Thursday, January 7, 2016

First Bite: Impressions

Unlimited foie gras. Those sweet words made me go "ooooh" longer than holding my breath to win the "happy birthdaaaaaaaay" contest. 

Hello, Impressions!

This classy buffet restaurant in Resorts World Manila is headed by celebrity chef Cyrille Soenen and its layout is meant to impress.
The slightly dim lit restaurant had a minimalist signage in front that also serves as the reception desk. 
As soon as you enter, you are greeted by several numbered tables with the first buffet bar on the right which serves the meats
We got table #18 reserved for us which was perfect as it was in front of the buffet table that prepares foie gras, scallops and lobsters. It was also near the sweet corner a.k.a. desserts and sashimi.
My first plate had a lot of salmon sashimi, a few maki and foie gras
The foie gras bits were bite size and it was... just okay. It wasn't spectacular but it wasn't bad. It had the usual slightly grainy texture of foie gras and the delectable oiliness per bite. But it lacked richness in flavor.

The salmon sashimi cuts were quite small too and I had to wait for the chefs to fill the plate again as the person before me took all the pieces! >.< 

The sashimi cuts were fresh but not as fresh or as divine as the ala carte I get from authentic Japanese restaurants. 
While waiting for the next batch of foie gras, R and I went for some prime rib and baked salmon. I also got a bowl of fish with greens which was pretty good! Crisp greens and succulent fish meat that was seasoned well.
The prime rib was good but Highland's prime rib is far better. The salmon was quite sad looking and it tasted mediocre. Sad to say, my mom's salmon was even better than the one I got from Impressions. 
The lobster was pretty good (yet also quite far from Lobster King of Coron). The scallops were a bit too buttery and cheesy to the point of the taste being too overwhelming. I managed to just have one.
What saved the meal BIG TIME though was the desserts. The cakes--red velvet, chocolate mousse, Devil's cake--were really good! The brownies were equally delightful! The creme brulee was also great (though would have been better if it had a milder zest). 
We also ordered some gelato and souffle and... both were delicious! The gelato is available in three flavors-dark chocolate, vanilla and raspberry. I went with dark chocolate and R had the other two flavors. Though the dark chocolate was good, combining raspberry and vanilla was magical! The lovely balance of tart and sweetness was simply addicting! We had to order another bowl of each! (But the server just gave us raspberry for round 2. Aww.)

The dark chocolate souffle was scrumptious. It had a rich chocolate flavor with a hint of saltiness. Served warm, it was perfect!

Thanks to R's sister, we got to eat with 50% discount! Woohoo! Without the discount though, I don't think it would have been a good deal.

Impressions is located at 3rd Floor, Maxims Hotel, Resorts World Manila, Pasay City. Contact them at 908 8883 or 0915 951 9390 for reservations.

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