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A night out at Jabal Luweibdeh’s iconic Jasmine House
By Raja Attar, Jordan News
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Over the last few years, Jasmine House has cemented itself as one of the finest Italian restaurants in Amman.اضافة اعلان
Head chef Vincenzo has been running a tight operation since some of Jasmine House’s earliest days. Their menu shifts with the seasons, reflecting the local markets — a culinary system that is rarely adopted in Jordan but is deeply appreciated by their regulars.
The restaurant is located in Jabal Luweibdeh, in a beautiful historical home with a cozy and quaint garden space. They don’t usually accept walk-ins as customers must book a table in advance.
It took very little time convincing my friend to join me. We arrived around 8:30pm, the place was mostly full and dishes were flying in and out of the kitchen. Our waiter was extremely warm and attentive. He sat us down at a comfortable table and gave us the menu.
As per usual, the menu was tidy and easy to navigate. We ordered the insalata maratea, bruschetta, gnocchi con ricotta, polpette al sugo (meatballs with tomato sauce, basil, and toasted italian bread), and a crostata al limone.
Jasmine House’s insalata maratea. (Photos: Raja Attar/JNews)
Naturally, the salad came first, a generous portion of sprouts and greens, strawberry slices, almonds, dressed with authentic Modena balsamic vinegar, olive oil, then finished with grated grana padano cheese. The salad was well-balanced and the leafy green to strawberry and dressing ratio was perfect.
The balsamic added beautiful depth to the salad, while the almonds provided a hint of nuttiness and a little crunch.
Jasmine House’s bruschetta — one black olive, the other sun dried tomatoes.
The bruschetta came right after the salad with two tapenades — one black olive, the other sun dried tomatoes. The black olive tapenade was perfectly salty and briny, while the sun dried tapenade provided the perfect flavor of umami to stimulate the taste buds and ready them for what was to come.
The main dishes arrived in succession, first was the gnocchi con ricotta.
Jasmine House’s gnocchi con ricotta, covered in ricotta and tomato sauce, and topped with grated cheese.
The gnocchi was covered in ricotta and tomato sauce, topped with grated cheese. They were very generous with the gnocchi which was light and pillowy. The red sauce was deep in flavor and highly aromatic — it truly brought the entire dish together, though I found the cherry tomatoes were slightly more acidic than I would have liked. We cleaned the dish with our forks and the leftover bread from the bruschetta.
Jasmine House’s meatballs with a more-than-generous portion of delicious tomato sauce.
The meatballs arrived after a short wait. This dish was the star of the evening and one of the best I’ve tried in the city so far. Five succulent meatballs are served with a more-than-generous portion of delicious tomato sauce, a sprig of fresh basil, and two pieces of toasted Italian bread. The meatballs were plump and soft. According to the waiter, each one weighed about 50 grams. Each bite was simple yet delicate, the fresh tomato sauce brought a slight touch of sweetness while the toasted bread acted as a perfect crunchy vessel. Highly recommended!
Jasmine House’s crostata al limone and its delicate ensemble of lemon cream, whipped cream, meringue, blueberries, and strawberries.
To wrap up the meal we ordered the crostata al limone. The tart held a delicate ensemble of lemon cream, whipped cream, meringue, blueberries, and strawberries. The cream and meringue were light and airy. The strawberries and blueberries elegantly decorated the tart. The extra touch of powdered sugar and almonds were essential to each bite. I found the tart a bit harder than expected. Nonetheless, it was a delicious ending to what was another successful experience at Jasmine House.
Read more Lifestyle
Head chef Vincenzo has been running a tight operation since some of Jasmine House’s earliest days. Their menu shifts with the seasons, reflecting the local markets — a culinary system that is rarely adopted in Jordan but is deeply appreciated by their regulars.
The restaurant is located in Jabal Luweibdeh, in a beautiful historical home with a cozy and quaint garden space. They don’t usually accept walk-ins as customers must book a table in advance.
It took very little time convincing my friend to join me. We arrived around 8:30pm, the place was mostly full and dishes were flying in and out of the kitchen. Our waiter was extremely warm and attentive. He sat us down at a comfortable table and gave us the menu.
As per usual, the menu was tidy and easy to navigate. We ordered the insalata maratea, bruschetta, gnocchi con ricotta, polpette al sugo (meatballs with tomato sauce, basil, and toasted italian bread), and a crostata al limone.
Jasmine House’s insalata maratea. (Photos: Raja Attar/JNews)
Naturally, the salad came first, a generous portion of sprouts and greens, strawberry slices, almonds, dressed with authentic Modena balsamic vinegar, olive oil, then finished with grated grana padano cheese. The salad was well-balanced and the leafy green to strawberry and dressing ratio was perfect.
The balsamic added beautiful depth to the salad, while the almonds provided a hint of nuttiness and a little crunch.
Jasmine House’s bruschetta — one black olive, the other sun dried tomatoes.
The bruschetta came right after the salad with two tapenades — one black olive, the other sun dried tomatoes. The black olive tapenade was perfectly salty and briny, while the sun dried tapenade provided the perfect flavor of umami to stimulate the taste buds and ready them for what was to come.
The main dishes arrived in succession, first was the gnocchi con ricotta.
Jasmine House’s gnocchi con ricotta, covered in ricotta and tomato sauce, and topped with grated cheese.
The gnocchi was covered in ricotta and tomato sauce, topped with grated cheese. They were very generous with the gnocchi which was light and pillowy. The red sauce was deep in flavor and highly aromatic — it truly brought the entire dish together, though I found the cherry tomatoes were slightly more acidic than I would have liked. We cleaned the dish with our forks and the leftover bread from the bruschetta.
Jasmine House’s meatballs with a more-than-generous portion of delicious tomato sauce.
The meatballs arrived after a short wait. This dish was the star of the evening and one of the best I’ve tried in the city so far. Five succulent meatballs are served with a more-than-generous portion of delicious tomato sauce, a sprig of fresh basil, and two pieces of toasted Italian bread. The meatballs were plump and soft. According to the waiter, each one weighed about 50 grams. Each bite was simple yet delicate, the fresh tomato sauce brought a slight touch of sweetness while the toasted bread acted as a perfect crunchy vessel. Highly recommended!
Jasmine House’s crostata al limone and its delicate ensemble of lemon cream, whipped cream, meringue, blueberries, and strawberries.
To wrap up the meal we ordered the crostata al limone. The tart held a delicate ensemble of lemon cream, whipped cream, meringue, blueberries, and strawberries. The cream and meringue were light and airy. The strawberries and blueberries elegantly decorated the tart. The extra touch of powdered sugar and almonds were essential to each bite. I found the tart a bit harder than expected. Nonetheless, it was a delicious ending to what was another successful experience at Jasmine House.
Read more Lifestyle
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