Jasmine House

2301 Clement St. On the corner of 24th Ave. & Clement Richmond District

With LitP summer hours starting (10am - 12:30pm - dave), we thought we could finally make it to Dim Sum on time. Little did we know that the Mayflower (27th & Geary) would have an hour-long wait for a party of 13.

Lucky for us, Marius remembered "that crab place" not too far away, at 24th and Clement. The food looked good, the prices looked reasonable, and most importantly - they could accommodate this pack of hungry dancers immediately.

Jasmine House made its name with its crab dishes. Since crab costs $32 a pound today, we focused on other standard Vietnamese cuisine. Portions were regrettably small. We had to repeatedly ordered a second helping of the dishes we enjoyed, such as the Vegetarian Salad (#53)- shredded green and red cabbage, carrots, onions and herbs, delicious and refreshing.

The guys loved the Crab Fried Rice (#47), though I'm not a fan of greasy rice, and I couldn't taste the crab. Garlic Noodles (#43) resembled garlic spaghetti, only the noodles were made with rice flour.

Then, there was the Case of the Disappearing Chicken. At least two people requested #22 - grilled chicken marinated in lemongrass and 5 spices. When the chicken arrived, one half of the table inhaled, and the chicken vanished, causing Ken to cry out in bewilderment, "Who ate my chicken?" (Note to readers: the unofficial LitP mascot is a chicken, as in "There Ain't Nobody Here but us Chickens." Ken asserts that this does not prevent him from eating chicken.) (And yes, I'm working on a mascot design. - dave)

Only after they brought us a second order of the grilled chicken was the other half of the table mollified. The second helping vanished just as quickly as the first. With the herbs sweetly enhancing the chicken, this dish seemed to be everybody's favorite.

The Catfish in Claypot (#35) was yummy. The catfish itself had very little flavor, but the soy sauce marinade was excellent, especially when drizzled over rice. The grilled pork (#29) and the shrimp in coconut curry (#39) were both enjoyable, but nothing special - very standard Vietnamese cuisine (in San Francisco). I never did get to try the Ginger Chicken (#21) or the Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Curry Sauce (#57). They never made it to my end of the table.

Jasmine House offers several interesting drinks. Although they do not have Vietnamese iced tea, they did have iced coffee. Not only did the iced coffee provide the perfect blend of hot and cold for a California spring day, but also the waitress taught me the proper way to stir and prepare the beverage. Others tried the unusual sodas offered. The Lemon Soda was refreshing, like a real lemon juice seltzer. The Plum Soda was very strange - heavily salty with a little bit of sweetness and just the hint of plum taste. Again, the waitress warned us of the taste, and double-checked before she wrote down the order.

The two waitresses who served us were very attentive and congenial. They kept our water glasses full, immediately brought food as soon as it was ready, and took second orders without hesitation. They did all this so subtly that they were hardly noticeable. Finally, the accommodations were lovely - the seating was comfortable and spacious, even for a party of 13, and the settings were elegant. - Naomi Walenta, April 2001

Food: two stars

Service: three stars

Price: $

Quick Stats:
Food: two stars
Service: three stars
Price: $

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