Southeast Impression — Restaurant in Fairfax

Southeast Impression made several interesting impressions for sure. Fundamentally, I will come back to try the chili crab (and provide updated review) and this is truly one of those first-date places to impress the girlfriend / mistress. Repeat trips every month is just not possible since my wallet just cannot afford it no matter how desperate I am for good Malaysian food.

Good impressions first - Southeast Impression feels and costs high-end. It is equivalent to Ruth Chris's or Capital Grille in the world of steaks. Southeast Impression makes in-house fresh sambal on-site and is stunning! All the desserts were absolutely stunning and worth the trip in itself... pricey but worth it. This is the ONLY place I know that cooks "chili crab"..... but I didn't order it this time at ~$50 per entree. Service provided was chic fine-dining.

Other impressions - A. You can't get extra sauce, especially for Hainanese chicken. How odd since the ginger and spicy cause makes the silky Hainanese chicken shine. B. All the entrees feels like fine-dining, tuxedo required expensive. Then the check comes and it's just expensive. A little shocked that Malaysian food is that hard to source and make. C. Wish they'd offer the hot sauces early in the meal versus after half-way through. D. The thick, high-end napkins definitely make it feel like Friend fine-dining at L'Auberge Chez Francois. E. It's ironic that chili crab seems like a featured dish and often best eaten with your hands but decor, table clothes, utensils, etiquette all scream 'you are not allowed to get your hands dirty' in this high-end restaurant.

One can count the number of delicious Malaysian restaurants in the entire VA-DC-MD area with one hand. Truly good Malaysian food is all but impossible to find; all other Malaysian offerings taste stale, dry, or just expired - but not Southeast Impression.

Dinner with pineapple rice, Hainanese chicken, chicken satay, papaya salad, ondeh cendol jello cake, angku kuih comes to $120 including tip. I thought Malaysian and Thai food is supposed to be affordable and I actually think I can taste the flavor of "authentic" and "casual" but not at these prices. Again, the dessert was stunning as each 4 angku kuih mochi cake are filled with different delicious filling, black sesame, taro, red bean, and mung bean. It's just hard ...... really really hard to accept that this dinner (pineapple rice, Hainanese chicken, chicken satay, papaya salad, ondeh cendol jello cake, angku kuih) is $120 where it felt like in-city dining prices outside...

I was with a group of 9 girls celebrating a special birthday at this restaurant this past Saturday. Our reservation was for 6:30.

I want to start off by saying that the food was fantastic and our server was very pleasant. Our issue is with the manager on staff that evening and the ensuing events that occurred.

The first thing the manager said to us when we checked into the restaurant was that we had a 2 hour time limit. This was the first time I've ever had a time limit on a non-all-you-can-eat restaurant and was shocked by the restriction, especially for a big party. We weren’t even seated and were standing by the door waiting for the rest of our party when this was told to us. It was very matter of fact and unapologetic.

The evening took a turn when one of the bussers spilled a small bowl of fish sauce all over my delicate dress. I understand that accidents happen and she did apologize but when the manager came to check on the situation, his attitude left a bad taste in my mouth. This unfriendly manager did not offer a solution and instead, waited to see what I wanted to do. At the end, he wrote me a check for dry cleaning, but this is not without embarrassing me by asking why I did not know how much dry cleaners charge to clean a dress. Why should I have to know that? It was so awkward and uncomfortable. A good manager would’ve apologized on behalf of his staff and perhaps offer a free dessert or a slight discount on our bill -heck, anything other than putting me on the spot for their faux pas. If he is not a people person then he has no business being a manager of a restaurant.

You would think my story ends here, but no, it does not. We found out the next morning that we were charged for two bottles of wine instead of one. Yes, we called and yes, we were refunded but they did not apologize for their mistake at all. If we hadn’t checked our bill then the restaurant would’ve kept the extra money for the bottle of wine that we did not order. Sometimes, being nice goes a long way but this restaurant completely failed in...

Southeast Impression in Fairfax was a delightful night out with friends. My expectations were categorically surpassed across the board. The service was especially great. Here's the lineup:

Char Siu Pork Belly - The garlic chili sauce it was served with was super bright and flavorful. Well prepared.

Duck Wrap - Crispy duck was great. The roti was fresh and buttery. This was the second best duck wrap I've had locally only behind My Home Thai Ashburn

Singapore Chili Crab - Star of the show. We opted for the soft-shell crab. It was light and crispy and paired wonderfully with the rich, hearty red sauce that had a strong garlic front and a sweeter, shallot/ginger smooth body. A top crab dish in NoVa easily.

Pineapple Fried Rice - This was pure vanity when I ordered it. Being served in the half pineapple is charming and just sounded fun. But it came through with flavor merit, also! Bright, tangy, sweet, zesty and a great counterweight to all of the garlic dishes we ordered.

Drunken Noodles - An excellent example of the dish. Standard fair, but well prepared and didn't disappoint. Got exactly what you'd expect.

Tamarind Shrimp - Really excellent. Distinctively aromatic, it was almost as pleasant to smell as to eat. Light and crispy texture with an earthy, lightly fruity richness that I genuinely appreciated.

Pandan Creme Brulee - a nice treat. But honestly the next one stole the show:

Biscoff Cheesecake - One of the highest quality cheesecakes I've enjoyed at a restaurant. Utterly flawless texture, gorgeously presented, jam packed with flavor. If I had to pick one dish at the restaurant to hammer the granularity of the care and quality this kitchen is putting out, I would select this dessert.

This meal was a gift that kept giving with consistent quality and care and legitimate culinary excellence all wrapped in the bow of top notch service with a smile. After one visit this has catapulted itself into my short list of favorite restaurants in NoVa. I can't wait to bring more people here to enjoy the experience they...