Jasmine Thai Restaurant offers fresh take on Asian cuisine

Wait, are we talking about Thai curry, which is supposed to pack a punch? 

According to Jasmine Thai Restaurant’s Edgar Meneses, a mango curry has the aroma and the rich, textured taste of a traditional Thai curry without all the heat.

“Our mango curry is made with a red curry paste, onions, bell peppers and your choice of meat,” he explained. “The spiciness of the Thai chili is softened because of the sweetness of both the mango as well as well with some coconut milk.”

Meneses has been giving diners sort of a Thai tutorial ever since Jasmine Thai Restaurant opened at 3069 Floyd Blvd. in mid-September.

“I think people don’t realize how adaptable Thai food is,” he said. “If you don’t like one ingredient or if the spice level is too high, we’ll have something else on our menu that you will like.”   

For instance, Meneses is a fan of Jasmine Thai’s flavorful Massaman Curry, which is made with a curry paste, onions, potatoes, carrots and peanut along with the meat of your choice.

As with the mango curry, the Massaman is tamed a bit with the inclusion of coconut milk. However, Meneses can boost the spice level by adding chili oils and sauces to taste. 

That same versatility can be found in Jasmine Thai’s wide selection of authentic soups.

While Meneses preferred the Boat Noodle Soup (rich savory beef broth combined with a choice of meat, herbs, onions, garlic, bean sprouts and basil leaves), we ordered the more traditional Tom Kha Soup (coconut milk with galangal root, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, green onion and tomatoes) for a bracingly fresh take on a creamy soup.

All of Jasmine Thai’s menu of appetizers, Thai fried rice, stir dry noodles and entrée dishes are prepared to bring out the complexity of flavors.

This includes such ever-popular Thai meals like the Pad Kee Mao (or “Drunken Noodles”), which is made with stir fried flat noodles with egg, onions bell peppers, carrots and basil leaves .

It also applies to more modern dishes like the Thai Chow Mein, which stir fried egg noodles, eggs, cabbage, carrots, onions, bean sprouts and green onions in a unique take on a staple in Chinese cuisine.

Since Jasmine Thai Restaurant opened its doors less than a month ago, Meneses said customer reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People enjoy the foods that they’re familiar with, like the potstickers and eggrolls,” he said. “They also like Jasmine Thai’s specialty items like the Three Flavored Fish (bed of deep-fried fish, topped with sautéed bell peppers, onions pineapple and a sweet chili sauce).”

“Thai foods tend to be beautiful, with colorful ingredients and presentations,” Menenses said. “But they are even more delicious than they look.”