Not far from Baker Street station, on the named street itself, is a whole row of more down-to-earth eateries. Pho is one of them, specialising in Pho, a Vietnamese broth. It has more of a café lunch vibe, than an evening dinner vibe, but that doesn't mean they can't crack out tasty dishes for dinner.

We were sat in the back, with some 90s golden oldies playing as tunes.

We shared a starter of pork spring rolls, served with a nước chấm sauce. We thought it would be more authentic than a peanut sauce. The rolls came at the same time as our mains, and very quickly after ordering. For her main, my wife had a green papaya salad, with prawns. I enjoyed the phở xào — wok fried noodles with lemongrass, chilli, and Asian greens — served with chicken and prawns. They were both well flavoured dishes, although the chopsticks made it a bit of a challenge to eat leisurely.

Pho was a quick and tasty meal, but nothing particularly exciting. Maybe we can try their actual phở in winter time.

We became aware of this places through an article that said that Monica Galetti, from Masterchef and Mere fame, took up the role of trustee and head chef of the charity that runs this restaurant. 130 Primrose isn't just a restaurant, but it's a charity built on a social-impact fine dinging model by using hospitality as a pathway into employment for people with experience of homelessness.

When we arrived, we had the choice of a few tables, and sat down at a table on the ground floor with loads of light and soft furnishings — too many pillows, really. It is a cosy space, and looks really inviting. But we were here for the food.

For our starter, we shared a baked Camembert with rosemary, honey, and picked mixed fruit. We used a serving of sourdough to scoop up all the lovely gooeyness.

Mains wise, my wife selected the pan fried bavette steak, service with a black and green peppercorn sauce. The peppercorn sauce really did pack a punch.

I had the pan fried sea bass, which came with very crispy kale, and a brown butter caper sauce, with some extra crispy shallots. A roasted bit of fennel on the side elevated the dish. We shared a side of green beans.

After our mains, we were not quite satisfied, and therefore shared a creamy pistachio cheesecake to finish our meal. This was rich with pistachio flavours, and had some good texture too due to the crushed nuts.

With our meal, we enjoyed a bottle of a Portuguese white wine, which complimented most of our dishes well.

We enjoyed our time at 130 Primrose. The food was great, the ambience nice, and the service excellent. Definitely something to recommend if you're in the neighbourhood.

The Hero has had many names in the past: idlewild when I moved into the area 15+ years ago. Via the Trustcot Arms, and The Hero of Maida, it now operates under the name The Hero.

It's a delightful pub, attracting a younger crowd on the ground floor, with two more floors above doing dinner. We had a table on the top floor, dubbed the Library, which provided a more relaxed setting than the busy hubbub of the pub below.

Both of us chose a bar snack as a starter. My wife had a fish finger roll. The roll was a lovely soft and sweet bun. The fish fingers were hand-made and resembled smaller versions of the fish in "fish and chips". The tartare sauce added some salt and sourness to it. I had the pork pie as a starter. The pork was well seasoned, and the pickled cauliflower and green bean parts added some nice and sharp sourness.

Four our mains, I enjoyed a Barnsley Chop — succulent lamb on the bone with a mint and lamb sauce. It was server with sweet and tender carrots. My wife had a whole butterflied mackerel on the bone from the special menu. It was well cooked, and served with a tomato sauce — which she thought was slightly too salty.

A bottle of a white Ochoa Blanco complemented our meal well.

It's a little on the pricier side, but the food at The Hero was excellent, and the staff friendly and competent. A worthwhile upgrade to the neighbourhood.