Jasmine Orchid

Jasmine Orchid is owned by the same people who run Jasmine Deli and Jasmine 26, two of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the Twin Cities. The food at Jasmine Orchid, in my opinion, was nearly identical to what you'd find at Jasmine Deli (and all at the same prices)---mock duck banh mi, broken rice plates, noodle soup and simple appetizers.

However, unlike the Deli, Jasmine Orchid also has a selection of Thai dishes, all of which are significantly more expensive than the Vietnamese dishes.

My friend and I split a herb-basil spring roll with tofu ($4.50), which was spectacular. The basil was fresh and the thin, translucent rice wrapper allowed you tantalizing peeks inside the rolls, which were fill with golden-friend tofu, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and basil. Spring rolls are usually not my favorite, because they're so easy to mess up in one way or another, but Jasmine Orchid pulled them off with grace and artistry.

We also shared a curry mock duck banh mi sandwich without butter ($3.50), which could have used more mock duck, but was otherwise tasty and the same quality of what you'd find at Jasmine Deli on Nicollet.

Finally, we split a mock duck and tofu noodle plate ($7.25) which was decent, but nothing special. It was served semi-cold and lacked a good sauce to give it flavor (this was the only dish that deviated in quality from Jasmine Deli). Also, I thought they skimped on the tofu and mock duck they provided with the dish.

All in all, this is a good restaurant and I'm glad it's in an area that's otherwise lacking solid vegan options. Kudos to Jasmine Orchid for accepting credit cards, which is a point of difference between it and Jasmine Deli.