SEBASTIAN — One sometimes finds a gem hidden in the most unusual places. That’s the case with Sea Jasmine Thai Cuisine, a tiny restaurant tucked away in a half-empty strip mall on Sebastian Boulevard.
We arrived on a Tuesday night and pretty much had the restaurant – which has been open about a year – to ourselves.
Before the menus even arrived, our waitress, Penn McLeod, who is also the owner, brought us four steaming cups of watermelon soup, a nice touch and a nice way to introduce diners to Sea Jasmine. The tasty soup featured small chunks of watermelon and cilantro in a traditional Asian soup base.
Sea Jasmine does not have a liquor license but Penn assured us that diners are more than welcome to bring in their own beer and wine.
We had not come with our own stock of beverages so we opted for Thai iced tea ($2), Thai iced coffee ($2) and water. Both the tea and coffee were served in large glasses with cream and were great thirst and spice quenchers.
Our two dining companions were trying Thai food for the first time so they were prepared for an adventurous experience.
If the appetizers were any indication, our companions were in for a wonderful night ahead.
To start, we ordered chicken spring rolls ($5.25), deep-fried Thai fish cakes ($6.25), stuffed chicken wings ($7.95), a cup of the vegetable hot-and-sour soup ($3.25) and grilled beef skewers ($7.25).
The stuffed chicken wings were terrific. The four large wings were deboned and stuffed with ground chicken, lemongrass, rice noodles and mushrooms and served on lettuce with crispy cut carrots.
Accompanying the appetizer was a traditional hoisin sauce sprinkled with sesame seeds.
On the spring rolls, the crust was light and flaky. The rolls were packed with slivers of chicken and crisp vegetables.
The Thai fish cakes were large, spicy and arrived with a cucumber and vinegar dipping sauce.
There were enough other sauces spread out among the other appetizers that we started dipping fish cakes into the hotter and thicker sauces.
The delicious grilled beef skewers came with a Thai barbeque sauce fortified with soy sauce and black pepper.
To get started, my wife picked a cup of the vegetable hot-and-sour soup, a cup brimming with carrots, green beans, tomatoes, snow peas and onions.
For dinner, I picked the crab fried rice ($11.95). My wife opted for the phad Thai with tofu ($9.95), a companion ordered the lemon grass chicken stir fry ($10.95) – urging Penn to make sure the kitchen went “easy on the vegetables.” His wife selected the red curry pork ($10.95).
I ordered my crab fried rice at a level five “hot” on a scale of one to six. I had no complaints.
Large lump crab chunks were generously spread through the rice, topped by a nice mix of broccoli, bean sprouts, carrots, pea pods, peppers and bok choy, all fresh and crisp.
My wife enjoyed her phad Thai and found everything fresh and tasty.
Our companion liked his lemon grass chicken stir fry – noting the chicken was very tender – although it was spicier and hotter than he expected.
Our waitress overheard him and asked if he wanted her to bring the dish back to the kitchen for a makeover. He declined, but she quickly returned with a plate of sliced cucumber and watermelon to ease the heat in his mouth.
That’s real customer service.
His wife thought her red curry pork was terrific. Large, tender chunks of pork with beansprouts and broccoli in a heavy cream-sauce.
They serve the white rice that comes with some dinners in small bowls to cut down on waste, but she stressed there was plenty in the kitchen.
After our entrees and appetizers, we had no room for desserts which was fine because the restaurant’s selection was limited to sweet rice mango ($3.50) and deep fried banana ($3.50).
Dinner for two at Sea Jasmine Thai Cuisine with two entrees and a couple of appetizers will run about $50 plus tip and a bit more if you stop on the way to pick up beer or wine.
Sea Jasmine Thai Cuisine was extremely clean. My mother always told me a person can tell how clean a place is by its windows.
Well, the setting sun glaring through Sea Jasmine’s front windows provided an opportunity to assess that motherly point of view because nothing shows dirt like direct sun on windows. I only wish my windows at home were as clean.
Check out this little Sebastian Boulevard gem and say hello to Penn.
Her service, food and care for her customers is outstanding.
The reviewer is a local resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Sebastian River News.
