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.

There's an old saying that "Old Favorites Die Hard".  That rule applies to Cafe Breton, my favorite creperie since childhood.

Whether its for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Cafe Breton is my go-to place for French Crepes and coffee.

I'm not very particular about their ambiance.  Our favorite branch at Robinson's Place seems a little cramped but no one seems to mind.

My preferred seating place is the one near the open kitchen so I could see my French crepes being prepared.

Food
They have DIY options but I don't want to tickle my brain of such matters and trust their combinations instead.  However, on some occassions, if they run of a single or few ingredients in an item, you are allowed to substitute the said ingredient/s for others that are available.
 

Savory Favorites

♥ Poseidon (248 php)

The Poseidon is my favorite.  It has smoked salmon, dill sauce, sour cream and capers.
 

♥ Excalibur (215 php)

If you don't feel like eating fish, the Excalibur is a great choice for a savory but not-so-heavy meal.  It has ham, emmental cheese, fresh cream, asparagus spears, sauteed onions and mushrooms.

Savory Galettes (buckwheat crepes)
For a healthier choice, you can go for the Galettes which make use of buckwheat flour.  I used to think that buckwheat is a type of wheat or at least related to it.  But, after my research, I found out that buckwheat is actually a fruit seed.  It has a flavanoid called rutin which helps lower cholesterol and extend the action of vitamin C.  It is also a source of magnesium.  Its more important feature is being a gluten-free fiber.  Well, pardon me for being such a health geek but the bottomline is... its healthy! =)  

Galette Bretonne (280 php)

The Galette Bretonne is a choice for seafood lovers.  It has spinach, shrimps sauteed with crab meat and onions, fresh cream and gryuere cheese.

Galette Don Quixote (270 php)

The manly and savory is Galette Don Quixote has ground chorizo , onion, tomato, cream and mozzarella.

Galette Americain (240 php)

For a hefty meal, try the Galette Americain with beef patty, mushroom, egg sunny side-up and tomato provencal.

♥ Hamburcrepe (245 php)

Compared to the Galette Americain, I like the Hamburcrepe more because the burger patty is laid on a bed of spinach  and topped with sauteed mushrooms, cheese and tomato provencal.

Dessert Crepes

♥ Eden (155 php)

Most of their desserts are too sweet for me.  My classic and default order is the Eden with stewed apples, cinnamon powder topped with whipped cream.

Coffee

Hot Coffee

Cafe Au Lait Decaf (100 php)

Their hot coffee is nothing extraordinary but good to pair with dessert crepes.

Cappucino Decaf (100 php)

Cold Coffee

♥ Cafe Liegeios (130 php)

Sometimes, I go for their cold drinks just for an extra dose of sugar.  The Cafe Liegeios pronounced as "leej*wah" is my kind of cold drink with espresso coffee, ice cream, whipped cream and choco syrup.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Cafe Breton is my favorite creperie since childhood.  It's a low-key place that's serves good quality dishes and drinks that everyone just goes back for without any need for any marketing mumbo jumbo.  I just love their velvety soft and moist galettes and French crepes that can go with any topping I crave for.  The price is reasonable too.

I've passed by Alchemy Bistro and Bar several times already.   I was honestly intimated and mistakenly thought its striking facade indicated that it is a bar or disco place.  Good thing I was invited by Zing Rewards to try it out with them. 

I was really surprised that it was a French restaurant with the owner and chef who specializes in French cuisine as she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu.  


It has an elegant bar area with violet hue and bright lights highlighting the bottles.


You can really feel the magic of the place through its bizarre interiors with gargoyle statues, hanged bicycles, odd displays and English influenced fixtures mix mashed together.  



Aside from its casual dining area, there's also an alfresco area by their brick oven.


But, I love the second floor more.  It also has a bar with a semi-alfresco area that gives you a great view of the city.


This is also considered as their smoking area as it is not air-conditioned and well-ventilated.
 

Food

Complimentary Bread Basket with Olive Oil

Small Plates

Baked Oysters (350 php)

The Baked Oysters is a superb starter with its freshness, cheesiness and size!

Pizza
Since they have a brick oven, we found it difficult to desist from ordering pizzas.

Proscuitto Crudo (430 php)

My meat-loving friends ordered the Proscuitto Crudo which had long strips of proscuitto ham and mozzarella.  The dough is thin so it was slightly crispy with the right degree of chewiness.  Although I like proscuitto, I couldn't help but wish that they were sliced into smaller pieces so the flavor would have been evenly distributed as it was too salty on some parts but not plain on the other parts. 

Scandinavian (460 php)

If you're a salmon lover like me, you'lll enjoy the Scandinavian with horseradish and capers that perfectly complements the salmon slices.

Alchemy (450 php)

The Alchemy  has proscuitto, arugula, balsamic reduction with truffle oil and scamorza cheese.  This was similar to the Proscuitto Crudo but with more ingredients.  I liked this but more of the truffle flavor would have made this better.


Pasta 

Gnocci (280 php)

The smooth and soft Gnocci in subtle gorgonzola cream sauce topped with crispy pancetta is so addictive! 
  

♥ Tagliatelle (310 php)

The Tagliatelle has generous servings of baby scallops, shrimps, tomato cherries, zucchini with some pine nuts in creamy light saffron sauce.  This was well-executed.

Mains

Roasted Organic Chicken (360 php)

The Roasted Organic Chicken is a quarter chicken served with sauteed mushrooms and french beans.  It also comes with rice pilaf and gravy.  Although the spiced blend is delicious, I found the chicken meat to be quite dry on some parts.
 

♥ Slow-Braised Australian Lambshank (615 php)

Everyone gave their approval for the Slow-Braised Australian Lambshank  which was slow-cooked for over 40 hours.   The thick chunk of clean-tasting lamb meat easily slides off the bones.  It is served with sauteed carrot sticks, french beans and mushroom,  Mediterranean Couscous and gravy.  

Drinks

Strawberry Daiquiris

Fiery Passion

Zing Rewards
I'm also now a member of Zing Rewards Card which offers 5% rebate on partner merchant establishments (not limited to food).  I've actually used it already on several restaurants.  It works whether you pay by cash or credit card. It also has a partnership with AIG Philippines so membership comes with Wallet and Purchase insurance.  The Zing Rewards Card costs only 300 php good for 1 year validity.  For more info check out http://www.zingrewards.com.  
 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Alchemy Bistro and Bar is a great magical place for affordable French dishes with a one of a kind ambiance.  The passionate chef and owner is very hands-on with her new restaurant so you'll sure to have a pleasing experience.