Tony S.
Yelp
Jazmin is a new pan-Asian restaurant at the site of the former Mayfel's across from Pritchard Park in the heart of downtown Asheville. The site has been remodeled into a cozy space that evokes a restaurant in Thailand or Indonesia without looking like a theme park. Both indoor and (heated) front patio seating. Inside it's noisy, but in a good way that allows you to have lively conversation with a group and not feel like you're making too much noise. The service is top-notch. Considering this is still the soft opening period, the wait staff worked together seamlessly and coordinated very well with the kitchen staff so that the timing of cocktails, appetizers and entrees was perfect. Even though the place was packed on a Saturday nigh and there was a wait, we did not feel rushed at all. We started with cocktails and appetizers. The standout cocktail was the passionfruit citrus spritzer. The Singapore Sling was also good. The Westbrook White Thai beer paired especially well with the food. For appetizers we had: (special) mushroom dumplings (savory delight in every bite!), pork potstickers (good, with good dipping sauces) and the star -- crispy honey, chili potatoes (perfect combination of sweet and spicy, basically Thai french fries). For entrees we had: chicken phad Thai (very good), Thai basil beef (the beef was wonderful, amplified by the peppery Thai basil that contrasted well with a sweet chili paste), chicken krapow (the chilis in this dish gave it a great flavor profile, but only eat them directly if you like a lot of heat. Note: one member of our group found this dish a bit too salty, although I didn't notice that at all), and shrimp mee sapam with Phuket "hawker style" noodles (the shrimp was fantastic, tender and not chewy at all, the sauce was nice and the noodles themselves were probably the second best Asian style noodles I've ever had). Overall this place is a great addition to Asheville's Asian food scene. It's a little pricier than other Asian restaurants in town, but the food quality, presentation and service are all a cut above, so the higher price point is worth it. We'll be back to try more offerings from this large and varied pan-Asian menu.