Impressoul Gastrology at Sunway Pyramid Hotel West: Restaurant review

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This review is brought to you in part by Impressoul Gastrology.

Clearly crafted to impress, this venue strives to imbue an imaginative touch to its Korean-inflected Japanese cuisine in a shimmering setting – check out the futuristic interior with its soaring ceiling and private lounges with custom-built furnishing, including a table whose height can be converted for comfortable dining or drinking.

Impressoul’s menu was conceived by Korean-born, Japanese-trained chef Sin Keun ‘S.K.’ Choi (whose resume includes a leading stint at W Retreat Koh Samui’s flagship Namu) and is executed by Ken Kwanhaeng Cho (an experienced hand who honed his skills at Japanese establishments from Australia to Saudi Arabia).

Nigiri sushi platter

For an introduction to their repertoire, the contemporary nigiri sushi platter (RM150) puts together 10 pieces with fun toppings like otoro with grated daikon and red chilli peppers, chutoro with garlic soy sauce, botan ebi with lime onion chilli sauce, seared Japanese scallop with spicy mayo and chives, unagi with cheese, and salmon with shichimi spice mix. Each can also be ordered in two-piece servings (RM8-RM68).

Starters

The selection is extensive: Starters assigned to animate the appetite include the fleshy crab meat layered with avocado salsa, assorted vegetables and ginger dressing (RM20) and sliced salmon with truffle oil and a soy-based koumi sauce with hints of lemon and ginger (RM28), conveying capably balanced flavours and carefully calibrated textures.

Fried fare

Fried fare is designed to be crowd-satiating: The crispy calamari with chillies (RM12) proves addictively irresistible, and the chicken karaage (RM20) is unexpectedly cushioned with salmon skin for merry munching, while the soft-shell crab (RM38) is made extra memorable in a distinctive preparation that wraps each slice in crispy dumpling shells for double the crunch.

Beefy star

Australian beef is a star ingredient throughout these offerings; the Korean influence is unmistakable in the hearty bulgogi sushi roll laced with sauteed kimchi (RM18) and tasty beef bibimbap (RM27). Other bovine-based mains include ramen in a light and mild miso beef broth (RM30) and Black Angus steak with a savoury sauce that evokes Japan’s simmered tendon stews (RM150).

Desserts and cocktails

For dessert, the ice cream-stuffed mochi rice cakes (RM16) are probably the top attraction. Cocktails turn out to be tempting too, with Margaritas, Mojitos and Martinis that come blended with your choice of Japanese and Korean infusions, such as sake, shochu, umeshu or yuzu (RM28). All in all, Impressoul manages to be intriguing; many thanks to the team here for having us.