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The Grill at The Hero

Restaurants

Jason Allen 08/08/24


The Hero

The protagonist of this story is The Hero.

And the story goes back almost 150 years, when an inn was first built on the site in Maida Vale. After several iterations (including a gastro from the amazingly talented Henry Harris), we’ve finally settled on The Hero – and this one comes to us from the same people behind The Pelican, which rapidly soared to the upper stratosphere of Notting Hill’s best pubs when it opened back in 2022. So, we might just be looking at the best chapter so far.

The Hero

It’s a short stroll from Warwick Avenue station, just beyond the elbow of the canal (you could easily detour to take in Little Venice while you’re there). You’ll spot it from the throngs of drinkers and their dogs spilling onto the pavement outside. And when you step inside, you’ll immediately recognise that this is a cousin of The Pelican: the ground floor is a warm, inviting space steeped in woody tones and lined with tufted leather banquettes. There are candles on the tables, and a working fireplace (for the colder months) set into the brick hearth.

The Hero

Aside from brews on tap and a surprisingly decently-priced wine list, you can grab a bite down here too. The pub menu leans heavily in the direction of traditionalism. Ham, egg and chips? Yep. Sausage & mash? Of course. Cock-a-leekie pie? That one’s almost too traditional for most pubs, but they have it here. And thanks to the skills of head chef Ed Baillieu, it’s nostalgic without ever being boring.

But if you really fancy a proper, sit-down meal? You’ll want to head upstairs to the newly-unveiled Grill.

The Grill at The Hero

Climbing the stripped wooden staircase at the back of the pub, you’ll emerge into an intimate dining room with beautiful, lofty ceilings. Like the rest of the pub, it’s had something of an ‘unfurbishment’: everything, from the sash windows to the moulded plaster cornicing, has been stripped back to its bare bones.

A long counter runs along one side of the room to shield the open kitchen on one side, and provide a run of banquette seating on the other. Enormous windows drench the room with natural light, filtered through gauzy linen blinds, and Delft tiles cleave the space below into expansive, curving booths. In short, it’s a looker, and there’s just the right number of covers to suffuse the space with a pleasant, buzzy murmur.

the grill at the hero

Baillieu’s put together a menu up here that focusses on cuts of fish & meat scorched over an open fire, with a supporting cast of raw dishes and seasonal veg. It’s worth hashing out your game plan with your server, since the starters are on the smaller side (so you can sample a couple), and the sides are extremely generous, even to share. Luckily, you’ll have a warm, puffy bun of next-level bread to slather with salted butter while you consider the menu.

To kick off, you might try the sardines on toast – plump, slippery, and dressed with just the right amount of oil, salt and lemon – or clams cloaked in smoked butter, beef tartare with hash brown, or a platter of freshly shucked oysters.

artichoke pie, the hero grill

Scaling up, there are mains portioned both for one, and for two to share. In the solo corner: monkfish with runner beans, beef fillet & creamed spinach, and a Jerusalem artichoke pie encased in some of the most beautiful, chewy-flaky pastry that’s ever been crafted south of heaven itself. We’d bet good money, then, that the duck pie is the smart order for two, but you can also share a pork T-bone, a hefty rib-eye steak, or flame-kissed brill swimming in brown butter.

To finish up, there’s a tight list of (wisely restrained) desserts – no colossal sticky toffee puds up here. Instead, you can choose from a zippy lemon tart the colour of egg yolk, lightly blowtorched to give it a lacy, crème brûlée style finish; gooseberry burnt cream; and a light Eton mess. There’s a neat little list of dessert wines, armagnacs and eaux de vie to explore, too.

lemon tart, the hero grill

The Grill’s open on soft launch until 11th August (with literally a handful of tables left) before full service kicks off. But if they continue on this trajectory…

…the neighbourhood will surely give them a hero’s welcome.

 

NOTE: The Hero is open now, with The Grill open on soft launch until 11th August. You can find out more, and book, on The Hero’s website.

The Hero | 55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD


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The Hero


55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD

0203 432 1514

9.0 | Amazing