunchy. I enjoyed dipping it into their special marinara sauce which gave the fries a totally different taste versus the usual shoestring kind with tomato catsup. Sab, the ever demure friend of mine, carefully pick one piece up after the other as she updated us about her busy life as a hands-on Mommy to our cute flower girl Sophie and our handsome godson Brandon on top of running a growing business with her husband Brian. Amazing huh...