Jasmine Asian Bistro

Several vegetarian readers have recently written to me, asking about vegetarian restaurants in the suburban area, requesting that I do a review of one. This led me to Jasmine Asian Bistro, in the heart of Glenside. I discovered it has a large, separate vegetarian menu.

Most Asian (and also Indian) restaurants include a number of all-vegetable dishes on their menus, but few offer this large a selection of “vegetarian” dishes, i.e. dishes made of wheat, soybean, and flour gluten to create meat- and seafood-like dishes.

Note: the vegetarian menu is not for those requiring gluten-free meals.

On that first visit to Jasmine, my LDC (Lovely Dining Companion) and I decided to divide forces – I ordered from the vegetarian menu, and she from the main, non-vegetarian menu. So first we compared the regular vs. the vegetarian wonton soup. 

Both were very good. There was only a slight taste difference between the regular, clear chicken broth and the veggie broth. My seitan pork-filled wontons were just as good as most meat-filled ones.

Honestly, in a blind tasting I would not have been able to tell this was vegetarian wonton soup.

The dining room, furnished mostly with vinyl upholstered booths, the tables dressed in immaculate white and pale lime linens, was occupied by a decent turnout of people for a Wednesday night. The noise level was low for the number of diners present. Discounting high-end Asian restaurants like Nectar and Yangming, Jasmine has one of the more beautiful, smaller Asian “storefront” dining rooms I have seen.

It is studded with expensive-looking imported objets d’art of the Orient to cast your eyes on.  The room has high ceilings, and the noise level was low, a pleasant hubbub. 

The restrooms were spotless.

As is typical, crispy fried noodles were served gratis with a dish of duck sauce, along with wonderful jasmine (of course) tea, in a cast iron Japanese teapot which kept the tea hot for the duration of our meal. 

A complimentary plate of refreshing, lightly vinaigretted cabbage was also served.

Our two entrées were well-presented, with colorful embellishments, e.g. a rose sculpted of carrot slices, and small trios of orange slices. 

My LDC chose from the regular menu Shrimp with Mandarin Orange ($12.45), which had a piquant but overly sweet sauce to my taste, a moderate amount of medium shrimp, and, boringly, a grove of orange segments and few if any other veggies.  She might have picked something with a little more variety and interest, such as the “Happy Family” of seafood, chicken, beef, and vegetables served in a crispy “birds nest” ($14.45); or the “shrimp & chicken Fu-cien style” ($14.95), described as “fresh jumbo shrimp sautéed in a white sauce on one side, and crispy spicy chicken on the other. 

It is not often that I’ve had the kind of vegetarian dishes offered on Jasmine’s vegetarian menu that imitate poultry, beef, shrimp, scallops, and pork. So I gave a dish of “Chicken & Shrimp with asparagus” a go.  Overall, the veggie plate was very appetizing and the red-brown sauce very tasty, especially since I had requested added spice, which you can do, (or you can request less spice in any dish). 

The “shrimp” were a good imitation, although my LDC found the texture not to her liking. The “chicken” was more like sliced mushrooms in appearance and texture, but quite delicious. 

Let’s just say that unless you get the mental satisfaction of a true vegetarian, knowing you are not eating the flesh of an ambulatory, winged or swimming creature, you will not get enough of the gastronomic satisfaction you expect.

Desserts are much more than the usual, desultory scoop of ice cream or dish of canned pineapple of yesterday’s Chinese-American restaurants. 

We shared a glorious dish of cappuccino ice cream covered in a thick coating of dark chocolate, with a dab of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.  Fortune cookies and fresh orange are also complimentary.

I liked Jasmine Bistro so much that I have returned quite a few times.

The ever-present owners are a sweet, and cheerful couple, Kim and Huoy Ngov, who emigrated from Cambodia in 1978, having survived Pol Pot’s “killing fields” holocaust. For 19 years they owned Szechuan Rose Garden in Flourtown.  Kim told us with sincere emotion, “America is the best.” 

Two weeks ago, we came for lunch, and enjoyed two low cost lunch specials. Chicken and Shrimp Supreme was a great choice as it included not only a ample amount of the two lead ingredients, but also a wide variety of vegetables, mushrooms, etc. 

My LDC picked the succulent Walnut Shrimp, which was sweet and spicy and ringed with bright green broccoli florets.  Steamed white or pork fried rich was included.

We started with a bowl each of wonton and egg drop soup, my personal favorite soup and the best I have tasted anywhere. An appetizer of Honey Roast Pork was a delicious follow-up, more like boneless spare-ribs. For dessert, you might try as we did a large wedge of the fabulous “Mud Pie” ice cream cake – what a treat!

[Photos taken on our recent lunch visit are shown on the right, including the dishes mentioned above]     

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Overall Rating: mmm 3/4  (out of 5 m’s)

To contact Mitch Davis, you can e-mail him at: MdavisMainCourse@aol.com

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The Main Course at Café Lombardi’s:

Location:   138 S. Easton Rd., Glenside 

Phone:  215-885-4333

Website:  http://www.jasmineasianbistro-glenside.com/restaurant/

Cuisine:  Chinese, plus Southeast Asian specials

Hours:  Lunch and Dinner daily (opens late 12:30 p.m. on Sunday)

Prices: Apps., Soups $2 - $12;  Entrées $9 - $19 (avg. $12)

Ambiance: Beautifully and richly decorated, low-noise, very clean.

Reservations: Suggested on Weekends

Credit Cards: All major accepted.

Alcoholic Beverages:   BYOB.

Wheelchair Access: Yes.

Special Features: Full vegetarian menu ($9.25 - $11.75)