Stopped by the Mission branch of Lers Ros the other day. This location is a bit more fancily decorated compared to the original Tenderloin location. I am a big fan of the Tenderloin location and I happen to be passing by so popped in to see if the branch measures up to the original.
It was a weekday lunch. The place was pretty empty. That caused me to wonder whether the mothership would send over the A-team to this kitchen. Since its just me, I ordered two dishes- the five spice stewed pork leg rice plate and the thai herb sausage.
The pork leg rice plate was great. The pork leg was marinated in a five spice base with star anise, cloves, cinnamon, sichuan pepper and fennel. It was there long enough that the pork was fall-off-the-bone tender. Combined with the salted cabbage it made for a refreshing and delicious combination. No noticeable difference in quality vs Tenderloin.
The thai herb sausage was fine too. I remember getting it in Tenderloin and it was (to me) screaming spicy (in a good way) that I could barely get a couple of pieces in. Here, the sausage was nicely made, though the heat level was toned down- still spicy. Heat lovers may complain. With that said, I speculate that the sausage may be made in one central location and then distributed to all branches, so Tenderloin may get the same sausage.
Overall, assuming the rest of the dishes hold up, its nice to have a quality Thai option in the Mission, so its not a must to trek to the Tenderloin when the Thai craving comes.
I absolutely adored my meal at Lers Ros in the Tenderloin. The pork shoulder is fab (especially the super-spicy dipping sauce), the roasted duck larb was wonderful, the som tam with raw crab delish, and a fried tofu skin stuffed with crab and ground pork was also fantastic.
The standout dish for me was the raw shrimp “salad” - 6 butterflied raw shrimp topped with raw garlic, ginger & chili. A gift that kept on giving all night, but so worth it!
Let me bring some attention to the old favorite Lers Ros from the Tenderloin. No one seems to talk about them any more. We still think that its food is better than many of the Thai newcomers. We polished off all of these in the car. From March.
Koh moo yang- that succulent pork neck had the perfect balance between lean and fat. Expertly grilled. And the dip added just the right acidic/ spicy punch. I’d crown the meat portion one of the best char siu in town if this place is a Cantonese joint.
Lek tom yum haeng- dry tom yum noodle with skinny rice noodles. Mix all of the herbs, condiments, pork belly with crispy skin, ground pork, fish cake together, and it was one of the more gratifying noodle dishes in recent memory.
Kha moo rice plate. The pork leg was tender and well marinated. The juice ran all over the rice. Add the pickled veggie and its just a really satisfying dish.
I think the khao kha moo is the dish I’ve ordered the most at various Lers Ros, they make a good rendition and its great when dining solo. Agree that the dry tom yum noodle is quite good, I had that via delivery once. The pork neck looks delicious too, will have to give that a try sometime.
