The Hero

It’d be criminal to begin with anything other than an ode to the interiors at The Hero. Once The Hero of Maida, the Public House group (of The Pelican in Notting Hill and The Bull in Charlbury) has refurbished (or, rather, defurbished) to near nakedness. Think raw pitch pine panelling, distressed peach plaster walls, and roughly stripped floorboards throughout.

Downstairs, the pub proper holds all the calling cards of a traditional boozer, complete with desilvered mirrors, stubby pub stools, pies and scotch eggs galore. We're here for robust elegant cooking at The Grill, which thanks to great sash windows and soaring ceilings with intricate cornicing, must be a vision in the daytime. By evening, it’s deeply romantic - tapered candles illuminate date night couples, booths set in deep tiled nooks host celebrating groups, and a stretch of banquette seating and mesh curtain screens a busy open kitchen.

From behind this veil of modesty comes a mound of beef tartare. Tender and peppery, it’s crowned with aged Red Leicester, all piled high atop a knife-scraping, jaw-slackening hash brown. It’s preceded by a beautiful bit of baking: fluffy, salt-encrusted bread rolls with a funky sphere of cultured butter. As an opening salvo, both set the bar sky-high.

We’re still reeling as a just-charred pork chop arrives lounging in a sweet, almost fruity jus, matched with a velvety apple sauce. A hunk of cod is similarly well cooked, its skin crisp and flesh flaky, swimming in an aromatic curry butter that hits all the right herby notes. It dances perilously close to over-salted, but armed with an overflowing bowl of French fries, we’ve no complaints.

The Hero excels in the savoury realm, but as we dive into a powerful chocolate tart, it’s clear: this isn’t a one-trick kitchen. Draped in caramel and sprinkled with Maldon, there’s just enough whiskey to infuse a subtle burn to each bite and fuel us upstairs to The Library for live music and cocktails.

The Hero is a beautiful pub. Every dimension comes with real thought behind it, and while the barebones feel might suggest otherwise, The Hero comes fully furnished as a four-storey titan of first-rate hospitality. All that’s left is to toast its return.

The Hero, from the team behind Notting Hill’s The Pelican, will draw you back into the past with its nostalgic pub atmosphere - think log fires, candle light and cask ales. Though the Maida Vale venture’s decor may recall the past, The Hero’s menu is unafraid of the present, providing a mixture of British pub classics and refined seafood dishes.

Start your meal at the ground floor pub here with a selection of hearty pub snacks, such as pork scratchings, cheese toasties, and scotch eggs, or perhaps a seafood starter such as oysters or brown crab and cucumber soup. For your main, enjoy classics like ham, egg and chips or sausage and mash, or vegetarian options such as stuffed tomato or cheese and onion pie. The pub also hosts a range of events in a casual atmosphere, including games nights and life drawing.

Up on the first floor, The Grill Room serves meats and fish cooked on an open fire, in a conscious effort from The Hero to curate a distinct atmosphere on each floor of the building. You’ll be surrounded by high ceilings and minimalistic decor that will remind you of a forgotten ballroom (indeed, the building began life as a hotel in the 1870s), while watching the chefs at work in the open kitchen. For a post-dinner cocktail, head to The Library on the second floor, which hosts regular bartender-in-residence nights.

The top floor private dining room, available for sit-down meals as well as more casual drinks parties, offers an elegant yet cosy experience for all your special occasions in a stripped back country house-inspired space.

A Victorian throwback imbued with a modern refusal to compromise on good food, The Hero promises a traditional yet sophisticated pub and restaurant experience.