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Showing posts from 2017

What's Inside : Starbucks Planner 2018

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Well, hello there! Missed me? This was definitely the longest break that I've took since this blog was created 10 years ago. Well, I got a good excuse reason. The day after my previous blog entry was posted, I gave birth to my adorable twins J and L. What happened after that were days filled with non-stop feeding, burping, diaper changes, sleepless nights, random playtime and more. It has been 60+ days since and I'd say, we've pretty much mastered the art of not-sleeping-at-night-or-ever. Haha! Kidding aside, I'm so in love with my twins and while never in my wildest dreams would I thought that I can change diapers in 3 minutes or less as well as turn into a human milking cow, my dream of being a Mommy has finally became a reality and I'm just so so so happy. I have yet to share with you the highlights of my year but I guess you all know what will sit on top of my list. 2018 is looking very bright for our family and I really can't wait to see what's in

Souv! by Cyma at Net Park, Bonifacio Global City

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Opa! There are a number of restaurants in Manila that I love for their consistent quality in taste and service. Cibo of Chef Margarita Fores is one and the other is definitely Chef Robby Goco's Cyma . In fact, I wouldn't limit this to only these two restaurants but will consider all the chain of restaurants under their hats. Somehow, both chefs never fail to come out with impressive restaurants that has been making us go back to over and over again. I think one factor is how hands-on they've been on their businesses. Take Chef Robby Goco for example, I've seen him countless of times in Cyma , Green  Pastures , Charlie's Burger , even his Mexican restaurant a couple of years back called Ristras and just recently, we met again at Souv! -- his newest business venture. While Cyma is clearly a household name here in the Philippines as it is probably the first restaurant to introduce Greek cuisine to the local market, Souv! is it's hip, younger brother that

Franny Mommy : My First Letter to My Twins

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Dearest L and J,  In exactly a week's time, we will finally meet for the first time. That said, I thought of writing you both the first of the many letters that you will be receiving from me. Our journey together started around early March and it has been filled with a lot of excitement with a mix of paranoia as I simply just wanted to do everything right for the two of you. Your Dad is a tougher cookie but I know how paranoid he gets too as he would check on your heartbeats and patiently monitors your kicks every single night.  Often times, I try to imagine what will be the feeling of seeing you both for the first time. Will I cry? Will I laugh? I'm not really sure as I'll partially be drugged with anesthesia too but one thing is for sure -- my heart is  filled with so much gratitude. It's exactly the feeling of finally getting that one thing that you've been wishing, hoping and praying for the longest time.  We have grown to be so close through all these mon

Annyeonghaseyo! Sibyullee at Ayala Malls The 30th

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Next to Chinese and Japanese cuisines, my family also has a growing fondness for Korean food. For instance, we all love adding kimchi to our barbecued meats, the wide array of banchan never fails to excite us and pajeon, bibimbap and galbi jim will always be part of our order line-up. So, when I heard that a new Korean restaurant named Sibyullee recently opened at the relatively new Ayala Malls The 30th in Pasig, I took the opportunity to invite my parents out for lunch one day. It was all our first time to check out the mall and I got to say that I love the very relaxed, neighborhood vibe that it gives. The selection of restaurants and retail shops were quite impressive too not to mention that they even have a Rustans Supermarket available at the Ground Floor and a row of cinema at the top floor to complete the mix.

Franny Mommy : Guiltless Pleasures with Mustela

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Today's mood meter reading is screaming : HAPPY! Wanna know why? It's because my twins and I have finally reached our 35th week  mark and believe me, it was quite a challenge to get this far. With that, I believe  I deserve a platter of sushi right after my delivery in two weeks. (Paul, hope you're reading this!) Kidding aside, it has truly been a tough last trimester for me which also explains my frequent absence here on the blog and on social media too. As easy and smooth sailing my first two trimesters were, the 3rd trimester began with two hospital confinements, more medications, random hyperacidity attacks, a bad flu and recently, another hospital scare which could have led to the possibility of the twins arriving earlier than scheduled. Thankfully and I would like to think that we're all past those and I am hoping that I can enjoy the last two weeks of my pregnancy with less stress and with greater anticipation. Truly, this could have been my body's way of r

Shiok Shiok Singapore Food at N. Roxas, Quezon City

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shiok [adj.] : Singlish word used to describe a dish that's satisfying, good or delicious. While the Philippines is literally a foodie melting pot with a wide array of restaurants specializing in all sorts of cuisines from all over the world, Paul and I can't help but notice that there seems to be a shortage of Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants around. It's quite mind boggling though given the number of locals who travel to these two countries on a regular basis plus the huge population of Filipinos residing there too. If you ask me, Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine has a very close taste profile as our local Filipino cuisine perhaps with just more heat and the use of a lot more spices. So imagine how happy I was when we recently discovered Shiok Shiok Singapore Food along Nicanor Roxas street in Quezon City. Coincidentally, we dined there on the 9th of August, Singapore's National Day. What a great way to celebrate our second home's special day. Together with

#FrannyCooks : Shrimp Fettuccine Puttanesca with Doña Elena Pasta #LovePasta

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There's nothing that excites me more than a challenge... a foodie challenge, that is. When the folks over at Doña Elena asked me if I'm game to prepare a special pasta dish using their products, this got me so excited that I said yes. Luckily, the package came ahead of my twins' grand debut so I still have time to work in the kitchen before I start dealing with milk and dirty diapers. I'm quite familiar with Doña Elena's product line-up as I used to buy their Spanish sardines, pasta noodles and olive oil among many others. I didn't know that they actually have their own pesto sauce and whole tomatoes too. Looking at my Doña Elena's loot, I was inspired to take the tomato-based route and prepare my version of Shrimp Fettuccine Puttanesca .

Aruga Cafe by Mesclun : New Home, Same Amazing Flavors

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I'll never forget having one of the best meals in Manila right before relocating to Singapore some four years ago. It was at Mesclun Cafe at Linden Suites where I fell deeply in love with Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara's Ulang Thermidor and Sisig Spaghetti . In fact, I've been a fan of Chef Katrina's cooking from her Cuillere days followed by her amazing sandwiches at Chuck's Deli . Everything that comes out from her kitchen never fails to leave me in such a dreamy, happy state. So, when I got an invite to visit Aruga Cafe by Mesclun at the Rockwell Center, I made sure not to miss it! This time, Chef Katrina and her team leads the full operation of the hotel's in-house F&B establishment and she has prepared a varied menu for breakfast and for lunch and dinner too. Dining here should definitely be part of the to-do list of all hotel guests. It would definitely be a waste to not dine here and enjoy Chef Katrina's mouthwatering dishes. Our lunch be

The Return of the McSpicy at McDonald's Philippines

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Back when I was still living in the Lion City, I remember looking forward to planned lunch outs with my colleagues D and I. These two ladies are truly the best food buddies as they're always so game to try anything and just about everything. Be it going back to our favorite Fried Chicken Biryani restaurant or heading all the way to Orchard for a good Indonesian lunch feast, there's never a dull lunch moment with them. McDonald's is also one of our shared favorite fast food not only for their breakfast items but for their promotional products too. However, as I start to reminisce about our love for McDonald's in Singapore, I will always remember I's great love for McSpicy (or anything insanely spicy for that matter). While my spicy tolerance is pretty much as good as being able to enjoy a saucer of green chili with my daily mixed veg platter, my colleague I can really go all out with an already spicy ramen bowl with more chili or her ever favorite, McDonald'

Snack Time : Salted Cheese Yakigashi by Kumori Philippines #BiteIntoClouds

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Isn't it amazing how taste can evoke a myriad of emotions? Just like in the movie Ratatouille where one single bite can bring back a lot of memories for a particular person. No matter how far back that memory may have been, there are just moments when one familiar taste can take us back to a certain point in our lives where we have tasted the same thing and together comes a good story to be told. For instance, Paul and I remember growing up enjoying a particular refrigerator pound cake which we would have as an afternoon snack. While we didn't grew up together, it's funny how we have a lot of similar childhood memories most especially when it comes to food. Somehow, it's like we have been living parallel lives from the very beginning. So, when we got this beautiful box from Kumori Philippines , we were so excited to give it a try! One thing that I love about anything Japanese is how they make everything soooo pretty! Look at the box down to the actual product, it

All-Day Dining at Misto, Seda Nuvali

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One thing that we love about staying at Seda Nuvali is it's proximity to a wide variety of food and retail establishments. You can literally walk over to Solenad or if walking is not your thing, it's literally a quick 2-3 minute drive. However, if you'd like to just stay in the hotel and enjoy a full R&R weekend, then you surely won't go hungry as they got Misto at the ground floor. Misto is Seda's in-house F&B outlet and it's actually not unique only to Seda Nuvali. You can see Misto across several Seda hotels all over the country. To try Misto  out, we decided to have breakfast, lunch and dinner there during our staycation weekend. Right after checking-in and resting at our room, Paul and I headed down to Misto  for lunch. They're having an on-going Bento Box promotion . It's actually a dinner promotion but we were so lucky to be given the chance to try it out at lunch. Before we got to our main dish though, Paul also got to try the

Staycation Files : Seda Hotel Nuvali, Laguna

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One thing that I love about living in the Philippines is how you have a lot of places to go to should you just want to take a quick breather away from the city. Take Metro Manila for example, you can either go North or South. For my family, we've always preferred the South and we would make the most of almost every 3 day weekend to head to our favorite weekend spot in Tagaytay. For the past decade though, we have noticed how Sta Rosa, Laguna particularly Nuvali has fast been developing. It started with several residential villages followed by three commercial establishments by the Ayala Group and recently, there's Seda Hotel , which is operated by the same group. In addition to that, they've also developed an ecozone where sports fanatic would head to for some wake-boarding action or if they just want to go boating.

Frannywanny.com turns 10!

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9 September 2007. I still remembered that afternoon so vividly. It was after chatting with my friend S who has been convincing me to go back to blogging after I hid my personal blog and moved to Multiply.com. She told me that it's such a waste that my food reviews can only be seen by a handful of people (friends who are connected with me in Multiply) instead of opening it up to the whole wide world to see. She sure had some amazing convincing skills as I gave it some thought and there I was signing up for a new blog. First step -- think of a blog name. Oh great! I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't want anything too dramatic or emo. All I know,is that I want a blog where I can share my food adventures with Paul. No grand plan whatsoever. With the cursor blinking away, I typed my name "Fran..." then thought of just being cutesy-slash-funny " Frannywanny ".  There you go. That was exactly how this blog name was born. I even got a tagline! For those wh

Franny Mommy : Go on with GOO.N Diapers

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Week 30. Today, my babies and I have officially hit the 30th mark and not long from now, I will soon be meeting them in person. I. Can't. Wait.! For now though, I just pray that they'll hang in there as long as they can in order for them to grow even more. As we await the arrival of our twins, we've already started shopping for their basic necessities and it's just so funny to watch sales people asking us how come we're buying everything in twos. I'll never forget the day when Paul began hoarding pink and blue bottles and the sales lady couldn't help but ask me if we're expecting a girl or boy. Haha! I got to admit though that as the BIG day comes nearer, there are nights when I'd feel extra anxious as hundreds of questions would run through my mind. Will I be a good Mommy? How will I take care of twins? Will they keep me up all day and night? Where should I start? I just try not to let all the anxiety consume me or I might go nuts. Admittedly

What's for Dinner PH : Home Food Delivery

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Here's the sad reality -- good help is hard to find here in Manila. Unlike probably 10 years ago when most of us would have the privilege to have long-staying helpers who would take our worries about running the household away. Today, I've been hearing friends and family constantly asking around for recommendations for helpers and more often than not, we're always faced with the dilemma of helpers staying for a few months and leaving right away. Given that, most smaller families would resort to not having helpers anymore. So how do we deal with preparing for our meals on a daily basis? Since I got back from the Lion City, my parents (who are down to just one helper), have been ordering food on a daily basis. We call it "tiap tsai"  in Hokkien which, if I'm not mistaken, means food subscription in English. Apparently, there's a growing number of companies and individuals running this tiap tsai  business and What's for Dinner  is one of those. The dr

Cipriano Sans Rival : 50 years of Cake Perfection

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Not so long ago, I received a message from my former colleague K asking me if I'm game to try her Lolo (grandfather)'s sans rival. Of course, I don't say no to cake more so when it's sans rival! This is probably one of my favorite cakes as I just love anything nutty, nougat-y and the butter frosting totally beats regular cream frostings any day. What I just recently learned though is that this particular sans rival has a story that dates back to 50 years ago. Cipriano Sans Rival  (Php. 850) is the recipe of K's grandfather and it's the kind that has been perfected over time. This is definitely not the mass-produced kind. Instead, K's grandfather has been making his sans rival for most of their family gatherings. Each layer carefully crafted, the frosting with its intricate fork design and that generous amount of nuts sprinkled on top to cover any flaws and at the same time works double time to complete your sans rival experience. Today, my friend K has p

Missing Crystal Jade Prestige at MBFC, Singapore

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Oh wow! It's been close to 3 months since we bid goodbye to the Lion City! Time flies so fast...when you're busy! With that, I think I should write about one of the things that I miss the most about Singapore. Crystal Jade . I know that this is pretty much a household name when it comes to Chinese dining with close to 20 outlets all over Singapore and even more overseas. I've had my first taste of Crystal Jade right here in Manila when my friend T brought me there to have her favorite Dan Dan La Mian . I was never a fan of spicy food but it was only Crystal Jade's version that I find to be really yummy. However, it was when I went to Singapore that I learned more about the brand. Did you know that Crystal Jade has several concepts under its wing? Let's see if I still remember them... there are the fine-dining ones such as Crystal Jade Prestige at MBFC, Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant which is like the flagship outlet in Takashimaya and Crystal Jade Golden Pa

#FrannyCooks with Grande Rice Bran Oil : Creamy Prawn Pesto with Organic Garlic Parsley Pasta

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One thing that I miss the most about living in Singapore is the chance to cook on a regular basis. Somehow, I never considered cooking a chore as it's something that I look forward to doing most especially when I get to try a new recipe or experiment with whatever ingredients we have in the fridge. With all my kitchen utensils, pots and ingredients finally back from Singapore, I took the opportunity to do some cooking for the family. Recently also, I was invited to check out Grande Rice Bran Oil  which is new in the market. I still remembered the first time Paul and I had to shop for our cooking oil and we were totally overwhelmed by all the varieties available. From the more popular olive oil to the more mass produced vegetable oil, I seriously had to whipped out my phone right at the middle of the grocery aisle to check which one is the healthier variant before making our choice. After all, there's no early age to be health-conscious after all most especially when we se

Touch of Class : Marco Polo Ortigas' Continental Club Lounge

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During our amazing Anniversary weekend staycation at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila , Paul and I were lucky to be upgraded to a Superior Suite which allowed us to have access to their Continental Club Lounge . This really made us so happy as we both love hanging out at the lounge most especially during cocktail hour! The Continental Club Lounge is located at the 44th floor of the hotel which gives you an unobstructed view of the city. I just love sitting by the window while enjoying our drinks and snacks. The Ortigas skyline, after all, is very beautiful. The lounge itself is very spacious with ample areas for one to hold meetings or to have quiet discussions. Dress code is strictly observed here as with any hotel lounges. We also love how attentive the staff are here as they would willingly ask if you need a refill of your drinks, if you'd like some coffee or tea or when I was looking for a bowl of nuts, they quickly served some to us.

Starting the day right at Cucina, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

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Rise and Shine, Manila!  Breakfast has always been my favorite meal especially when I'm on a vacation. Lately though, I would always find myself up and about at 6am with a growling tummy. I guess, I got two hungry babies calling my attention so early in the morning! Luckily though, Cucina starts their breakfast service really early too and so I joined a handful of hotel guests a little past 6am on a Sunday morning. I've always been a fan of Cucina 's as I love the well-curated dishes available in their buffet spread. Their breakfast offering didn't fail to impress as well. Let me take you on a quick tour around the breakfast buffet line: Start off with something healthy in the morning! They have a good variety of muesli, yogurt and oatmeal for you to choose from.

Back at Lung Hin, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

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It's been a while since our last visit to Lung Hin but I can still vividly remembered how delicious everything was and the ambiance also added to the over-all wonderful dining experience that we had. It just made perfect sense to go back to Lung Hin during our anniversary weekend stay at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila . I know it's more customary to go for a nice romantic steak dinner to celebrate an anniversary but hey, who ever said you can't have Chinese food on a dinner date too? Our dinner began with our personal choice of soup. Spinach Seafood Soup  (Php. 330) for me and Hot and Sour Seafood Soup  (Php. 295) for Paul. We love starting our meal with a bowl of soup to warm our tummies and prepare it for the feast ahead. My Spinach Seafood Soup  was so packed with a lot of ingredients! Minced seafood, tofu and what I suspect could be egg white. It was so filling and yummy!

Afternoon Tea at the Connect Lounge, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

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It's no secret how much I love going for Afternoon Tea. There's something about unwinding while enjoying a selection of sweet and savory bite-sized pasties delicately displayed on  a tall multi-tier rack. Since Paul had work on Saturdays back when we were in Singapore, I'd spend those free time with my girl friends as we would try the different hotel high teas around the city. Since high tea is traditionally very British, I'm happy though that this practice is picking up pace here in the Philippines where the American influence is relatively strong. After checking in and settling in our room at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila , Paul and I headed back to the 24th floor where Connect Lounge is located. They have an ongoing high tea promotion for only Php. 788 per pair and we were excited to give it a try. Similar to all dining establishments in the hotel, Connect Lounge also boasts of an amazing view overlooking the Ortigas and Antipolo area. Within minutes, our three

Staycation Files : Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

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Every year, Paul and I would make it a point to celebrate our wedding anniversary. On some years we went out for a nice dinner date but more often than not, we'd take the weekend off for a nice R&R at a hotel of our choice. This year, we decided to check out Marco Polo Ortigas Manila  for one full weekend of non-stop eating and relaxation. After all, this will be the last wedding anniversary where it's just the two of us. Next year, we will be joined by our beautiful twins so looks like it will be a family getaway from then on. Marco Polo Ortigas Manila opened just a few years ago when we were already in Singapore making us even more excited to check this hotel out. Personally, I'm a fan of the Marco Polo group as my family and I used to frequent their hotel in Hong Kong many many years ago. One thing that I'll always remember about Marco Polo is its spacious room. The one in Hong Kong is also adjacent to one of our favorite malls -- Harbour City, making it so co

TWINter is Coming -- My Pregnancy Story

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24 Weeks. That's how long our little bundles of joy have been living inside my tummy and it also means we're pretty much thisclose to the finish line. I got to admit that it took me a while to really decide to share my story most especially about my pregnancy journey. As chatty I may be when it comes to food, I try to keep my personal life away from the limelight but I realized that I'm not alone in this world and there may be women...or couples out there who are going through what we went through so here I am extending my hand to tell you this early on that you will never be alone. As soon as we got married, Paul and I were told to wait for 2 years before having a baby due to feng shui reasons. We were perfectly fine with this despite the increasing number of questions being thrown our way by relatives and friends on why should we even wait. I was 27 then.. Paul was 28. That seemed like the right age to have a baby, right? Wrong. Looking back, I must say that yes,

Korean Food Festival at Marriott Cafe, Manila Marriott Hotel

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When it comes to hotel buffet restaurants, Marriott Cafe continues to stay at the top of our list ever since we first dined there back in 2010 . Since then, we've frequent Marriott Cafe to celebrate various milestones or whenever the craving for good buffet food hits. Even when we relocated to Singapore, I remembered dining at Marriott Cafe for our 5th Wedding Anniversary . I guess, one reason that makes us want to keep going back to Marriott Cafe is the good variety of dishes available all the time. Also, they always keep a conscious effort to keep on changing their menu making it so exciting to dine there every single time. Take this July for instance, it's all about greeting Annyeong-haseyo  as they're currently running a delicious Korean Food Festival  from the 11th of July up until the 31st.  Be ready to satisfy your oppa-tite (hehe sorry I can't help it!)  as they even flew in 4 Korean guests chefs so you can be assured that all the dishes offered ar

Hey Handsome at Bonifacio Global City

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I never thought I'd be missing Singaporean food this soon. Definitely not after close to two months of temporarily bidding goodbye to the Lion City. Well, apparently all it took was one bite of something so familiar to let all those wondering memories come rushing in. Talk about a "Ratatouille" moment . We were invited by our dear friend C to check out his newest restaurant called Hey Handsome . Such a cheeky name for quite a classy restaurant that's located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City but as with everything in the restaurant, the name comes with a story. Apparently, the name " Hey Handsome " was inspired by the what most hawkers would randomly call out to customers or perhaps in this case, what they've been calling the chef when he was in Singapore. I suddenly remembered this cleaning auntie that we used to have in the office who would refer to most of my male colleagues as "handsome boy", "ey boy boy" and the like. Non

#FrannyCooks : Baked Pesto Chicken by Magnolia Chicken

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*Sponsored Post* Finally, all our boxes from Singapore are now here in Manila and it means we have our precious kitchen utensils, pots and pans back with us as well as a lot more items that used to fill up our home in the Lion City. I'm so glad that most of our items except for one bottle of tomato sauce that burst in transit and our plastic dish rack which got brutally cracked all survived the sea travel. As we're finally at the tail end of unpacking out things, Paul and I are also back at the kitchen this time with a bigger audience -- my family. If you noticed, I've been cooking a lot of seafood and pasta dishes for the past years and aside from the fact that I am a huge seafood and pasta fan, these are also the two types of ingredients I am most comfortable with. I know though that in order to expand my cooking knowledge, I have to be brave enough to do more. With that, here's my first chicken dish as I recently received a couple of plump-looking frozen whole

The Choice: Stand up. Speak up. Be Heard.

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Fact : Taste is subjective. I've mentioned this multiple times before that what may be amazingly delicious for me may just be a-okay for you or vice versa. Nonetheless, I've always been so thankful that no matter what, you still value my thoughts on food and have been such sweet and kind readers to me for the past decade. Anyway, as we haven't been around Manila that much and I am in dire need to re-acquaint myself with the foodie scene thus I would need your help. Now on its 3rd year, The Choice  is an award system where it recognizes not a list of "the best of..." restaurants and establishments in the Metro but rather, it aims to give recognition to YOUR favorites. I've made my vote and I can't wait to hear your thoughts too! VOTE NOW!!! Voting period ends on Sunday, 23 July 2017 so please spare 10 minutes and let yourselves be heard. The winners will be announced on 5 August 2017 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia during the World

Celebrating National Fries Day with Potato Corner's Pizza Supreme

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"All FRIESSSSS!!!" Today is National Fries Day and our favorite local potato brand has recently launched a new flavor to add to their already mouthwatering line-up! Last week, Paul and I caught Spider-Man : Homecoming on its 2nd day of showing at the new Venice Grand Canal cinema. It was our first movie date after coming home from the Lion City and boy, were we so excited! After all, it has been months since we last went out to watch a movie as we both got so hooked with Netflix. We got to Venice Grand Canal really early prior to our screening time and allowing us to roam around the mall. As we got to the cinema area, we were greeted by this familiar sign. It's Potato Corner ! Apparently, some of the company-owned Potato Corner stalls have also partnered with Nacho Bimby which specializes in... nachos. Well, it makes a lot of sense to me. Fries and nachos, definitely the best cinema grub to have, don't you agree? I was so excited to have Potato Corner again a

Red, White and Blue, lots of Burgers for YOU at Flavors, Holiday Inn Makati

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The 4th of July marked the Independence Day of the United States of America and while they may be 8,222 miles away from the Philippines, I got to tell you that our American influence and heritage stays strong through all these years. For one thing, we have adapted the US English system, basketball is clearly our national sport and every Filipino just loves his or her burger, fries and hotdogs. So, it's no big surprise that we also do celebrate this fun occasion here in our island too. Personally, I love the 4th of July. This day just means allowing ourselves to enjoy all things American! I'll never forget the time when I was invited to visit the US Embassy here in Manila where we were treated to an amazing barbecue spread and we got to watch a beautiful fireworks display too. That was probably one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've had so far. Over at Flavors in Holiday Inn Makati , they are currently running a gastronomic all-American feast every weekend of

Paul & Fran : Seven - Eleven - Ten

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Here we are again celebrating another milestone in our lives. 7 years ago on this very same day, I officially (and legally) became Paul's wife. Funny thing was, the number seven seems to play a very important part in our lives. 7 years of dating before we got married and now, 7 years of being husband and wife before we are about to start a new chapter in our lives where we will soon be welcoming our very own babies. A lot of things can happen in the span of a year.. what more in 7 years? In the past 7 years, we've migrated to a new country and together we've adjusted to a new independent life. We both fell, picked each other up and moved on hand in hand. We've seen friends come and go. We've celebrated successes and triumphs. I can go on and on to tell you how our 7 years went but that would just be way too long for a blog post. A lot of things have changed. Aside from Paul's shrinking waistline (I love you Hunnie! hehe)  and my growing belly at the

Friuli Trattoria in Maginhawa Street

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Having been back in Manila for more than a month now and being able to discover not-so-new and new food places in the Metro, I somehow have this feeling like I've been living under a rock. It's true what they say that being away from home for some time can make you feel like a tourist in your own country. Slowly, Paul and I are starting to re-acquaint ourselves back into Manila's bustling food scene and we got out families and friends to thank for. Recently, I went out for an impromptu, but long delayed lunch date with my sister Pan. It's so cool that we're both working very closely now allowing us to have lunch every single day and that means nonstop catching up to make up for all those years that I've been away. During one of our errands to Quezon City, we decided to stop by Maginhawa Street in Teacher's Village. This place has been known to have a line of interesting restaurants, cafes, bars and recently, food parks. Since this isn't really that c

Prost! : German Feast at Paulaner Brauhaus Singapore #paulanersg

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One thing that I'm quite amazed about Singapore is the presence of microbreweries all around the city. It's quite interesting to walk into a restaurant-bar and see huge bronze colored boilers which houses the different types of beers being brewed in-house. You can never get anything more authentic than that. Paulaner Brauhaus is one of the oldest microbreweries in Singapore as it's actually on its 18th year today. That said, I was so excited to walk into Paulaner Brauhaus ' newly renovated outlet at Millenia Walk for a nice long lunch one afternoon in the Lion City. While beer is totally a big no-no for preggy ladies, I was so happy to see that they have a very extensive food menus that I could enjoy.

Ole! : Buen Comer Poquellas at Teacher's Village, Quezon City

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As the famous saying goes: "Love knows no distance." Similarly, our love for food allowed us to travel far and wide just to satisfy our craving. My in laws have been planning to try Buen Comer located at Teacher's Village in Quezon City for the longest time. This was after hearing raves after raves from cousins who told us that everything on the menu is really delicious and we just have to try it ourselves. Finally, on our first weekend back in Manila, MIL suggested that we head over there for dinner. Of course, Paul and I were totally up for that and so off we went to Quezon City. Thankfully, it took us less than an hour to get there and we easily located the restaurant which actually can be found in a very small inside street called Mahabagin. For those who are familiar with Quezon City, I'm pretty sure you won't have a hard time heading here. The menu was pretty extensive with a total of 17 items to choose from. As there were 6 of us dining that day, we

Onboard Singapore Airlines: SQ916 Business Class

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After 4 fun years in the Lion City with countless flights between Singapore and Manila, I can't believe that this routine of ours has came to an end. For the last time, Paul and I headed to Changi Airport on the morning of the 31st of May as we bid a temporary goodbye to our 2nd home, which I fondly call, the Lion City. We'll definitely be back for sure but this time as tourists and perhaps with two little ones in tow but for the time being, it was time to head back HOME. A few years back, Paul and I agreed that when the time comes for us to bid Singapura goodbye, we just have to do it in style . By that, we meant flying Business Class onboard Singapore Airlines . I got to admit that the thought of finally flying Business really got me so excited. Somehow, this lessened the bittersweet feeling that we both were feeling about saying good bye to our life in Singapore . Aside from that fact that the seats were extra spacious making it so comfortable for pregnant ladies like m