Jasmine

I enjoyed the atmosphere… it was tasteful and well done. My spicy chicken with cashews was bland, and tasted more like boiled chicken with a frozen dinner sauce.

Ate here before going to the theatre a couple of weeks ago. Probably close to ten years since I’d last been in and not a lot seems to have changed although the prices are definitely more city centre than previously and they may no longer have Tennent’s on draught.
The service was good and the dim sum starter was certainly also good. My sizzling chicken was I felt a pound or two over-​priced but roughly as tasty as expected from the blurb on the menu.
It was quite a while since I’d been out to any Chinese restaurant in Edinburgh (or anywhere else for that matter) and, whilst I’d not rush back to the Jasmine, I’d say we got what we expected albeit for more money than anticipated.

I love the Jasmine and try to find excuses to go to gigs and plays in the area so that I can pay a visit whenever possible!
Ok, I jest a little — but only a little. My husband’s family have been semi-​regular patrons of Jasmine for years and as soon as they took me, I could see why.
A small family owned and run restaurant (maybe twenty tables max), the décor harks back to the 1980s and the Chinese restaurants of my childhood, which instantly makes it feel homely. They don’t really try and re-​invent the wheel here and so what you get is all the «usual» dishes prepared to a very high standard.
We visited on Saturday before a gig at the usher hall. I’m glad I called ahead to check table availability as we managed to snare the very last table for two for the rest of the evening (at 18.15) and there was a steady turnover of tables large and small whilst we were eating.
We decided to go for the set banquet for two for a change, which came in at the amazingly reasonable price of £20.80 per head. For this we got: chicken & sweet corn soup, prawn crackers, mixed starters (or duck pancakes), two mains from a tasty set list of six dishes and two bowls of rice.
I would describe the set banquets here as classic «British style» Chinese food. The soup was gloopy & delicious. The mixed starters comprised spare ribs, won tons, spring rolls and a sort of California roll thing (?!) plus dipping sauces — yummers! We chose honey chilli chicken and sweet and sour pork for our mains and were impressed that neither were deep fried and both contained freshly chopped and cooked veg. Tasty and not at all stodgy — which can be an issue at other Chinese places.
The service was leisurely. This surprised me given how busy they were but was much appreciated given the volume of food we had ordered!
Another fun thing about Jasmine is that you can peek into the kitchen on the way to the loo — amazing to see all the chefs & wok action in motion.
Whilst Jasmine is wheelchair accessible, the loos are not, being located downstairs. I reckon the public café bar in the usher hall could be used a pit stop if these facilities are required.
Not much else to say here other than I love a bit of Jasmine!

The Jasmine is a handily located Chinese restaurant for a quick bite to eat before a trip to the theatre; the Usher Hall, Traverse and Lyceum are all within a stone’s throw. There is an air of oriental charm about the place, it is smartly and cleanly decorated and the staff are efficient and professional. I have eaten here a few times (mostly at my sister’s insistence), but can’t really find any discerning features; everything is ‘nice’, but nothing is terribly exciting. I have never had a bad experience, but I have never experienced anything amazing either.

An excellent meal to be had here. Sadly they don’t seem to offer a pre-​theatre menu at all but did manage to serve us in plenty of time to get to our show. The food was excellent & the service was faultless. Keep up the good work!!!

Jasmine is located right beside the Lyceum and Traverse theatres so a perfect place to grab a meal before going for a show.
The menu was typical of most chinese restaurants in the area so to be honest i wasnt expecting much. However, i was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food on offer. We had a large starter platter which was great, followed by a selection of dishes off the main menu which were equally good.
Staff were very attentive and quick meaning there wasn’t too much waiting around. Overall i thought the restaurant was very good value considering it’s city centre location, and would definitely consider eating out here again.

The meal and the service were excellent, the atmosphere cosy and comfortable. I would go again when next in the capital.
I do have two gripes though, how can they get away with just ONE door to the gents toilet from the food preparation area and a notice telling you how hot the water can be won’t stop the water scalding you!

I visited the Jasmine before popping across the road to see a show at the Lyceum. It was a quick fix dinner but I was actually pleasantly surprised. Its hidden among bigger, brighter restaurants but the Jasmine is a hidden gem.
The menu is big with lots of variety and choice. They also do reasonably priced set meals. There is a fairly good vegetarian section (which is important for me as Im a veggie!), but it wasnt the most inventive veggie choices unfortunately.
The service was quick, possibly a little too quick, with plates being whisked off the table before we’d even had a chance to put our cutlery down! But the staff were all very polite and couldnt have done more for us.
As a little added extra, we got a complimentary slice of orange at the end of our meal, which made a refreshing change from a chocolate mint!