Frannywanny

This is it! This is the last round of my raffle contest and I'm so excited to finally ship out the prizes to all the winners! Don't forget that there's also my big photo contest where four exciting prizes are up for grabs such as an overnight stay at Taal Vista Hotel, Gift Certificates by The Bistro Group and a lot more! Click here for more info on how to join. So what are the prizes at stake? One lucky reader will receive (1) Team Bonchon Meal Coupon from Bonchon Chicken Philippines Round up the entire team and celebrate! Be it your group of friends, your colleagues at work or with your dearest family and head out to Bonchon Chicken to enjoy the Team Bonchon Meal (Php.645)! This is inclusive of a medium box of Bonchon Chicken with your choice of flavor -- soy garlic or spicy, my favorite Chapchae noodles, choice of two sides (I highly recommend the Kimchi Coleslaw !), 4 rice and 4 regular sized drinks. I remember treating my own team a couple of months ago a

Just when I thought we're tried ALL the restaurants in our neighborhood, we were surprised to see more tiny cafes and eateries opening in what-used-to-be-a-fully-residential-area which has now turned into a semi commercialized district. Yay for me! This just means more dining options without the need to go far. After Chow Fun , there are a couple more new restaurants to try and I'll be sharing my reviews on them pretty soon. First off is Tori Box . We decided to try this after seeing that it's finally open after one of my regular mani/pedi sessions at Nail Loft . Slightly hidden from the busy J. Abad Santos route, Tori Box is a two storey cozy-looking cafe that is literally bursting with cuteness! It somehow reminds me of those artsy Korean coffee shops that we visited back in April . From the moment you enter, you'll immediately notice the K-Pop/J-Pop decors with pretty statements on frames, lightbulbs on bird cages, books and plants on the table as decor. I coul

It's no secret how much I love eating chips! In fact, it has been my favorite thing to snack on and I would definitely go for a bag of chips over a box of chocolates or a scoop of ice cream any day. For the past months, Oishi has been showering me and my family with a lot of yummy (and crunchy) blessings! Who can ever forget the six foot high box that greeted me as I arrived home from my trip to China ? This was the same box that my niece and nephew happily played in after we got all the bags of chips out. They sent not only one but two boxes filled with an assortment of Oishi goodies! A few weeks after that, I got home to see Mr Pea and Mr Porky smiling back at me . Once again, another delightful surprise from the cool folks from Oishi ! As a marketing practitioner, I strongly believe in the power of product sampling. This is one great way to encourage trial and hopefully will result to purchase and loyalty in the future. However, with thousands of products competing for a

Paul's birthday is coming up in 2 days! :) It has been our tradition that our birthday celebration doesn't last for just a day. Instead, it goes on and on for WEEKS! We normally get to celebrate our birthdays with our two families (his and mine), our various groups of friends and of course, with one another. Paul's birthday celebration started today as we had a simple yet fun lunch get-together with his family. What made it fun were the 3 tiny tots who happily ran around the house as they played with one another for hours! It was cuteness overload as we tried to decipher their baby talks and watch with amazement as these kids, at their very young age, can easily navigate their way around an iPad! Since there were 13 of us today, we tried 8 Spoons' Party Trays which were said to be good for 8 but believe me, the serving was very generous that almost everyone got second servings and there were still a lot of food left for dinner today (and maybe even for lunch tomo

The response for my 1st Raffle Contest was AMAZING! :) So amazing that I wish I can shower everyone with prizes! If I could..I definitely would! However, what is more possible right now is to give out more prizes to give everyone a bigger chance to be happy. Also, don't forget that my photo contest is still ongoing up until October 7 ! I really love the prizes at stake for that so I hope you won't miss out on the chance to win either an overnight stay at Taal Vista Hotel , a Gift Certificate to partake in the famous Sunday Family Crossover Brunch of Dusit Thani Manila , Php. 3000 worth of GC from The Bistro Group and a cool traveling bag from Crumpler ! The mechanics is easy so please send as much entries in! So, what are the prizes for my 2nd Raffle Contest? 

If there's anything that I'm fashionably attracted to, then it would be on accessories . I'm a firm believer that a piece of jewelry or accessory can add more personality to your everyday wear. As such, my jewelry staples includes a good piece of watch and my heart and locket white gold bracelet that I've been wearing since my High School graduation. While surfing the internet, I visited one of my favorite accessory brand Jean and Rosz and checked out what are the new items they have available. It was then that I saw the Charity Bracelets. For only Php 150 per set of 4 leather bracelets , Jean & Rosz will donate the sales proceeds to their partner charity institution. There are about 9 colors to choose from and believe me, I had a hard time choosing my 1st four colors! Thus I let my ever-stylish friend Jean decide for me. Here's what she came up with.

It's raining very hard as I type this and times like this I love to snuggle in bed while catching up on my favorite TV series or with a good book. This is bed weather after all and how I wish I can stay in under the sheets all day long. The rainy cool weather also makes me want a bowl of piping hot ramen. I was then reminded of a dinner that I had with Paul, my sister Pan and her best friend C at a newly opened restaurant called Kokoro Ramenya . It was upon an invite from a friend to try the restaurant out and we were all so excited as Japanese remains to be one of our favorite cuisines. Kokoro Ramenya is located in the newly constructed Avenue of the Arts Building along Roxas Boulevard. It offers traditional Japanese dishes such as ramen, donburi, tempura, sushi and sashimi and a lot more. I liked the bright and casual interiors making the restaurant look even bigger than it already is. We started our meal with a plate of Gyoza (Php. 155). The wrapper had a good texture

A week ago, I made the quickest and one of the biggest purchase this year -- I bought myself a new phone and it's not just any phone in the market but one that I have been considering to have for months! I bought myself an iPhone 4S ! I wouldn't consider it an impulse buy but rather, I just know a good deal when I see one. Negotiations were done in less than 20 minutes and shortly after, this pretty looking box was already placed safely inside my bag as we drove home. Some friends were wondering why I didn't wait for the new iPhone 5 to come out as this was released to the public just a few days ago. Well, I am the type who would rather wait for the reviews to come in and when a product deems to be worthy of my hard-earned money then I buy it than to give in impulse and trend pressure then to regret it later. It has been a week since and I've so happy with the functionality of my new phone. The sleek performance as I do my calls, send text messages, snap up photo

Since launching my 5th Blog Anniversary Giveaway last week , I've started to receive a number of cool entries from you, my readers. It really warms my heart to see the effort and time that you guys have put in in creating your signages or in thinking of such creative poses for your entries. Please send more in! We still got 3 weeks to go and I'm really excited to give out all these great prizes! I always tell people that Frannywanny.com cuts across all ages, male and female, from various careers and interests. However, what binds us all together is our love for food and for discovering new restaurants here and abroad. Agree? *slowly nods*  Well, last week two "readers" in particular extremely made my day. Though they are obviously too young to follow the mechanics to the very last detail, they just sent in their entries to wish me a Happy happy Anniversary! Sweet! Meet my niece Julia and godson Brandon! Aren't they the cutest toddlers on earth? :) Like wh

"Food is about (creating) great memories, when you're always having fun...everyday is a good day." - Martin Yan I love watching cooking shows. Growing up, my week wouldn't be complete without watching Wok with Yan where my family and I would laugh our hearts out at the funny antics of Stephen Yan and would look forward to every show to see his hilarious apron messages. He must be the pioneer in statement shirts aprons! Mommy also loves the traditional Chinese cooking of Pei Mei to the point that she would collect her books as well. As we get older, I would tune in to the local show entitled Cooking with the Dazas featuring Nora Daza and her kids Nina and Sandy, who are two of the food writers that I admire today. Lastly, there's Yan can Cook . Martin Yan was born in Guanzhou, China to a restauranteur father and a mother who runs a grocery store. At a very young age, he has possessed the interest and talent in cooking. As such, he began his apprentice at age

Mommy loves drinking tea. Thus growing up, Pan and I were taught to appreciate the flavor of all sorts of tea blends at a very young age. We would have pots after pots of Chrysanthemum Tea whenever we're enjoying dimsum in Hong Kong, a cup of Earl Grey to go with our choice of macarons or tea sandwiches and even the deep and dark ones like TieGuanYin . Like Mommy, we've learned to drink tea either with honey or with a few drops of sugar cubes. Lately, wanting to stay healthy, I've been having my cup of tea without any sweeteners added into it. I've learned to love it in its purest form. Upon hearing about Da.U.De (da-you-de) Tea Lounge , I set a brunch date with Mommy and Pan after our morning working at the Bonifacio Global City. Da.U.De Tea Lounge is located at the ground floor of the Net Lima Building which is right beside the Mini Showroom. It may be a bit of a challenge to locate but believe me, it'll be worth it. We were greeted by the bright, sunsh

Resorts World Manila (RWM) is quickly becoming Manila's go-to place when it comes to offering top-notch entertainment . Having one of the biggest casinos in town, a number of casino players all over the country would fly in to visit RWM. It's also a venue for friends and family to enjoy a good meal . Resorts World Manila has three hotels within the vicinity -- the 4-Star Remington Hotel , the 5-Star Marriott Hotel and the 6-Star Maxims Tower . It actually reminds me of City of Dreams in Macau where its adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel, Crown Towers and Grand Hyatt Macau. Of course, there's also the Newport Mall where you can watch a movie in one of their Lazyboy theaters or to do some shopping too. For us though, we focus more on the food ! One evening, Paul and I had dinner with his cousins at Passion -- a famous Chinese Restaurant located at the Maxims Tower . We've dined here a number of times already as my in-laws seem to love it. Top favorites include the Hai

Exactly 5 years ago , I opened this blog to chronicle my never-ending food trips with Paul. It was no secret how much we love trying new restaurants and we rejoice with glee whenever we hit a gold mine. People would ask me why do I blog and my answer is simple : I love to eat and I love to write..'nuff said.  Related posts: 1st Blog Anniversary 2nd  Blog Anniversary 3rd Blog Anniversary 4th Blog Anniversary Contrary to what others may think, I don't blog for a living. I have a full time career that I love just as much as blogging and everyday I thank Him for it. I blog because I am truly, madly and totally deeply in love with what I do. True Love , you may it. I am passionate about sharing my food discoveries with my readers and I aim to do this for as long as I can. Today, I celebrate my 5th Blog Anniversary . It has been a fun ride since Day 1 as I enjoy hearing from you, my readers. Now, let the fun begin ! Thanks to my very generous sponsors, I am opening

Something FUN and EXCITING is happening really really soon!!! Make sure to visit this blog at exactly 12:01 AM of September 9, 2012 ! Believe me, you wouldn't want to miss out on ALL the fun! :) ♥ , frannywanny

I'm feeling very exhausted lately. True, I just had one of the most relaxing trips ever but here I am back in the daily grind leaving me physically and mentally drained day in and out. Not even the two day weekend is enough to rejuvenate me. Does this mean it's time for another vacation soon? Hmm.. A few months ago, The Food Club was invited to have a quick weekend break at the new Ramada Manila Central Hotel located right at the heart of Binondo, Manila . While we're used to taking a weekend getaway outside of Metro Manila , Paul and I welcomed the thought of just staying in town but still being able to have some R&R away from home. Up until this day, I really get excited every time I have the chance to visit Binondo a.k.a. Chinatown. It reminds me of the time I would go on food trips with friends as we would enjoy the various snacks and treats found in every nook and cranny of this place. I also have spent a good amount of time here when I was preparing for my

Quietly tucked in one of the hidden corners of Bonifacio Global City is a bright and inviting Italian restaurant called Tuscano . Upon receiving an invite to have lunch there with fellow foodies Richard and Irene , Paul and I found the restaurant after a wrong turn and a phone call to Richard for more verifications. The restaurant is located at the ground floor of The Fort Residences thus parking is pretty limited. We truly welcomed the Valet Parking service that the restaurant offers allowing us to just hand over our keys to the valet and he'll do the rest. I love Italian food mainly because I love pasta! Luckily, Manila is booming with more and more restaurants that would save you the plane ticket to Italy and still you'll be able to enjoy a good plate of pasta or some freshly baked thin-crusted pizza anytime you want! Still, I wish that Paul and I will one day be able to visit Europe and eat all the pizza, bread, pasta and cheeses to our hearts delight. Someday...someda

iSPY!  Channeling my love for reading Nancy Drew novels back in high school, here I am with my "not-so-hidden" camera playing foodie detective as I share with you three snapshots taken at an undisclosed supermarket in Marikina.  All I can see are boxes of what look like rice cookers with the label that says "M3 ready" . Any idea what this may be?  It looks like a very interesting grocery find as mommy shoppers seem to be very interested by it. All the more arousing my curiosity. I will continue to sniff around for more clues...meanwhile, do send in your guesses on what this may be too. :)  Love, Detective Frannywanny

I must admit I can't live without the internet . Ever since I was introduced to it back in the late 90s, logging into the internet has been part of my daily routine. Papa would wonder why do I have to check my email every single day given that I was just a student back then. Before, being connected to the internet was pretty much limited to you having to be physically present in front of your computer. Today, one can be connected 24/7. How? Through the wonderful creations of smart phones and tablets of course! :) My day job entails doing a number of presentations to clients. More often than not, I have to bring my laptop with me as all my files as stored in there and there is also no way I would want my presentation to be ruined with incompatible fonts as the file gets transferred around with a USB stick. I'd rather kill my shoulders and carry my laptop around than to have a mediocre looking presentation, agree? My colleague L was smarter though. All she had was her handy t