Frannywanny

I'd say that one of the most important questions to answer when planning for a trip is: where to stay ? This is where your main priorities come into play. Are you a seasoned budget traveler who don't mind staying in a simple hotel or even to rent a room from Air BnB? Perhaps, you're more like me, a pro-leisure tourist who values comfort and cleanliness above all. Don't get me wrong, it's just that for me, my choice of hotel is important as this is essentially my home away from home throughout the duration of my trip. Nothing beats being able to head back to a nice, spacious and clean room which is complete with all the amenities and facilities after a tiring day exploring the city. Of course, not all the time I can just indulge and stay in a classy hotel. This is where I'm so thankful for boutique hotels. Small-sized hotels with about a dozen rooms yet you are still well taken cared of and every corner, every room is just sparkling clean. As we were planning

One of the best decisions that we've made during our trip to Cambodia was to hire David as our tour guide. You see, there are no cabs around both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap so to go around either you walk or take a tuktuk. Since there were 7 of us, it was wise to avail of a full shuttle service that will allow us to follow our own schedule and to be able to maximize on our itinerary too. It was indeed worth every penny as we were all well taken cared of complete with a daily supply of ice cold water. If only David can supply Wi-Fi in his van too to save us from boredom during the 6 hours drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and back, that would have just been perfect. Well, you can't have it all. So, on our first day, after visiting the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center / Killing Fields , we asked our driver Sim to recommend a good Khmer restaurant for lunch. Sim immediately knew where to take us and off we went to La Rose Restaurant. To be honest, I've never heard of La Rose

One thing why I love traveling with the NKids is because we all love to EAT! No kidding. During our trip to Cambodia , our bags were all filled with chips, snacks, drinks and even chocolates to ensure that no one goes hungry at any point in time. We try to make the most of each meal by researching well on the different restaurants to try both in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap . I will be sharing with you where we went to eat during our trip but let me jump to our very last meal in Phnom Penh . Since we took the late afternoon flight, we had the chance to leisurely have a good lunch before heading to the airport. Our hotel is surrounded by a number of interesting cafes and restaurants that the challenge actually was to choose only two from close to ten options. Since we've been having local Khmer food for the past days, we decided to deviate from it for our last meal. The choice was to try Cocina Cartel , said to be one of the best Mexican restaurants not only in Cambodia but in A

After a year of no new travels aside from our regular trips between Manila and Singapore, Paul and I finally got back to our yearly travel routine. Yahoo! Normanton Kids in Cambodia A few months ago, we joined the NKids for our first ever out of the country trip to Cambodia ! Planning started months in advance where C and I took charge of researching and coordinating with our very reliable tour guide David. It was a 5 days trip where we flew to Phnom Pehn and headed directly to Siem Reap where we spent 3 wonderful days and later went back to Phnom Pehn again for a full day before flying back to Singapore. With David handling all the on-ground logistics, this has made our itinerary so smooth flowing and totally stress-free.  This is the start of my Cambodia Travel Series where I shall tell you about the different sites that we were able to visit around Phnom Penh .  For most of my readers who probably have read my past travel entries, you may have noticed that I'm

I strongly believe in the saying that "health is wealth" . After all, the worst thing is to spend your hard-earned money on medications and hospitalizations when you can try to avoid all these in the first place. I'm glad that as I'm trying to up my physical activity level lately, I'd come across local activities that would challenge me to go even further. No more excuses now and I'm learning to push myself to the limits and to see what else I can do. A month ago, I came across a Facebook sponsored ad about a fun yoga and wellness event in Tanjong Beach Club, Sentosa . The name is Soulscape Singapore and browsing through their website, I was immediately drawn towards the two exclusive yoga sessions -- Sunset Yoga and Yoga Rave . It was to be conducted by True Yoga making it even more enticing. I asked my dear friend D, who has been a great influence to me to eat healthy and to stay fit, if she wants to join as well. It only took D a few minutes to brow

Singapore celebrated Deepavali / Diwali last Wednesday so we had a full day off from work! Since the non-working holiday was right in the middle of the week and I badly needed to catch up on sleep as we came from a quick weekend trip, Paul and I agreed to just spend the entire day at home with our friend O. The night before that, I told the boys that I'll cook pasta for lunch. It has been a while since I've cooked this dish and I'm glad that finally, I found the time to do so. Cooking can really be so therapeutic. Some of you may have remembered that I've prepared a similar pasta dish 5 years ago . This time though, I made use of wholemeal fusilli noodles and made use of a different type of pesto sauce too. What I noticed is that wholemeal noodles have a more dry texture and it has a rather grainy bite. It's not too bad though but it sure needs some getting used to. Well, I'm really so careful now with the carbs that I eat every since I vow to go with a low

Who doesn't love to hear a good secret? I'm pretty sure we all do.  Not so long ago, word has been going around about this "secret" coffee shop here in the Lion City. You see, the 3rd wave / artisan coffee trend is booming here with at least one coffee shop opening every week. There are just a lot right now that I was so happy when fellow food blogger Daniel came up with a comprehensive list of all the new cafes in Singapore for 2014 . Daniel is one of the few food bloggers whom I diligently follow to know about the new restaurants in the city. He writes in such an objective and really organized manner that makes the OC in me really happy.  Anyway, so Daniel and a couple of bloggers began talking about a secret coffee shop called Whale & Cloud and that opens only on Saturday. In fact, it's not open on all Saturdays too! All these talks got me really curious and after asking more details about it, Paul and I decided to spend one Saturday afternoon to t

More than a month ago, this blog celebrated its 7th year of existence. We all know that Frannywanny.com wouldn't be what it is now without its readers and that means YOU! Every single one of you. So, to celebrate this milestone, I had not one , not two but THREE fun giveaways for my readers both in the Philippines and in Singapore. We now come to the end of the anniversary celebration and while I have already announced the lucky winners of the 1st two contest, I'd like to do a quick recap here. Congratulations to the following readers: 1) 7th Anniversary Giveaway #1 : for Philippines readers  - Abegail Madera - Lorenzo Te - Susan Sia 2) Hee Kee DessertsGiveaway : for Singapore readers - Leila Chua - Shawn Toh 3) Morganfield's Rib Party : for Singapore readers - Tay Yong Chuen - Li Siu Ching

Welcome to the new JENeration! I just love attending house parties. It's where you can just relax, enjoy the yummy food, mingle with new friends and catch up with the old ones too. I also love hosting small, intimate parties where I would have my closest friends over for dinner and some after dinner drinks or dessert. To be honest, I really get the thrill out of creating the menu and going over the logistics and planning more than anything. :) Recently, Paul and I attended one of the coolest house parties  that we've ever been to here in the Lion City. It's when Jen opened her doors and welcomed us with open arms. Who's Jen, you're probably wondering. Well, she's a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places . Sounds like someone whom I'll surely get along with, don't you think? Jen is just like you and me. Someone who's always on the go yet we always make sure that we're connected through tec

When in comes to workday lunch, I normally would go for something fast, easy-to-eat yet still delicious. Often times, I'd just prepare my own lunch and bring it to work. This is the only way I make sure that I eat healthy. My usual lunch staples would be an assortment of salad mixes which consists of whatever I find in our fridge that morning or a grilled cheese sandwich. Sometimes, I'd bring pasta to work only when I was able to cook some the night before. However, there are just weeks wherein either I'm too lazy to prepare something or I just want to eat something else. Luckily, my office neighborhood (a.k.a. my workhood) is filled with a LOT of food places so the choices are pretty much endless. Recently, Paul and I discovered a restaurant called Sushi Burrito  in 100AM. It was after our gym visit in the same mall where we decided to check this place out. Funny that I've been seeing this restaurant for months since we moved to this side of town yet I never really

My hubby Paul is such a foodie. Yes, a genuinely, certified foodie. This is definitely one reason why we believe we're a match made in (foodie) heaven. In fact, I'm starting to believe that he's a biggest food lover than I am. For one, he just loves watching cooking shows on YouTube and on TV and would remember every single detail of the dishes being demonstrated. If he likes it so much, he'd even try cooking it making me his happy food taster. I guess this is his Campampangan side showing. During one of our weekend shopping trips to Takashimaya Department Store  where we ended up walking around the basement level, he instantly stopped at one of those kiosks selling cheesecakes. I initially thought nothing of it until it seemed like there was no sign of him leaving that kiosk anytime soon. He excitedly told me that he knows about that cheesecake as he saw it on TV and quickly went to buy a slice. Woah! Normally, it was me who would go and immediately splurge on foo

I'm pretty sure everyone knows that feeling that one would get when you discover something and it turns out way better than you expected it to be. As a foodie, these are those moments when you try a new restaurant and it turns out to be really good. I personally get that natural high when I get to take friends out for a good meal and even more when we can really say that it was worth every penny too. After all, I am a believer that good food doesn't have to be over-the-top expensive too. So, when my long time friends J and C came to the Lion City to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary, I researched hard to ensure that we're taking them to a place that is perfectly suited for such a wonderful occasion. I've been hearing about Savuer from fellow food-loving friends telling me that this is a restaurant worth trying. A quick browse at their online menu and I felt that this could be the one. Luckily J and C easily found the restaurant despite the fact that it wa

Over lunch one day, my colleagues AH and IW suddenly asked me what are my favorite restaurants here in Singapore . I haven't been here long enough to try a lot of restaurants but this question somehow left me stumped me for a minute or so. As I was putting together my usual bowl of salad, I made use of the extra minute to think. Then I began telling them about my usual go-to places such as Poulet for good casual French food, Keisuke Ramen , Kamal's for the best Fried Chicken Briyani in town and Din Tai Fung whenever I'd crave for xiao long bao. Now, it was my turn to ask. AH quickly named a couple of her favorites which were a mix of local and Chinese food spots and IW followed suit naming her go-to places as well. They have their own unique choices but I noticed that both of them named Swee Choon Tim Sum as their #1 favorite restaurant in Singapore. Add to the fact that D also went there recently and came back with non-stop raves about how yummy and affordable the

The name Godiva has long been synonymous with premium, high quality chocolates. Growing up, I would remember my mom carefully buying her chosen box of Godiva truffles whenever we go abroad and she would take one piece and savor it for sooooo long with her eyes closed to match. I would just watch her with amusement as I would munch on my favorite piece of chocolate bar and consume this within seconds. It was only when I grew a bit older that I realized how precious Godiva chocolates are. With it's history dating back to 1926, Godiva has been creating a wide range of chocolate truffles with different fillings. My personal favorite are still the ones filled with nuts -- macadamia, hazel nuts and praline. I really love the combination of the nut and the dark cocoa. For me, I just love indulging in a piece or two to unwind. After all, chocolates are known to be one of the best stress-reliever too. Look what Paul and I found while shopping in Takashimaya Department Store last Su

If there's one thing the Normanton Kids (NKids) have in common, it's definitely our love for good food. In fact, most of our weekends would basically have us food tripping or enjoying a good home cooked meal while watching a movie. So, when I invited the NKids out for a fun night at Morganfield's on a Monday evening, it was no surprise that I immediately got their YESes within minutes. They're definitely a fun bunch to eat out with! Morganfield's recently opened their second branch in Suntec City and we were all ready to enjoy slabs after slabs of ribs, fries and more! Being fans of western food, this is something that we rarely get to indulge in here in the Lion City. After all, Morganfield's is known to be the home of the Sticky Bones . Watch out for my Morganfield's blog giveaway below!!! You know that you're in for a good meal when it begins with some Homemade Cinnamon Candied Bacon  (S$8.90). Well, this is one thing that bacon fan

It's no secret that both Paul and I have been bitten by the travel bug. While our traveling has very much toned down since we moved to the Lion City, I'm just glad that we somehow would still sneak in a short trip here and there when given the opportunity. I guess we have been traveling so often that we have mastered the art of packing and unpacking in the faster way possible. Of course, it has also been established that I am no light packer so whatever happens, I really have to bring my trusty hand carry luggage with me. At least, that gives me 7kg allowance to pack all my clothes for the weekend no to mention my laptop, chargers and a book to read on board. For the longest time, only I have a carry-on luggage while Paul would pack all his extra clothes, camera and on board items in a backpack. It was only recently that we finally got a second hand carry luggage. It's a black hard case cabin-sized luggage that's pretty lightweight yet sturdy enough to withstand th

Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we? Remember the 1st ever entry that I wrote here in Frannywanny.com ? It's about Angel's Kitchen, one of my favorite restaurants in Manila. Look how different my blog entry was then. Pure text and no photos. It even has a link to my now defunct Multiply account, the place where I really began food writing. No matter how "old school" this entry may feel, I really like it! Every time we get to visit Manila, sure we would try to visit as much new restaurants as we could. However, we also make it a point to re-visit some of our favorites. So, during this recent visit, Paul and I brought the entire family to AK Bistro in One Rockwell. It's the hipper, younger version of our favorite Angel's Kitchen as this caters to a younger market while the former is the go-to place for families. The menu is pretty much the same though which I find to be quite odd. Dining in a familiar place means ordering the same familiar

September 24 was our company's Foundation Day and to celebrate it, we dedicated 8 hours of service at the Soup Kitchen of Willing Hearts . Our "work day" began as early as 6:15AM, yes THAT early! I think it has been more than a decade since I had to be up at 5AM but believe it or not, I was up and awake even before my alarm rang. That only happens when I'm really excited about something. Team VML Qais at Willing Hearts I'm no kitchen diva, but I happily de-shelled dozens and dozens of eggs, chopped close to a hundred cabbage heads and packed thousands of styrofoam boxes. All these meals will go to the underprivileged community in Singapore most of which are the elderly. As you know, I really have a soft spot for all the aunties and uncles who sadly have been left to live on their own and are trying their darnest to make ends meet. I'm glad that I had the chance to serve them for a day. 

Pardon the cute-sy play of words but I just can't help it!  Ever wonder why coffee is normally linked closely to love and romance? Girl meets boy in a coffee shop. Girl and boy getting to know each other over coffee (and cakes, sandwiches or pastries!) Boy professes his love to girl also in a coffee shop. ... and they live happily ever after with more cups of coffee shared along the way! For Paul and I, Starbucks Coffee surely has played a valuable role in our very own love life. Here's where we've spent a lot of hours after our dinner date be it just the two of us or with our groups of friends. Starbucks Coffee has also been our permanent venue when we were meeting up with our wedding suppliers some time back and up to today, it has been our third place -- t hat one place where we feel most at home from the exact type of drinks that we want ( eg : Signature Hot Chocolate in Kid's Temp for him and a Non-Fat Hazelnut Latte , no whip in Kid's Temp for me