Hamish MacBain enjoys fatted calf at new gastropub the Hero of Maida

“I was hoping the bright orange bratwurst would be so horrible I could make a ‘Love Island’ joke”
Smarter than your local boozer: the Hero of Maida
Hamish MacBain9 August 2018

Ambience 4/5

Food 4/5

The more London-literate among you may know that Maida Vale was named after the pub, The Hero of Maida.

The Hero of Maida, in turn, was named in honour of the Count of Maida, who garnered said counthood and subsequent namesake watering hole when his British expeditionary force opened up a can of whoopass on the First French Empire division during the Napoleonic Wars, outside the town of Maida in Italy.

Scintillatingly interesting stuff, I’m sure you will agree. But also, bar the name, very little to do with the new, just-opened Hero of Maida, that sits on the site of the closed-since-2016 Truscott Arms. Where that place very much honed in on the ‘pub’ aspect of ‘pub and dining room’, its replacement veers sharply towards the other end of that spectrum, with new additions to the upstairs dining area including a marble-topped bar, floor-length curtains, a giant chandelier, gold- studded chairs and an overwhelming air of much-more-poshness.

I was hoping the bright orange bratwurst would be so horrible I could make a ‘Love Island’ joke

The menu follows suit. High-end burgers and souped-up pub grub are out. French-influenced fare — calf’s brains, grilled onglet and suchlike — is in. The Hero is headed up by Henry Harris, whose much-missed restaurant Racine I have not-so-fond memories of, given that it was the site of my most disastrous-ever interview with a famous pop star. I do, however, remember the food, partly because I spent a fair amount of time hoping it, or the floor, might swallow me up but also because, even under trying circumstances, it was delicious. More recently, Harris has been responsible for The Coach in Clerkenwell, scene of much happier times for me, and rightly famed for its excellent Sunday roasts.

I ordered calf’s brains, black butter and capers as a starter. Our server raised her eyebrow in a manner that suggested I did not look like the sort of person who orders calf’s brains, black butter and capers very often, which is true. I mean, yes, I’ve seen them on menus before, and am some way from being vegan, but… cute little calf’s brains? My inner animaltarian, however, was soon silenced by the sheer delight of a soft texture somewhere between pork belly and perfectly cooked fish.

My girlfriend had the gazpacho, which was bright orange, beautifully chilled and, as far as I could tell from the small sample I was afforded, delicious. Next, by way of mains, came the calf’s liver and a choucroute alsacienne. In more bad news for calves, the former was also pretty wonderful: just tough enough between the teeth, concealing a strip of black bacon and served with the sort of smooth mashed potato that is really just showing off. Among the array of meats that came with the choucroute, meanwhile, was a bratwurst sausage so orange it could have camouflaged itself atop the gazpacho. I was hoping it would be horrible so that I could make a Love Island-related joke, what with Love Island just back on the telly in all its orangeness. It was sadly not horrible at all.

As a precautionary measure we had ordered sides of chips and buttered greens. Neither was necessary. The dishes at The Hero of Maida — evidenced also by those I saw at a neighbouring table — are substantial enough not to require augmentation. By the time the Maida Mess (strawberries, ice cream) and the crème caramel turned up, we were more than done. The latter, I was told, is ‘a Henry signature’, Mr Harris already befitting of first-name-only status as far as his staff are concerned. Even greater honours could very well follow. I mean, ‘Maida’ is a pretty crap name for a vale anyway, isn’t it?

The Hero of Maida

1 Glass rosé £6.25

1 Glass claret £8.25

1 Gazpacho £6

1 Calf’s brains £10.50

1 Choucroute £17

1 Calf’s liver £19.50

1 Chips £3.75

1 Buttered greens £3.75

1 Bottle white wine £33

1 Maida Mess £7

1 Crème caramel £6.50

2 Espresso £5.20

Total £126.70

55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 (020 3960 9109; theheromaidavale.co.uk)

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