Photo by Christian Gooden (Post-Dispatch)
Hiro Asian Kitchen
Hiro Asian Kitchen defies off-the-cuff recommendations. Bernie Lee draws inspiration from several cuisines — Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Lao among them — but more impressive than the range of Hiro’s menu is its kitchen’s facility with these different traditions. The Lao-style larb, prepared with minced chicken, is the best larb I’ve eaten in St. Louis, bright with citrus and fiery with chile. The Hiro Ramen doubles down on the porkiness of a tonkotsu-style broth with both braised pork belly and ground pork; even better is the hot, funky shrimp-based Spicy Laksa Ramen. It’s not really a “pan-Asian” menu so much as a constant series of realizations: “Oh, yeah, they do this well, too.”
Hours: Dinner Tuesday-Sunday, lunch Tuesday-Friday, brunch Saturday-Sunday
Opened: 2013
Must order: Spicy laksa ramen (lunch $13, dinner $17)