The Hero of Maida, W9

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.

Official site of The Hero of Maida - theheromaidavale.co.uk

Official site of The Hero of Maida - theheromaidavale.co.uk

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.

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.

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.