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Jasmine Garden, Chinese and Japanese in Merrifield with Chinese-Language Chalkboard Specials


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I'm starting a topic for a restaurant I've never been to, but goodeats was kind enough to translate something for me, so I thought I'd share the information.

Namely, last week I went to the estimable Elephant Jumps for some fried watercress salad and banana blossom salad, and while there I saw that the nearby Jasmine Garden had set out a couple of boards with Chinese upon them:

Blackboard and Whiteboard Specials at Jasmine Garden

(Note, I tried embedding them but they were just massive.)

As I'm always interested in finding out "what's on the board" in any restaurant, but especially Chinese ones, I imposed upon goodeats to see if she could translate them and, perhaps, figure out what cuisine they might specialize in. Her response:

It doesn't seem like they are doing one style over the other, so I can't attest on the quality, if they are hodgepodging it.

Here is what was on the Blackboard:

Crab & Tofu Casserole-$14.95

Lion's Head Meatball Casserole - $12.95

Shanghai-style Sweet and Sour Spareribs - $13.95

Chili pepper Fatty Intestines - $14.95

Kung Pao Large Intestines - $14.95

Cumin Lamb - $14.95

Whiteboard Specials:

Cod (Steamed or Pan-seared) - $21.95

Boiled Tofu Skin - $15.95

Cod Tofu Casserole - $21.95

Empress Brisket - $16.95

Taiwanese-style Beef Brisket Noodle Soup - $10.95

 
Now I suppose a question is: has anyone ever tried the "on-the-board" specials here? I'll admit the ones on the whiteboard sound good to me.
 
Or, I guess, anything here. Their regular menu does seem to be a bit of your standard American Chinese/Japanese food, with a few more less common dishes (three cups chicken, fish fillet in superior pickle sauce, etc.)
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Matt, your post had me interested in the Cod Tofu Casserole yesterday afternoon, so I called Jasmine Garden, but they were out of cod. I asked them if they could make me something comparable, and a lady recommended Flounder, Tofu, and Marinated Cabbage ($14.95) which I tried. There was a *lot* of flounder and tofu, but only a few strips of cabbage. I didn't love the (sesame?) oil they used, but it had only partially permeated the tofu, not the flounder; on the other hand, the flounder was the only thing in the dish that had some degree of seasoning; the tofu was quite bland. Overall, the dish was just "okay" on the palate, but a good value for the money, especially since the very nice lady thew in an order of good, peppery, Hot and Sour Soup which I realized I hadn't had in a long time now, and came in very handy for a late-night snack. Overall, the food was "just okay," and needed a packette of soy sauce, but for the money (this was lunch) it was a good-sized entree for the price.

I did manage to snap a couple pictures of your blackboard and whiteboard just outside the door (sorry about the rotation) - notice there are some English translations now on the whiteboard.

post-2-0-61736100-1417113171_thumb.jpgpost-2-0-28360100-1417113196_thumb.jpg

Thanks for writing about Jasmine Garden. I enjoyed my meal, and wouldn't have thought to go here had it not been for your post.

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