Andrew J Perez
OPINIONS
Craving some great tasting sushi in the Collegeville/Trappe area? Well Jasmine’s Asian House is the place you’re looking for. Located in the Trappe Center, less than a mile away from the Ursinus College campus, Jasmine’s serves up the best sushi around, with plenty more to offer, including all you can eat! For me, all you can eat will be for another time, so on my first visit I dove in on a few appetizers, a sushi entree, and some delectable dessert!
For a Saturday night, this place was jam packed! There was only a fifteen minute wait for a table, which was no issue at all. The service was nice as I respected them for hustling from table to table and busting out order after order. The house is a big dining room with a sushi bar in the back. It’s a very comfortable environment where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy some sushi! I’ve heard a lot of hype about Jasmine’s and I haven’t had sushi in a while, so I was pretty excited.
Beginning with appetizers, my family and I ordered edamame and the Dim Sum Sampler, consisting of shumai, vegetable, and pork gyoza. You can order them pan fried or steam, and they come out in six, two of each kind. These dumpling-like starters were fresh and piping hot with the outside having a light crunch with the inside packed with flavor. They were very enjoyable and I recommend getting them pan fried. Having this paired with edamame was the perfect match, as they were a nice starter to snack on.
As for the main event, I decided to go with the three rolls combo under sushi and sashimi entree. Leading off the menu description with a pink lady roll, followed by a choice of two rolls from california roll, shrimp avocado roll, salmon roll, tuna roll, spicy tuna, spicy salmon roll, Philly roll, shrimp tempura roll, spicy crabmeat roll, mango avocado roll, salmon avocado roll, and tuna avocado roll. I got the shrimp tempura roll and the spicy crabmeat roll. Let me tell you, this was the perfect deal! Three rolls for $22 you can’t beat whereas other places the total price could add up to $40 or more! It’s a big and filling portion full of sushi paradise. Inside of a pink lady roll, you have yellowtail and crunch on the inside, topped with tuna, salmon, and avocado. The fish on the pink lady roll was divine, especially with salmon and avocado being the perfect pairing. The shrimp tempura was crispy and had soy sauce drizzled on top to give it that pizzazz. As for the spicy crabmeat roll, it wasn’t that spicy nor enjoyable, so I probably won’t order it again. Overall, this was great sushi! Not the best because the rice was sticky and such, but it still did its job by satisfying my craving!
I couldn’t leave without getting some dessert, which was to die for. The red bean ice cream is where it’s at. So creamy, smooth, and melts in your mouth. Along with whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top, this dessert ended the night on a high note. Like I said before, Jasmine’s doesn’t lie about their portions. Three scoops of the red bean ice cream come in an order for three dollars – that’s one dollar a scoop!
It’s a good thing to know as a college student that there is a solid sushi spot near campus that has reasonable prices and a reason to keep going back. One thing I think this place can improve upon is the quality of their rice. Whether it’s preparing it or depending where they get it from, bettering it may make a significant difference in taste and texture. But altogether, I suggest you get away from campus for an evening and grab your friends to go check it out for yourself!