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The Hero of Maida, W9
W9
W9 2JD
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Hero of Maida
Heavily gastroised,this street corner pub will always be popular with diners,and the very high ceiling and little in the way of wall decoration together with a wooden floor creates a noisy atmosphere where most punters seem to shout in order to be heard.Candles on each table seemed unnecessary while there is a first floor dining room if you want a calmer atmosphere.The seating is around the perimeter with two wings away from the bar which appear the best place to sit and sup.
Three handpumps offered Timothy Taylor Landlord,Sambrook Wandle and Tiny Rebel Cwtch (not on great form).Nothing special here,there are more interesting pubs not far away.
On 6th January 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Hero of Maida
Reopened a few days ago as The Hero of Maida, taking its name from an Edgware Road pub of the same name which closed in 1992. The eponymous hero was Major General Sir John Stuart who defeated the French at the Battle of Maida in Italy, 1806.
As before, this is quite a grand affair but sensibly restrained - they could really have gone over the top here. As I recall, it's little different from before, probably to save money but also because the paint had barely dried on the former refurbishment before it closed. The exposed brick fireplaces still lack real fires which is a shame and there's an attractive zinc bar top. The polychromatic encaustic bar apron is still in situ, original or not I can't tell and the floor is covered with bare oak boards. The lower walls are dark grey field panelled, white paint above to the white ceiling with its ornate roses and recessed downlighters. Simple spherical lamps hang from the ceiling above the bar and further lighting is contemporary. Tables are basic and wooden; furniture consists of green leatherette banquettes to much of the periphery and wooden chairs with studded red leatherette. A multitude of prints of every kind of photograph hang from a wall and the pub's frontage can concertina open to afford a view of the estate across the road to the accompaniment of traffic noise which competes with the muted music on the stereo. There's a decked, two-tiered garden with unlit steps to challenge the drinker at night. Finally, lavatories are very modern but equally very small.
Ales: Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Adnams Ghost Ship and Thornbride's Jaipur at a relatively reasonable £4.40 a pint and very good too.
This is a decent place, better and slightly more homely than the previous incarnation though certainly no boozer. It does however probably have the best and least expensive ale selection in the W9 area, so that's worth something.
On 9th May 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Truscott Arms
Bright and airy gastro-pub with large windows, a high ceiling and light decor. 'U'-shaped bar with tables in a mix of sizes, supplemented by a few benches out front and a split-level decking / patio beer garden to the rear. Relaxed atmosphere. Wandle, Moncada Notting Hill Blonde (£4.40) and Redemption Big Chief available from three of four handpumps.
On 3rd May 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Truscott Arms
Built in 1878 as the Shirland Hotel the Truscott Arms now functions a Craft beer Gastro pub. Never visited in any of its previous guises so can’t judge if this version is an improvement or not. It’s not the type of place I would personally choose to linger for an evening, as the minimalist décor and liberal use of Farrow and Ball pastel shades with an overuse of Grey, especially on the outside, make it a fairly characterless sterile place. However on the plus side the large windows do make it bright and airy.
But a very good beer offering from the new wave of London breweries, both craft and cask, and an interesting bar food menu (the full Gastro menu is served in the restaurant section upstairs) , makes it worth a visit.
As previously mentioned one end of the bar has four ale pumps which had Redemption Trinity, Sambrooks Wandel , and Moncada Notting Hill Blonde, along with one from the Hackney Brewery available if I remember correctly. And at the other end were banks of craft ale taps with a focus on Camden and Meantime brewery offerings. I stuck with the Redemption Trinity, which was well kept, but the other half tried the Meantime Yakima Red on the only grounds that she wanted to see a red beer. For the record its more amber than red , but a decent hoppy brew.
There is also a small courtyard garden outback, but this was being renovated when we visited , with new decking being laid.
So more restaurant focus than pub, when compared to the Craft Beer Co. outlets, but still good to see a former Victorian boozer still functioning with a focus on London beers.
On 19th May 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2122 recommendations about 2001 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Truscott Arms
The previous poster sums up this one rather nicely, but I would add one or two points. The ales on handpump yesterday were Truman's Runner, Sambrook's Wandle, Redemption Hopspur, and Moncada Notting Hill Blond. The Moncada Blond was in excellent shape, but served in a dimpled pint mug, with no choice given although they did have straight glasses. There were also numerous keg fonts with offerings from breweries such as Camden and London fields. Not sure of the price of a pint, but my pint plus Mrs R's pineapple juice was £5.50. So, not particularly cheap. Food in the bar area was fairly limited, and at different ends of the scale they had sausage and mash for 10 (the menu didn't say so but £ presumably) and biltong for 4.75. Food led pubs don't stint on the adjectives, so I think they might find room for a £ sign.
The main room takes minimalism to new heights, with just one mirror and two chalkboards as decor. One board had the bar menu, but the other, rather bizarrely just had on it "now the letters are just right".
Although I found this pub rather uninteresting and clinical, lacking in warmth, I did find the barmaid quite friendly when we were talking about things like the bar counter top (pewter I think) and she kindly took us upstairs to have a look at the restaurant and its impressive ceiling decor. Although this is not the sort of pub that I would usually frequent, the ale selection is good, and on the basis of a single pint so is the quality.
On 17th April 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Truscott Arms
Once the Shirland Hotel and now recently reopened as the Truscott Arms, etymology unknown. Perhaps named after the eponymous clairvoyant?
This is quite a spacious corner pub with a central bar, high ceilings, some original mosaic flooring and several floors employed for other activities such as private hire and dining. The interior is contemporary with paint no doubt supplied by Farrow & Ball, all accompanied by a muted jazz soundtrack; mercifully there was no TV. Opposing end chimney breasts are bare brickwork with empty fireplaces. There is also a decked garden to the rear. The lavatories were very good, but then they were brand new. The pub is quite food led with ordinary dining undertaken at table; there's no area devoted solely to dining at ground floor level so thankfully one feels as if one is drinking in an actual pub for once and not in a restaurant which sees serving beer as an inconvenience. Tables are mixed in size ranging from small for an intimate tête-à-tête to large for groups.
This pub also seems serious about its real ale. I counted about 12 pumps and taps mainly serving beer from the Camden Town brewery, and one premium cider; in fact I didn't see any evidence of lager or stout, not even in bottles. The menu is gastro but restrained; one gets the impression that this is first and foremost a drinkers' pub. However, on my visit in late March, English asparagus was on the menu. Really? I'd love to know where they get English asparagus in March...
In general I liked this pub (though the staff were rather average) and would certainly come here again if in the area, particularly with a large group but probably only if I couldn't get a seat in the Warrington; this place is superior to the Elgin up the road and far better than the Red Squirrel around the corner. Some extra décor to make the place a little more homely wouldn't go amiss as the interior's a little barren and it would be nice to see the fireplaces in use, even with gas-effect fires.
On 9th April 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Idlewild
Imagine what a pub would be like if that posh nob Raef Bjayal from last years ‘The Apprentice' was to open a bar and you've got this place down to a tee. Black leather on the furniture and the walls painted matt black with gold picture frames hanging up with no pictures in them, just black wall peering through. Silver trays lying behind the bar waiting to be used for change delivery and enough limes to go into direct competition with Del Monte.
Of the three ale pumps two were unused and the Honeypot on the other had given up the ghost. I should have stuck to the lager of which there was a selection of premium and standard.
A boozer this aint.
On 13th March 2009
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]