Friday Night Dinner: The Hero
=============================

.. articleMetaData::
   :Where: 55 Shirland Road, London, W9 2JS, United Kingdom
   :Date: 2026-06-18 18:50 Europe/London
   :Tags: blog, fnd
   :Cuisine: British
   :Short: the-hero
   :URL: https://theherow9.com/
   :Costs: Snacks/Starters: £6–£15; Mains: £25-£62.5; Wines from £40
   :Rating: 4
   :Author: Derick Rethans

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.

.. carousel::
   :name: the-hero
   :directory: https://s3.drck.me/derickrethans-images.s3.uk.io.cloud.ovh.net/friday-night-dinners/
   :the-hero-1: Fishfinger Bun
   :the-hero-2: Pork Pie
   :the-hero-3: Barnsley Lamb Chop
   :the-hero-4: Butterflied Mackerel