Jasmine- Vietnamese Dining with Diane- Dec. 9

Diane Brings Style & Bonus Points!

I have partnered with Diane on the tennis courts many times, but this was my first shared meal!  1 bonus point for adding a new friend to the dining blog, 1 bonus for Diane's fashion style at the table.  (just like on the courts!)  But 2 bonus points for having a friend who can order our meal in Vietnamese!

---

Authenticity

Here is a poster (taped to the door) announcing the entertainment planned for New Year's Eve at Jasmine. Diane had to translate, but there will be lots of dancing and food all reasonably priced.  Diane is planning to go!

Jasmine is located on Houston's  Bellaire Blvd., which already says a lot.   Bellaire has miles of Asian restaurants, salons, grocers and shops. The dining crowd was fairly diverse on Friday at lunch, but there was plenty of Vietnamese being spoken at tables. 

2 bonus points for Authenticity!!

---

​Food

---

We started our meal with some tea and  these delicious spring rolls! They were huge and packed with fresh vegetables, shrimp and rice. The peanut sauce for dipping was perfect.

Bun Thit heo Nuong
​

---

Diane's  "Bun Thit Heo Nuong" was served on a bed of noodles.  Diane used sort of an Asian-Italian approach with her chopsticks and spoon!  She shared and it was very tasty!

Com Bo Lui
​

---

I ordered   "Com Bo Lui" , which is  charcoal broiled beef.  Fish sauce was served on the side so I could add just the right amount.  And the vegetables were refreshingly sweet and sour and very crisp. I took home half!

4 points for food at Jasmine!

People Encounters
​

Interacting with others is something I used to do very rarely in restaurants.  I am not a celebrity and I don't frequent the same places enough to be "known".  But in doing this dining blog, I've made it a point to enjoy the people around me.  If  I have an opportunity to talk to other diners or staff, the outing becomes more memorable.

Well, it helps that Diane is more of a socialite than me, because she saw friends she knew.  Diane's friends were delightful and there was a lot of interaction between our tables.  Plus these folks know how to dress for a lunch outing!  Don't they look wonderful!  I'm going to pay closer attention to my wardrobe on my next food outing!

2 bonus points for a good People Encounter!

​Making In Smile

---

Here is Tin, our waiter!   I will use the word shy or maybe serious, instead of unfriendly.  He didn't spend very much time at our table, although he did return with many items that Diane requested.  (napkins, clean menu etc.)  Tin didn't seem too impressed when I tried to order in Vietnamese.  He gave me his name, but certainly didn't need to know mine.   He mostly spoke to Diane, since she speaks his language. I thought maybe he didn't understand English, but he understood me quite well when I asked to take his picture.  He shook his head and shooed away my idea with his hand!  

But eventually I won Tin over and got this very slight smile in our photo. 

Tin as Photographer

---

---

I think maybe I have found Tin's preferred job!  Once he had the camera in his hands, (this was his idea)  he was willing to spend lots of time with us.  He posed us by the bamboo.  Note the jazzy angle of the photo!

With the Tree
​

---

And then he marched Diane and me across the whole restaurant to pose by the Christmas tree!   No room to share all Tin's pics.  And  I refuse to share the photo Tin took of me, zoomed in on my face.  That one was a bit scary.

1 bonus point for burning off a few lunch calories at our photo shoot!
​

Grand total of 16 Points for Jasmine!