5 Dishes to Try at The Hero

The Hero in Maida Vale is one of the most beloved pubs in the Public House Group stable, known for its dreamy interiors, cool clientele and top-notch cooking. Head chef Jack Williams, formerly of Westerns Laundry, Primeur and Jolene, changes his menus with the seasons – of course – but here are five of his favourite dishes to try right now.

Try them all – with 50% off food on the CODE app.

Fish finger roll

This is the perfect snack to have with a pint. Fish finger sandwiches are my favourite thing to eat when I’m not at work, though the one I have at home isn’t as nice as The Hero’s. Ours is on a lightly toasted brioche bun, with a nice fresh tartare sauce with lots of fresh herbs in there, a light beer batter, and some shredded lettuce. The fish changes depending on what we can get, so often it’s pollock, cod or gurnard.

Lamb & anchovy salad

This is a sort of Caesar-esque salad with lamb, gem lettuce, and quite a punchy anchovy dressing made with Old Winchester cheese, a British version of Parmesan. We confit and press lamb belly into little pieces which we breadcrumb and fry so they’re super crispy but super soft inside, like little lamb nuggets. It’s quite rich for a salad so there’s picked mint and capers in there for pops of freshness. 

Grilled asparagus & hazelnuts

We have asparagus on the menu from the start of the season until it’s done. It’s one of the best British ingredients; some people might disagree but I’d say British asparagus is probably the best asparagus in the world. We have a big charcoal grill in the kitchen so we grill it on that until it’s nice and tender, and serve it with a light hazelnut emulsion made of lots of slow roasted hazelnuts for a really rich flavour.

Grilled pollock, bacon & beans

Pollock is not the most fashionable fish but it’s super sustainable. I really love the texture; it hasn’t got a really strong flavour but it takes on other flavours very well. We grill it on the skin side to get a really nice crispy skin and a bit of flavour from the charcoal, then we just drop it into stock made from the pollock bones and some smoked eel bones which are a bit of a byproduct from the smoked eel egg mayonnaise on our bar menu. It comes with a little warm salad of bobby beans, beautiful organic hispi cabbage, a big handful of fresh herbs.

Rhubarb & custard bun

Rhubarb and custard is one of those timeless combinations. Again, like asparagus, rhubarb is one of the things we can claim to have the best in the world of. I personally prefer the outdoor-grown stuff when it’s in season. It’s a really classic English flavour combination, with a lovely vanilla custard, lightened up with a bit of whipped cream, poached rhubarb and toasted almonds. If I’m having dessert, I want it to be rich and sweet and decadent.