Chef Philip Lo claims to have "the most beautiful Chinese restaurant in the world." After a meal at Jasmine, it's hard to disagree. Jasmine is quite probably the best place in Las Vegas for a romantic meal.Jasmine Restaurant fine restaurants in Las Vegas. It is also the only

The most beautiful Chinese restaurant on Earth

Place in Las Vegas that features the nouveaux Hong Kong cuisine of Chef Philip Lo. Lo, who has been named one of "America's Outstanding Chefs" by Chefs in America draws on the sheer depth of Cantonese cuisine to deliver modern interpretations of classic Chinese food. With the Bellagio fountain show as a backdrop, a winning wine list, chic food and a decor that is dizzyingly beautiful, Jasmine is a must for lovers of Asian cuisine.Chef Philip Lo proudly boasts that he has the most beautiful Chinese Restaurant in the world. After dining at Jasmine in the Bellagio, it’s hard to disagree. Jasmine, which opened with the Bellagio in 1998, isn’t merely beautiful. It is a drop-dead gorgeous restaurant. Gorgeous like a classic movie star—the Lauren Bacall of restaurants, if you will.

The dining room is spacious, opulent, and dripping with black-shot gold chintz. Every window faces out to Lake Bellagio and the famous water fountains. You’d need a helicopter for a more breathtaking view of the Strip. With details like hand-painted butterflies on the ceiling and leather-bound menus printed on vellum, nothing has been overlooked. Not one concession was made in the creation of this restaurant.

Best of all, the food and the service are just as good.

Let’s start with the service. From the moment you are greeted by the hostess, this is old-world, formal dining. The visit by the Maitre D’Hotel and service by your sommelier, server, and stewards follow suit. Of course, it is not necessary to know where to put your napkin, or how to place your silverware on a finished plate. But if you do, it is refreshing to find servers who speak the silent language of fine dining. It’s like finding a bridge partner who knows every bidding convention that you do.  Make no mistake. If your aim is to impress someone in Las Vegas, this is an ideal venue.

The food is chic. Chef Lo draws on a wellspring of Cantonese tradition, and then fuses European and new-world techniques and ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, Lo’s arrangement with his seafood vendors is the stuff of legend on the foodie circuit. Most of his seafood comes from Australia—live, on a plane, twice a week. Think about that when scanning the live-tank menu that includes Australian crystal crab and geoduck clams.

My wife Nina brought her mother along for this review. Both of them know far more about Chinese food than I ever will, having been born there and all. We ordered a pot of aromatic jasmine tea (naturally), which did a wonderful job of tying the various menu items together.

While the Taste of Jasmine tasting menu and the James Beard “foodie” tasting menu looked divine (and were quite a value, to boot), we ordered à la carte. Each of us had something we wanted to try.

To start, we ordered the Three Soup Tasting as well as Philip Lo’s Hot and Sour Soup. The four soups provided us with two of the “holy-trinity” of luxury Chinese foods -- shark fin and sea cucumber. Bird’s nest was (thankfully for my wallet) not on the menu that day. The soup tasting trio included shark fin soup, wonton soup, and chicken corn chowder. Which one was best? All of them.