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Showing posts from April, 2015

Two Summer Drinks at Starbucks Coffee

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Tonight, I was able to have a nice long chat with Mommy. I really love hearing her voice as this is enough to brighten up my day. She told me that Manila is scorching hot at the moment that being outside is starting to feel like an ordeal to many. Not even the cool blast of the car's air-con is enough to make one feel comfortable. Meanwhile, I told her that it has been raining erratically here in the Lion City. Mornings are almost always warm and come lunch time, it would start to rain non-stop. It's not a big surprise that a lot of my colleagues and their kids are falling sick due to the rise and drop of temperature. Regardless if it's rainy or sunny, summer is officially here and there's one thing that I love about this season and that is being able to indulge in cups after cups of refreshing ice blended drinks! Take for example, last Sunday. Paul and I spent a quiet morning at Starbucks Coffee while waiting for the NKids to arrive at our lunch venue and we tried

#FrannyCooks Recipe : Stir-Fry Scallops with XO Sauce

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It has been 4 months since I started my 2015 resolution to cook more and so far, I've slowly progressed from making all sorts of egg and pasta dishes to real viands that would make my mommy proud. Hooray! :) A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to use up our remaining XO Sauce which was a gift from sweet fellow blogger Jeng . Since it was the lenten season, I then decided to cook Stir-Fry Scallops with XO Sauce . Not quite sure how it would turn out as I was initially planning to have prawns but the fresh scallops on the supermarket display was too good to be ignored. What I love about this dish is how easy it was to prepare and to cook. It took me less than 30 minutes from preparation to actual serving. Paul's verdict? It was good! He gave me a two thumbs up sign for this and that made my day. After all, seeing my hubby enjoy my cooking truly means the world to me. Now, let me share this easy-peasy recipe with you!

Sunday brunch at The Beast : Southern Kitchen and Bourbon Bar

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If there's a popular term called "ladies who lunch", I think the Normanton Kids will start a new trend of "Friends who Brunch" . I've mentioned a number of times here how much I love going out for brunch. It's just the perfect meal where you don't really have to wake up so early to eat nor do you have to wait so long for lunch hour to arrive. Well, okay maybe for this particular time, we actually got to the restaurant a bit late but luckily, brunch here in Singapore runs till 3pm! Indeed, I'm living in a country who takes brunch pretty seriously. Once again, we checked out another Entertainer App merchant called The Beast  in the Bugis district. This restaurant specializes in Southern American cuisine so think of rich bbq-tasting dishes, a great use of corn and fried chicken! It's a nice two-storey resto-bar where you can enjoy a mix of Southern-inspired dishes with their signature drinks too. For one thing, they boasts of having the w

Breaking the Fast : RV Burger in River Valley

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Five individuals with very different personalities living under one roof. Sounds like a perfect plot for a TV sitcom right? That's life with the Normanton Kids . Each one has his/her own quirks, mood swings and ideals yet we still manage to get along quite well. I guess, at the end of the day, we all know that have each other for support, love and acceptance. For Paul and I, we see the NKids as our family here in Singapore. We can really say that they've been there through our ups and downs and they've made living in a foreign land still feel like home. So, just like any family, we went out on Easter Sunday to hear mass and to have a good meal. Paul and I have been abstaining from meat for most parts of Lent while my friend I was on a strict healthy (read: fruits and veggies) diet the entire week. Finally, we're saying yes to meat when Easter Sunday came! Hooray! Browsing through the Entertainer App , we chanced upon RV Burger which was just within walking dis

Co+Nut+Ink Coconut Ice Cream in Sentosa

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Summer is finally here and it's really really really HOT! The weather app says it's about 34 degrees celsius outside but honestly, it feels like it's up to 40! A simple walk around the corner would easily let sweat beads form on your forehead. What more climbing up 3 storeys and walking for 2 blocks under the scorching sun. I swear, I looked like I ran a marathon with the way my cheeks  would turn so red and I'd be perspiring like crazy. All I want is to dip myself into a cold pool...oh, and to have some refreshing coconut ice cream too!  Let me tell you about the time we visited Co+Nut+Ink in Sentosa. Located at the Beach Station, we took the tram that took us all the way to Siloso Beach. Along the way, we spotted a simple white stall with a long queue in front of it. This immediately caught our attention and piqued my curiosity on what the stall is all about. Moving closer, we found out that they're selling Coconut Ice Cream! Oh em gee! 

Go West : The Tiny Roaster in Singapore

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Paul normally has Saturday work which means, I'm pretty much left on my own to laze around the house or to do some serious running/climbing/kicking/stretching/(fill in with crazy, adrenaline-high action here) at the gym. Not wanting to sound cheezy but I do miss him so much throughout the day. Weekends, after all, are never fun when you're alone right? Once in a while though, I'd go and visit him at work! Not in a creepy, clingy way, of course, but I'd time it when his work is about to end or it's near his lunch break. I'm thankful for the mall that's within walking distance from his clinic and most especially the little foodie spots that I'd discover in the most unexpected places.  Take The Tiny Roasters , for instance. I chanced upon this one morning and was immediately drawn towards this small, cozy-looking coffee shop. Stepping inside, you'd be greeted by the warm delicious scent of coffee. They mean serious coffee business here as the

What's New: The Entertainer (1-for-1) Tab

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Who doesn't love discounts, right?  I'm really so happy I stumbled upon The Entertainer App late last year. I swear, this has totally changed my food tripping ways. Now, we've become bolder and more adventurous in trying various restaurants, cafes and even bars all over Singapore. The beauty of The Entertainer App is its ability to offer 3 1-for-1 deals. From 1-for-1 main dishes, 1-for-1 burgers to even 1-for-1 hotel nights! Imagine being able to enjoy these things and to pay just half of the cost.  I realized that I've been blogging quite a lot about the different establishments while using The Entertainer App. To make it easier for you all to search, I decided to put them all in one tab , which you can access above *point up* . Better yet, just click on that cute big smiley below:

Food Intolerance Test from Hi-Precision Diagnostics, Manila

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If there's one thing that can ruin a good trip, then that would be falling sick. Okay, maybe catching a cold or cough could cause you sleepless nights but at least you can still go about your trip and eat to your heart's desire. However, when tummy troubles strike, then that's another story. Newlyweds Franny & Paul in Kuala Lumpur Take it from me, the girl who spent 90% of her 2-week honeymoon with a rumbling, extremely gassy tummy that has forced me to run to the nearest toilet at any given time. No thanks to that bag of popcorn that I pretty much single-handedly consumed for the first 3 nights of our honeymoon. This has hindered me from enjoying most of our meals as I had to resort to bland and tasteless congee, banana, apples and hydrite most of the time. Well, I surely made up for all that, now that we're here in the Lion City for good. So, what really happened then? As it turns out, my body can't seem to accept and process corn among many other item

Singapore Food Culture : Chicken Rice

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Much has been said about Singapore being Asia's foodie mecca. As a growing melting pot of various races and culture, this is the place where one's taste buds can easily be satisfied with a wide-array of gastronomic choices. However, if we stop and think about that ONE Dish that speaks strongly about Singapore's heritage and culture, for me, that would definitely be the Chicken Rice . Chicken Rice is a simple dish that bursting with so much flavour. Just like our little red dot that may be small in size geographically, but what lies within are various personalities with stories that spans over five decades and more! Each bite brings out the best qualities of the tender chicken meat, the fragrant rice, and the subtle yet remarkable spicy and salty kick of the ginger, chili and soy sauce. Each ingredient working together to leave a delicious experience every single time. *This is my entry for The Great Foodpanda Blogger Contest 2015 by SethLui.com .

OC Food Trail : I Wanna and YiLi PaoPao Ice

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"A party without cake is just a meeting." - Julia Child Who loves dessert? I do! I do! I dooooo! ♥ So, to continue our lunch food trail in Orchard Central , our next stop after enjoying our healthy salad bowls at Green Rabbit were two must-try dessert places that you all shouldn't miss. First stop was at I Wanna , a pretty and very feminine cake shop that specializes in mini cupcakes! We all know that Singapore is literally bursting with so much dessert places much more those selling cupcakes. However, what makes I Wanna  different is its Lychee Red Velvet Cupcake  (S$1.80/piece) which really blewed me away! It has this sweet lychee flavor that gave a really interesting angle to the moist, chocolate-y red velvet mix.

World Street Food Congress 2015 in Singapore

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Last week was definitely a gastronomic one here in sunny Singapore . Thanks to the 24 food stalls who opened shop for 5 glorious days as part of the World Street Food Congress 2015  in the Bugis district . After 2 years of attempting to check this event out, Paul and I finally made it! Of course, we will never miss this year's jamboree for anything as we're ready to show our all-out support to our dear friend and favorite Lechon Diva, Dedet of Pepita's Kitchen along with fellow Pinoys, Chef Claude Tayag of Bale Dutung and Top Chef winner Paul Qui of East Side King .  The event opened last Tuesday at 5PM and believe it or not, Pepita's Kitchen's Truffled Lechon Diva was all sold out an hour and a half after! My heart sank the moment I got to the event grounds and Dedet apologetically told me they're all sold out. Awww mannn! Lechon with Truffled Rice.

OC Food Trail : Green Rabbit Crepe and Salad Gastrobar, Singapore

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We all know that Orchard Road is the place to go when you want to shop here in Singapore. To borrow a famous tagline, Orchard pretty much got it all for you ! From satisfying your retail needs down to treating your taste buds to a wide-array of yummy choices, this is one place every tourist should not miss out on and for locals and residents here, it's the perfect place to meet up with friends or to do some retail therapy when stress sets in. If you ask me, my favorite part of Orchard Road is within the Somerset district. For some reason, I really enjoy shopping in the malls within this particular area because all of the brands that I love can be found here. Recently, I was invited to a lunch food trail at the Basement 2 of Orchard Central a.k.a. OC where we got to visit three of the newest food establishments there. Our first stop was at  Green Rabbit Crepe and Salad Gastrobar .

Back at Lugang Cafe in Manila

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Every time we fly home, Paul and I would go over our growing list of restaurants to try in Manila. I tell you, it has really been a challenge to keep up as there's just too many new restaurants and only a couple of visiting days available. As much as we love trying new restaurants, we also take this opportunity to re-visit our favorites. I'd say we get better in planning our itinerary through time. Take this recent visit for example, this is finally the only trip where we got to spend a lot of time with both families. Spending lunches with my in laws and dinners with my side, we took a break from our crazy back-to-back schedule to have quiet meals at home, long hours catching up or dining at our favorite places. So, for our first dinner in Manila, Mommy suggested that we go to Lugang Cafe . This has been one of my family's favorite restaurants as we are all fans of xiao long bao (steamed soupy dumplings) and Lugang Cafe makes one of the best in town. I'm so happy t

Breakfast at Aquamarine in Marina Mandarin Singapore

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Days leading up to our much-awaited staycation at Marina Mandarin , I've been reading endless reviews about the hotel, the hotel amenities and on Aquamarine . This is where we will be having our complimentary breakfast buffet on the 2nd day of our stay. Most of the reviews were positive to the point that some boldly declared Aquamarine to be the best buffet restaurant in town. Reading all these good praises got me sooo excited for breakfast the next day. Never mind that we stuffed ourselves silly with pizza and wings the night before . We woke up extra early to maximize on the breakfast offering. First off was to check out the buffet line-up:

Staycation Files : Marina Mandarin Singapore

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I can read minds. Yes, I really can! Don't believe me? Hmmm... I can read what's on most of your minds right now. Ready? "How I wish the long weekend can last forever!" Am I right? Am I right? :) Kidding aside, I'm pretty sure most of you share the same sentiments as I do right this very minute. After all, being able to take some time off work and our daily responsibilities is something we all welcome with open arms. Agree? So, a few months back, Paul and I took a weekend off to spend a nice R&R at Marina Mandarin Singapore . We love staycations and we would make sure to have one especially on special occasions. That would mean -- Valentine's Day, our wedding anniversary and if we have a bit more budget and time, our birthdays too. Knowing the Marina Mandarin is one of the most sought after hotels in the city, we made our Valentine's Day staycation booking as early as December and since this day was so close to the Chinese New Year period, I

Blogging Break : Pause, Think & Reflect

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It's that time of the year again when I'd like to take time off to focus on my life offline.  May you all have a meaningful Holy Week! It's time to sit still, be quiet, think hard and to reflect. A little cleansing of the soul (and body) sounds like a good idea too. ;)  For those who will be travelling this long weekend, here are some newly-updated links to help you: Around the Philippines:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/around-philippines.html Going International:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/international_01.html Around Singapore:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/around-singapore.html Planning a staycation, perhaps? Here's another link for you. I'll still be eating my way around Singapore this weekend so please follow me on Instagram too ! Signing off!  Frannywanny ♥