Every year we try to cook up a surprise birthday dinner for the greatest foodie in the family: our mom.  Choosing some place undiscovered used to be easy.  Now with my advent of Instagram and Facebook, it is usually our mom being the first to know every new restaurant joint that pops up.  So, we decided to go with the classic at Impressions.

Located at the 3rd floor of Maxims Hotel, Impressions is a fine dining French restaurant spear-headed by celebrity chef Cyrille Soenen.

The family has already tried celebrity chef Cyrille Soenen at Brasserie Cicou before.  But, we're more epicurious to try this one after seeing its collection of awards.


We made reservations only to find out the the place is barely empty.  The function room is occupied by Senator Enrile so the staffs were very preoccupied there when we came in.

After a few minutes of waiting, we were ushered to our seats passing by a bar...

and an open kitchen.

Although empty, each table already has a table set up. 

There was a cheery long table near us.  We recognized celebrity Gretchen Barreto as one of the guests.  And since they might think that we're a paparazzi, I just took a photo of the empty side of the place. =))

Food

Soups

French Onion Soup (350 php)

The French Onion Soup has a fragrant and sweet flavors of caramelized onions topped with huge pieces of crouton and a generous amount of gruyere.

♥ Philippine Prawn Bisque (390 php)

The Philippine Prawn Bisque is beautifully presented with tiny sea urchin flan and caviar.  Aside from visual appeal, it is so delicious!  This is one of the best prawn bisque version we've tried!

Create Your Own Set Menu

• 1 Appetizer or 1 Main Course + 1 Dessert (950 php)
• 1 Appetizer + 1 Main Course + 1 Dessert (1,500 php)

We opted to order the Soups separately because it is actually more affordable than being included in the Create Your Own Set Menu.  And, then we chose the 2 course of the  Create Your Own Set Menu.  Although the Main Course is limited with this option, they actually offer it in the ordinary serving size which is huge. 

Mains

♥ Impressions Bulalo (650 php)

Hearing bulalo sounds native right?   But, the Impressions Bulalo is nothing familiar to us.  It is a completely different French interpretation.  The Impressions Bulalo is a US beef short rib in creamy truffle beef broth with vegetables.  I liked it.  The truffle is not too strong bringing a wonderful balance with the beefy taste.

♥ Bavette U.S. Hanging Tender with Shallot Sauce (788 php)

The Bavette U.S. Hanging Tender with Shallot Sauce is superb!  The meat was cooked consistently and I couldn't pick a better complimentary than the shallot sauce.

♥ 12 Hour Cooked Lamb Shoulder Tajine-Style (820 php)

Among our orders, I loved the 12 Hour Cooked Lamb Shoulder Tajine-Style the most.  This is a must try!


Cheese and Desserts

♥ Minestrone of Compressed Fruits (360 php)

My mom got the Minestrone of Compressed Fruits.  She absolutely adored very bit of this beautiful masterpiece.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (350 php)

Framboise (350 php)

The Framboise is probably the worst option.  We failed to appreciate this.

Mom's Complimentary Surprise Birthday Cake

They prepared a little surprise treat for my mom which was cool.  We got to take home this flourless chocolate cake.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We were very satisfied with the serving size and quality at Impressions.  For us, it the price we paid was a worth every peso.  If  you're looking for a fulfilling French dining experience, then this is a great choice.

Ever since Linguini Fini opened, brother has been insisting that the family try it because he loved the food here.
 
Finally, the day came when our cravings and availability matched so we were able to go SM Megamall just for it. 

The interiors is unlike any other restaurant I've been to. 

There were various seating styles available.

The vibe felt like the streets for me as drums where used as seats and there were graffiti on the wall.

Manny Pacquiao is getting a lot of heat lately but here he is depicted us a pasta server.

I didn't expect that this would be a candle-lit dinner.

Complimentary Bread

The Complimentary Bread was warm and nice enough to appease our growling bellies.

Insalata

Caesar (385 php)

The Caesar is cheese-filled and fresh so it was spectacular.

Pasta

♥ Papardelle "Nose to Tail Bolo" (430 php)

The highlight of our meal is the Papardelle "Nose to Tail Bolo".  The papardelle texture is so smooth with a nice al dente chewiness.  One bite is full of savory goodness as this has a very flavorful red sauce and tons of pork meat from different parts. I'm an advocate of the nose to tail concept because its both eco-friendly and healthy.

♥ Arthur Ave. Linguini & Clams (355 php)

The Arthur Ave. Linguini & Clams with fresh clams, garlic, spicy tomato brodo also received our approval. 

Pizza

♥ Manila Caprese (445 php)

The Manila Caprese is a pizza with cherry tomatoes, kesong puti, basil and olive oil.  This is one of the best local inspired pizza that we've tried!  Two thumbs up!


Contorni

♥ Porchetta (595 php)

The Porchetta is one of the best out there too.

Dolce & Digestivo

♥ Tiramisu (195 php)

Save some space for dessert because the Tiramisu is a must try!  It is a mascarpone cream topped coffee cake crumble with a coffee gelato inside.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
If you're looking for fresh gourmet and made from scratch Italian dishes, Linguini Fini should be on the top of your list.  I heard they've closed down and then reopened in Hongkong.  I hope they can be consistent with their discipline and concept because right now they are awesome!

A family friend suggested that we try their family favorite shawarma so he brought us to Nepo Mall in Angeles City Pampanga and led us to a stall named Passport Foods.

Crowds seem to gather to buy from it.  Customers come and go non-stop.  They have only 3 food items: Beef Lebanon Shawarma w/ cheese, Chicken Lebanon Shawarma w/ cheese and Samosa.  We wanted to try everything but only the Beef Lebanon Shawarma is available.


We watched as the staff prepared our Beef Lebanon Shawarma.  Instead of rolling the shawarma with the meat inside, they cut the pita and use the pockets to place the ingredients.

♥ Beef Lebanon Shawarma (59 php)

So here it is!  Indeed, the Beef Lebanon Shawarma is good.  It is distinct in taste I guess because of their special sauce.  The meat is chunky and seasoned enough. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Passport Foods Lebanon Shawarma is an interesting shawarma to try for shawarma fans out there.  If you're in Pampanga, check it out!