Frannywanny

*drumroll please* Thank you so much to all of you who took the time out to join my giveaway! I know it has been a while since I've ran a blog contest and I promise to do this more often. In fact, I got another fun giveaway coming real soon! Meanwhile, please join me in congratulating the following readers who will soon be the proud owners of either a Starbucks Coffee planner or a Sprints Personalised Wooden Board : Anyway, I'm currently back home in Manila reuniting with family, friends and eating my heart out! Watch out for a fresh batch of blog entries this 2017! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! ♥♥ ♥  

As the saying goes: "Two heads are better than one."  This rings true in the foodie world and it's always a fun thing when two kitchen masters get together and make one yummy creation after the other. So here's a secret for you all. Our well-loved Wolf Burger  partnered with Bird Bird  and we're all in for a treat at their special pop-up restaurant in Ann Siang Road  till the end of 2016. Now, isn't that a great way to end this year?  While I truly hope that their partnership will go on till next year, Paul and I are not taking any chances and we quickly made our way down there one weeknight to check it out. I first tried Wolf Burger  at Pasarbella Suntec City   and I have been reminding myself to make a return trip with Paul soon. Anyway, as with any secret pop-up shops, spotting the restaurant might be a bit tricky. The best way is to head down to where Bird Bird used to be (well, it still is Bird Bird..) and tadah! you've reached your destinati

We're totally feeling the Christmas spirit this week!  Case in point: I'm typing this blog entry with Arianna Grande's "Santa Tell Me"  blasting from our speakers and our beautiful Christmas tree lights twinkling in varied patterns and motions. At the same time, Paul's busy packing our gifts for family and friends back home. This is really one of our favorite periods of the year! I know I haven't done this for quite some time and I really apologize for that. However, this year has been really awesome for us and I got you all to thank for. Since I'm in a festive mood, I'd love to share the Holiday cheer to all! So, Frannywanny's Holiday Giveaway  is BACK! Here are some of my favorite things that YOU can possibly win: Starbucks Coffee Philippines 2017 Planner : to be won by a Singapore-based reader I want to do a swap  so a lucky Singapore-based reader will be a proud owner of this beautifully-designed 2017 Planner complete with

WOAH! December is zooming by so far! Would you believe that Christmas is exactly 9 days away? That also means that I'll soon be flying home for the holidays in less than a week's time. Yahoooo! Anyway, before Paul and I get into the massive holiday frenzy back home, we're so lucky to be able to have an early Christmas dinner here in Singapore. Make it a month in advance to be more exact. Rest assured that this won't be the one and only dinner date that we'll have to celebrate the season but at least we got the chance to do this before our schedules start going c-r-a-z-y. We first discovered Caffe B  exactly a year ago where we were invited to try their Christmas menu . What followed were several return visits to try their special menus to celebrate  Valentine's Day , their lunch sets and even for Mother's and Father's Day . To be honest, what makes us look forward to returning to Caffe B is the great service rendered every single time. We've met

2016 sure went by like a speeding bullet, don't you think? It was a pretty momentous year all over the world especially in the political-front. Back home, it's a special year with the grand arrival of my beautiful niece A. I can't wait to fly home and spend time with the family and most especially to finally meet our family's first darling baby (this is what my Mommy calls her and the variation gets longer each time with a new adjective adding on to it haha) . ♥ I'm truly in a very festive spirit so do expect a lot of Christmas and New Year highlights here the blog for the entire month of December. Let me start of with one from Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa . I have to say that this is, hands down, one of the prettiest hotels that I've visited in Singapore. From the moment you step in, you get a very relaxed vibe as it overlooks the sea and it covers a huge space -- 27 acre to be exact! It's the perfect place to be if you want a quick break

"Can you handle the heat?" It has been 8 long years since my last visit to Bangkok . If you ask me, I think it's about time to go back for a return visit given that Singapore is slightly closer to Bangkok as compared to flying out from Manila. Not only that, I'm sure there have been a lot of changes since our last trip and by that I'm pertaining to more restaurant and food places to discover. Here's making a mental note to plan for a quick weekend getaway to Bangkok sometime next year. Well, since I can't go to Bangkok just yet... let Bangkok come to me for now. A few weeks ago, I got to visit the newly opened Yentafo Kruengsonge  at Cathay Cineleisure in Orchard. I got a bit disoriented trying to locate the restaurant as it apparently took the place of Shokudo at the 2nd level of the cinema building. Yentafo Kruengsonge  is actually a very popular noodle house in Bangkok that specializes in yen ta fo noodle bowls which is a Thai noodle dish filled

"'Tis the season for lots of feasting... fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" Recently, I came across an article that showed how different people all over the world celebrate the holiday season and what food items are the ones that take the forefront during this time of the year. In the Philippines, out comes the glorious Lechon (roast pork) and the buttery Bibingka (rice cakes) and Puto Bumbong (Yam Rice Cakes). Did you know that KFC Fried Chicken is a Christmas staple in Japan? Here in Singapore, it's the perfect time to feast on all types of roast meats from big, juicy Turkey meat, mouthwatering Roast Pork and that to-die-for succulent piece of steak. In addition to that, there are all types of log cakes and dessert creations to have that perfect sweet ending to every holiday meal. Here are some of the yummiest log cakes to order this year: 1) Exotic Christmas Log Cake  from Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa  (S$60 / S$75) Selecting flavors that marry th

It's no secret how much I love chips and savory snacks. It's that one thing that I don't think I can ever say no to...ever. Between chocolates or chips, I'd choose munching on a bag of chips to cheer me up or to at least calm my nerves on a stressful day. Well, I also love munching on chips after a meal or while doing our Netflix marathon at home. When I got hold of this pretty black bag of Eat my Spuds   White Truffle Chips  (Php. 325) from my good friend D a few weeks ago, I was so excited to open it up and munch away! Sadly, I was down with a three-week-long cough so I had to patiently wait for that awful virus to go away and as soon as I was done with my antibiotics, the first thing I did was to open the bag of chips. Haha! Call it a reward for all that uncontrollable coughing for 21 days straight. The first thing I notice was how thin the potato chips were! I love thinly sliced potato chips and in my opinion, it gives a really premium bite to it. Somehow it

If there's one thing that I dread experiencing whenever I'm back in Manila then that would have to be the crazy traffic jam! It must be the never-ending road works or the growing number of cars on the road but the traffic condition continues to worsen year after year. Take our recent trip for example. We were very lucky that our  Philippine Airlines  flight arrived earlier than scheduled giving us more time to quickly see our family and head to San Juan for dinner. We got to NAIA 2 at 6pm and believe it or not, we reached San Juan at 830pm. That's 2 and half hours on the road with Waze giving us various routes to help us get home as quickly as possible. Oh my goodness! Papa, Pan and E were at home waiting for us and after we quickly dropped off our luggages, we headed to the nearest restaurant for our late dinner. I suggested Hai Chix & Steaks  as it has been on my list for the past months. I wasn't sure if it was any good but I guess, we'll never know if

I know the traditional romantic will probably strangle me for saying this but falling in love with food is pretty much like falling in love with that special someone. It's that moment when you had an amazing meal and you can't stop thinking about it. You find yourself talking about it to anyone who'll listen and you can't wait for the next visit to finally happen. A few weeks ago, I just had one of the best meals of 2016. That's quite a bold statement, I know given that the year is coming to a close. Add to the fact that I was down with a bad 3-week-long cough, I clearly wasn't in the best physical condition but wanting to check the restaurant out, I still pushed through and luckily, every single dish made the tiny struggle so worth it. Basil Thai Kitchen  opened it's flagship outlet at the basement of Paragon Shopping Centre. I have to admit that while I've visited this mall a number of times, it was my first time to explore the basement and boy I

There's really something so calming about watching the sunset by the beach. It could be the relaxing sound of the waves crashing into the shore or feeling the sand on your feet or just watching the sky turn from blue to golden yellow to orange to pitch dark. It's just so magical. Growing up in a country that's pretty much surrounded by huge bodies of water, I've learned to love the beach life. It's that one thing that Paul and I would make it a point to do at least once a year. For us, heading out to the beach means taking a break from work, from city life and just allowing ourselves to relax. Sadly, it has been years since we've had our annual beach getaway but as they say... "you can take the girl out of the beach but you can't take the beach out of the girl." The sun, sand and sea will always find me and here in Singapore, I found it in Sentosa. For the past two weekends, Paul and I has been heading over to Sentosa to catch the sunset an

Rise and Shine! Let me start your mid-week by talking about a new all-day breakfast nook that my friend (and kumare) S and I recently discovered during my last visit back in Manila. As I've mentioned before, our schedules every time we're back home is always so packed so I normally would meet up with friends for brunch, tea time or after dinner milk tea sessions. I haven't hanged out with my dear friend S for so long and I was so happy that we finally found a common free schedule to do so. Since we live quite near to each other, it was easy choosing a place to meet. She suggested Eggspresso  along J. Abad Santos and I excitedly said yes as I've been hearing about this place from my friend T. As the name suggests, this restaurant specializes in all things with eggs. I believe that eggs and cheese are the two things that you can never go wrong with. These two can make what could be a simple ho-hum dish into one that's so delicious. The restaurant was very new wh

Call me hipster but I really enjoy dining at cafes and eating healthy cafe food. There's really something about getting the feeling of being satisfied minus the guilt and nagging thought that your heart is getting clogged up by fats or your blood is filled with sugar. I'm never a fan of most veggies and believe me, for a food blogger, I have been a very picky eater ( just like my friend Richie, hello there! ) but age and reality is fast catching up and I know I have to get my act together by eating healthy if I want to live a better, longer life. First came Ninja Bowl at Duxton Hill where I fell so in love with their interesting lunch bowls which can be filled with veggies or healthy grains and combined with the best proteins. A year or so after, came Ninja Cut  along Seah Street which promises to offer choice cuts and all-day brunch items very similar to its sister restaurant. I love how the same operating group decided to open this second outlet with a slightly different

If there's one thing that I missed the most about our Japan trip. It would definitely be the FOOD. The fact that every single meal just leaves us so happy and satisfied. There was definitely no bad meal in Japan and even something as simple as the rice is worth swooning about. During one of those nights strolling along Paul's favorite district -- Akihabara, we chanced upon a small restaurant that's packed to the brim. Well, okay it's a really small restaurant but every single seat was taken by Japanese office men busy eating what looks like a mountain of rice covered in Japanese curry. Ooh lala! We both love Japanese curry and so we patiently queued up. Luckily, turn over was so quick that in less than 10 minutes, we found ourselves comfortably seated at the far end of the restaurant while watching the chefs prepare our food. There's really something about Japanese curry that's so comforting and addicting. The mild spicy note, the totally umami flavor prof

Who can relate to this? "You have to work late at night and with barely enough cash in your wallet, you wander around your office area looking for something to eat. Not in the mood for fast food as you just want something more comforting, a bit more healthy yet quick to consume and one that won't hurt your budget. Where do you go?"  I can probably say that just like you and me, 80% would probably head to the convenience store. It has a wide array for food and snack options and you can definitely get hot dishes that doesn't necessarily mean having to ingest deep-fried food. Personally, 7-Eleven has been my go to place ever since I started working here in Singapore. It's where I can find good and reasonably priced siu mai, a delicious bar of Magnum (where I don't have to buy the entire box if the craving strikes) or the place where we bought our first ever SIM card upon landing in the Lion City. It has basically everything and almost everything that you&#

"People who love to eat are always the best people."  - Julia Child I totally agree with this quote as come on, eating is such a joyous occasion and people who love to gather around for a good meal are naturally joyful and happy, don't you think? Take my food-loving friends for instance, there's never a sad or dull moment with them as we all enjoy discovering a new restaurant or when we do get to discover a winning dish, we all share that same amount of excitement and thrill over it. Our friend D is one of those people whom we just love hanging out with. Often times, I would tell him that he's such as a nice and down-to-earth guy. He's always true to himself even when that means having the appetite to order almost everything on the menu and not being ashamed to do so. Of course, Paul and I will always support this "dreams" and we would be game to pig out with him too! Kidding aside, we're really blessed to have a friend like D and how cool is

No matter how short or long our stay in Manila is, what we loved the most are those times that we would spent with our families. I'd say, we're really improving in terms of scheduling our meet-ups as we get to allot more to family and our ever understanding friends would willingly take the brunch or tea time slots. During our recent visit home, we blocked off our Sunday lunch to go out for a nice meal with my in laws. It was also this time when Paul and Achi Jen decided to co-celebrate their belated birthdays similar to how they used to do in the past since their birthdays are two days apart. Achi Jen took care of making the reservations upon my request to try Tomo Japanese Dining  in Araullo Street. It's really a good thing that she made a reservation as the whole place was fully booked that day. We even bumped into our former flatmate C and his family there! My MIL has been there a couple of times so she knows what are the must-orders. Here are some of the dishes that

Chef Lee Hoong Wan of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway did it again!  Remember that time when I got to taste his delicious Laksa Fried Rice  and promised to myself that I need to visit Hotel Jen Orchardgateway to have more? Well, I kept my promise and so, to celebrate our 13th year anniversary as a couple, Paul and I agreed to have our dinner date at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway's restaurant Makan@Jen . Call it perfect timing but the restaurant was holding a two month long Ultimate Prawn Party  and we couldn't be happier as we love seafood and crustaceans the most. Oh, I can feel my mouth water by just thinking about it. From the 3rd of October till the 1st of December , patrons of Makan@Jen can indulge in a wide array of prawn-filled dishes from the mouthwatering Salted Egg Prawns to the very comforting Prawn Noodle Soup and more. Mind you, I'm not talking about your average prawns that you get to see in the market everyday. These are specially imported prawns such as the Tha

Outback Steakhouse  has been a household name since the early 90s. If anything, there are three things that I remembered clearly about Outback  -- yummy (and complimentary) brown bread with butter, the best onion rings and really good steak. I remember visiting their Glorietta branch with my family quite often as Papa is a certified steak fan. Outback  opened pretty much around the same time as TGI Friday's , Italiannis  and Tony Roma's  in Manila. This was when US-branded restaurants serving huge sharing portions became the trend. Not only is it a family-friendly place but given its huge sharing portions at reasonable prices, it was also a good choice among high schoolers and college students too. It has been years since I've dined at Outback Steakhouse  so I was really excited when I got an invite to visit the one here in Singapore. It may be confusing to think that Outback Steakhouse  is from Australia. Actually it's from the US serving Aussie-inspired dishes. I

Rise & Shine ! What do you normally have for breakfast? For me, it's normally bread, instant oatmeal, yogurt or my favorite Chicken Pau from the hawker stall across my office building. For someone who just loves traditional Filipino breakfast that normally consists of garlic rice, egg and a meat variant, I've somehow learned to go easy on my breakfast choices simply because I barely have time to cook a lot every morning. Well...except on Sundays. I know this may sound weird but Sunday is actually my favorite day of the week. Ignore the fact that it's the day closest to Monday but it's actually the only day in the week when Paul and I have no work and this means we can sleep till much later and relax all day. So, whenever I feel like cooking something new or experimenting on a new recipe, I'd schedule to do this on Sundays.

So how does it feel to be a "tourist in your own country?" I never thought the time would come when Paul and I actually would feel that way. I guess it's pretty inevitable given that we've been away from Manila for more than 3 years and we only get to fly home at an average once every quarter and during those visits, we would only stay for a week or even less. For a country that's fast developing ( I hope ) and there are just a lot of new retail outlets and restaurants opening left and right, we recently found ourselves lost while navigating around... Bonifacio Global City  -- a place that we used to frequent more than once a week many years ago. Believe it or not, I even had to call my sister to help us find our way out to C5. Unbelievable. Anyway, before our little "lost in BGC" moment, Paul and I had a wonderful quadruple dinner date at the newly opened Salvatore Cuomo  with our long-time friends. I was so excited when A suggested that we try Sa

"건배!" This means "cheers" in Korean and truth to be told, it's one of those words that I rarely get to say as I don't really go drinking very often. Perhaps "맛있는", which means "delicious", would definitely be one that I'd say on a daily basis. For some reason though, when I received an invite to visit Joo Bar  for dinner (and drinks), I was really excited to go check it out. First of all, I've never been to a Korean bar not unless you'd consider those in Myeongdong that serves Korean Fried Chicken and beer then yes, I love going to those! Secondly, together with the drinks I'm pretty sure the food will be interesting to try too. Thirdly, it's just in Bugis which is one of my favorite shopping and eating districts in Singapore. However, finding the restaurant can be quite a challenge. My tip is to take the road across Bugis Junction  and walk all the way towards  Marrison Hotel . Before reaching the corner, kee

Question: Where you can find the best restaurants / hawker stall / food kiosks here in Singapore? The answer? Just follow the queue! I heard this tip a long time ago and thought that friends and colleagues were probably joking. Let me tell you that this is one thing you have to believe and take seriously as we speak the truth. The simplest way to know where to eat is to go for the stall with the longest queue. I got to admit though that the Pinoy in me hates queuing up and while I will never jump or cut queues, I have the tendency to go for the ones with the shorter line or even those with none at all. We gotta support them too, right? I'd like to think that there can never be a bad meal here in Singapore. With hawker stalls lasting for decades and restaurants opening one after the other, the food industry here is definitely alive and kicking.  So, on those rare occassions that I found myself with a couple of hours to spare, I found Tai Cheong Bakery  at the basement

The cold weather is really making me crave for soup, congee, noodles.. basically anything that's hot and comforting to match the rainy day. Unlike Paul, I'm not really a big soup fan but if I were to have soup, I would rather have it steamboat-style. I really enjoy being able to cook my own meal and filling my soup with the ingredients of my choice. Luckily, Singapore has a lot of steamboat options. From the traditional Chinese steamboat to the interesting Thai Mookata, then there's  GoroGoro  which specializes in Steamboat and Korean Buffet all in one. What sets GoroGoro  apart is that they have not one, not two but seven different soup bases which you can choose from! There's ginseng chicken, collagen, mala, tom yum, tomato, bah kut teh  and vegetarian . Normally, steamboat restaurants would allow you to choose two soup stocks but at GoroGoro you can have THREE different soup flavors to enjoy. After all, the more the merrier, right? 

It's no secret how much I love cheese . For me, it's that one thing that can never go wrong regardless of what type of dish you add it in. Cheese on crackers. Cheese with Pasta . Cheese on sweet Pichi Pichi . Cheese Sandwich. Even Cheese on my Milk Tea ! I'm totally crazy about cheese and most especially the soft cheese kind. Cheese is indeed a very versatile ingredient and recently, I attended a lunch affair where Chef Emmanuel Stroobant showed us four different dishes where he made use of cheese. Before that though, I got to try a mix of European cheeses with a very varied taste profile and history.

How often do you eat out? If you're like us who goes out every weekend, that would mean that we visit an average of 4 restaurants a week or 12 restaurants a month. Don't you wish that with every time you dine out, you get rewarded too? Well, Shangri-la Hotel and Resorts  heard our wish and they're finally making it come true. A month ago, I was invited to attend the media launch of The Table  -- a food and beverage loyalty program that's applicable across all Shangri-la Hotels in the region (or maybe in the world). What sets this loyalty program apart from all others is the fact that every member can earn points regardless if they dine at any F&B outlet in Shangri-la, Hotel Jen, Traders or Kerry Hotels in the world. That gives you so much flexibility especially if you're the type who loves to travel and eat. As you earn points, you can easily redeem rewards too without having to wait for any vouchers to be sent to you. This was one thing that I love as I'

Right after we've pretty much settled down into our 1st home here in Singapore, one of the first things I did was to create a list of restaurants to try based on reviews shared by local food bloggers and from recommendations given by our former flatmates. I'd say, living with foodies was really fun as we would talk about food and restaurant all day long and for all of us, that's perfectly normal. One of the cafes that was part of my initial list was Marmalade Pantry . Then with only one branch at ION Orchard, I made it a point to visit this during my first few months here as I heard that they got an impressive selection of cakes and brunch items. I'd say that the recommendation was spot on and it was indeed a good dining experience. Sadly, I wasn't able to go back as often given that we make a conscious effort to avoid Orchard Road especially during the weekends. Yes, it's the busiest district in Singapore and normally we just try to stay as far as from the c

What's your favorite meal in the day? For me, it just got to be dinner. Wanna know why? It's because dinner is the only meal wherein I consistently get to have with Paul. Breakfast is definitely out of the question as we're always rushing and busy in the morning as we get ready for work. Lunch, I only get to eat lunch with him during the weekends so... dinner is really when I look forward to enjoying a nice home-cooked meal (+dessert/fruits/after dinner snack) as we update one another about our busy work day. So, often times, I would have to make a mad dash home in order to prepare dinner since Paul normally ends work late. My goal is always to make sure that the food has to be on the table by the time he walks in the door. So given that I get off work 2 hours before he does but it takes me a couple of minutes to get home, this means I have more or less an hour to prep, chop, clean, cook and plate everything. Not to mention, I make it a point to clean as I go too. We&#

It has been 6 months since ... our amazing trip to Tokyo and boy do I miss eating Japanese food every day for a week and the whole  kawaii vibe. I have a feeling that Paul feels the same way too as he would still talk about our trip every now and then. Luckily, Singapore has a lot of good Japanese restaurants should we suddenly have the craving for ramen, gyoza, katsudon and more. Recently, we traveled all the way to Serangoon Gardens to check out Hajime Tonkatsu & Ramen , a new Japanese restaurant that's said to serve really good tonkatsu and  ramen. Was it really worth our trip? Let me tell you more about it below. Hajime Tonkatsu & Ramen  is a casual eatery that promises to serve you authentic Japanese dishes at really reasonable price. Let's face it, Japanese food is really delicious but eating it repeatedly can definitely cause a dent on your budget. That wouldn't be the case at Hajime  as I was surprised to see that most of the dishes are below S$20

Matcha (抹茶) is green tea in fine powder form. It's a very popular tea blend in Japan and today, it has evolved from being in your cup of tea to all sorts of desserts and even in noodles and savory items. I just love the earthy, rich flavor of matcha most especially when I have it in it's pure form. No milk, no ice cream, just pure matcha and hot water. A couple of months ago, Matchaya opened its first ever stall in Icon Village which is just right next door from my workplace. It took me a while to really go and try as I normally just eat in our pantry and I rarely go out for dessert or coffee. It was when I went out for lunch with my friend S that we agreed to head to Matchaya  for dessert. Matchaya  is a homegrown Singaporean brand that specializes in all things matcha. They're very famous for their Matcha Milk and recently, we're all going crazy with their matcha toast and soft-served ice cream. Just keep the matcha coming, pretty please!

Time surely flies when you're having fun and if you're extremely busy too. Look at that, I just realized that September is over and October has just quickly rolled in. This just means that, in a few weeks, Paul and I will be celebrating our 13th year as a couple! If you put things into perspective, 13 years is pretty much how long a student (at least in the Philippines) takes to finish his elementary and secondary studies. Why is it that 13 years seemed like forever when I was still studying and it has just zoomed so fast when it comes to me being in a relationship with Paul? OMG. Anyways, I have been mentioning on and off here how terrible my backlog is and today I'm going to prove just that. Let me talk about that amazing romantic dinner that Paul and I had... last year . I'm really sorry! I can't believe it took me close to 365 days to tell you all about it. For something this good, I should have went straight to writing about it. Anyway, we were so lucky to

Let me ask you all a question: "What were you doing when you were 25?"  For me, I was working for the Green Siren, organizing events and thinking of creative local store activities for each occasion and promotion. I was 25 when Frannywanny.com was born. That was probably the best thing that ever happened to me that year. Anyway, here in Singapore, two 25 year old guys have traveled around the world and have just opened their first ever restaurant. Thus, First 25 Cafe  was born. Now, what do you say about that?! :) 

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

It has been raining on and off for the past few days bringing down Singapore's temperature and making it feel cool and breezy for a change. If you ask me, days like these is the perfect time to just snuggle in bed and stay indoors all day long. It's also the time when I would crave mostly for a bowl of congee or soup. Luckily, there are a lot of options when it comes to satisfying our craving for soups and congee. A few months ago, Paul and I visited the first ever outlet of Souper Tang  here in Singapore. Souper Tang (汤师父) originated in Malaysia where it has a total of 18 outlets scattered in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Ipoh and Johor Bahru. Apparently, Souper Tang originated as a TCM medical hall where the owners would sell herbal medicines for all types of illnesses. Then the lady owner would cook put together soup packs which she would give out as gifts to friends. Later on, it got so popular and people would request that she would sell her soups. This was when Souper Tang

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." My fitness journey is pretty much a long-running one. I began working out at the age of 14 when my parents decided that I can't be that big, chubby kid who lives an incredibly sedentary lifestyle. Back then I was weighing close to 160lbs and that's considered obese for a 14-year-old. With daily swimming classes over the summer break and daily gym workout, I entered my junior year in high school at 145lbs. Not exactly skinny but the shape of my face has transformed from what used to be a perfect circle into one that thankfully has a more defined jaw line. This was also the time that I got into the habit of going to the gym and eventually frequenting the classes, trying out new routines every so often and making new friends too. Would you believe that once upon a time, I used to train for weightlifting and I used to be a regular Body Jam student too? I'd say that from that point on up until

Let's face it. Carbs is awesome. Yes, too much carbs can increase your blood sugar level, make you gain weight and a lot more negative health effects but if you look at the positive side, we can't totally do away without carbs because this is where we get our energy to go about our routine and tasks every single day. So, it's not really a matter of saying no to carbs but it's about being wise and choosing the right carbs and taking in just the right amount too. So enough about my health and fitness talk and let me talk about FOOD. When it comes to carbs, it's no secret how much I love rice. It may be a psychological thing but I always have to have rice especially during lunch time. More so when I know that I'll be working out later in the day then I need rice to keep me going. Sometimes I would try to eat healthy and go with a bowl of salad or a thin piece of sandwich but who am I kidding, right? I know that I will end up snacking after 3 hours. So, when Pau

In a country where restaurants and cafes have been opening left and right, you could say that the competition to survive in this little food mecca is really tough. As fast as they open, we've already bid good bye to quite a lot over the past 3+ years that Paul and I have been here.  It's quite heartbreaking, if you ask me, especially for those that we've grown to love and patronize for the short time that they were around. That said, I really have the highest respect for restaurants that have withstand not only the test of time but in and outgoing trends and people's ever-changing minds as well. Take for example Harry's  which is currently celebrating their 24th anniversary here in Singapore. I guess, one of their secret is their willingness to innovate and to keep up with time. A year ago, they started to renovate their outlets doing away with the dark, very masculine-feel bar to a more trendy, travel-themed resto-bar that caters not only the men but to women an

In Manila, when you ask people where you can find the best baked salmon, chances are they'll point you to just one place -- Conti's . There's really something about Conti's Baked Salmon that has made us fall so deeply in love with it. This was also my Ama's favorite and we made it a point to order this whenever she would come over for lunch or dinner. So, what happens when I suddenly have the craving for Conti's Baked Salmon and I won't be home in the next 3-4 months to enjoy it? I learned how to recreate it! Thanks to my friends N and T for sharing this recipe with me. I first prepared this for my friends who came over to celebrate my birthday last June and once again for my uncles when Aku was in town in July. It has been a hit every single time that it has become one of my favorite dishes to prepare. Add to the fact that it's really easy to do! Here's what you'll need:  3 salmon fillet (de-boned) 1 lemon 1 cup cream cheese 8 tbsp may

Oh wow! 9 years. That's equivalent to 3,285 days or 78,840 hours. Looking forward, I'm actually a year away from celebrating a decade of non-stop food blogging, eating and cooking. To be honest, it really doesn't feel like it has been 9 years. I guess, time flies when you're doing what you love. So what's in store for Frannywanny.com for the next 365 days? Definitely more eating, cooking and food blogging. I'll be having a big giveaway soon so please stay tuned for that. Also, I have a ton of food and travel stories to tell and my only blogniversary wish is to finally start "unclogging" my years worth of blog backlogs. As with any blog anniversary, I dedicate this day to you. Yes, YOU. The one reading this entry right now. I once told my friend that to be honest, I can't believe that someone is reading my blog. I started blogging back in 2007 thinking that I'm just talking to myself or at the very least to Paul and to my sister who have

"I lost my iPhone."  I never thought the day would come that I had to say those 4 words and boy, does it suck to say it repeatedly to almost everyone I came across with. From Paul and my family, to my colleagues, to my clients, to the EZ Link Customer Service Guy, to the Uber driver and even to my telco service provider. Every single time I have to recount what happened and it was indeed heartbreaking. So my Tuesday began quite well. I woke up at the usual time to prepare Paul's packed lunch and to get ready for work. Not wanting to be late, I remembered that Uber Singapore was running at 50% off promotion all week so I thought to myself, "Why not?!" The driver, Mr Tai Kwang Yap  was a very nice, pleasant man who drove a pretty Honda Vezel which was a two-door sports car-like vehicle. Normally, I would sit at the back but since I was the only passenger and it was such a hassle to ask the driver to pull the front seat down just so I can sit behind, I just