Blue Jasmine - Worth the cost, or a bit of a flop?

Recently, we visited Blue Jasmine in Ocean Village after booking through First Table, which offers 50% off food. I remember living in Ocean Village for a while and hearing good things about it, during Covid I remember them doing Bento boxes, which I never got to try but always wished I had.

The first thing you notice when you arrive is the setting. Blue Jasmine has a very polished, upmarket feel. There’s a lot going on visually, with bold, abstract shapes outside lit in bright primary colours, and inside it’s all soft lighting and a calm, modern Asian-inspired aesthetic. Despite the abundance of lights, nothing feels harsh or clinical. It’s relaxed, premium, and clearly designed to feel like a bit of an occasion. The drinks menu also stood out immediately, with a strong selection of wines and cocktails that felt well thought through.

Lace Fried Chicken Gyoza

To start, I tried a few small plates. I also tried my first ever oyster here, which was a bit of a moment in itself and probably deserving of its own separate deep dive. Alongside that, I had the lace fried chicken gyoza, which were genuinely nice, the lace provided a nice crispyness to a traditionally squishy gyoza. I also ordered the pork ribs, which were fine. Pleasant enough, but nothing that really stuck with me once the plate was cleared.

Pork Ribs

Blue Jasmine follows more of a tapas-style approach for mains, recommending two to three dishes per person. One of those was the baked jumbo prawns with chilli jam and miso butter. They were cooked well, fresh, and full of flavour, but at £22 full price for only 2 and a half prawns, it felt like a dish where the value didn’t quite match the cost. At half price through First Table, they felt acceptable. At full price, they might feel a little harder to justify.

The Hampshire lamb chops with sambal Indonesian chilli sauce were a different story. There were three on the plate, nicely cooked, well flavoured, and for around £20 full price they felt much more in line with expectations. If you’re choosing between dishes here, this was one that felt worth ordering.

Lamb Chops (front) and Baked Jumbo Prawns (behind)

Dessert was the clear standout of the meal. I had the Hazelnut Heaven, and it was excellent, very clearly made with care. It felt like the kitchen really shines when it comes to desserts, and I’d genuinely recommend saving room for one if you visit. It was easily the highlight of the evening, although I'm not sure why they felt the need to add sprinkles to everything.

Hazelnut Heaven

One small but important thing worth mentioning is the optional £1 charity donation added to the bill, referred to as “invisible prawn crackers”. It supports the Saints Foundation, and Blue Jasmine are one of their corporate patrons. It’s entirely optional and can be removed if you wish, but it’s a nice touch and something I’m more than happy to support having fundraised for them in the past.

Overall, Blue Jasmine delivers a lovely atmosphere, good food, and an undeniably premium setting. At 50% off, the experience felt enjoyable and reasonable value. At full price, I would find it hard to justify the cost. Some dishes feel worth it, others less so, and that’s really where the conversation sits for me. I can only hypothesise that being in Ocean Village means the rent is high and the prices have to reflect this. Perhaps they'd be better in a different location? Just my thoughts.

This wasn’t about the food being bad, because it wasn’t. It was about whether the pricing consistently matches what’s on the plate. And that raises an interesting question: would you like to see more reviews that focus less on whether something is tasty, and more on whether it feels worth the money?