As Stratford Cross continues to glide into its freshly hewn groove, a spat of new restaurant openings have upped the area’s foodie credentials considerably over recent months.
Most impressive of all is the sizable double-height dining room of HERA, which instantly wows with its epic, illuminated back bar, plentiful plush banquette seating, with glowing pendant lights and chandeliers, airborne all around.
The room instantly holds promise to whisk diners on a journey to another place for the next couple of hours, although that destination will feel more akin to a twinkling Dubai beachfront than a modest Greek island one.
Regardless, the food that guides us there is simply fabulous. The small plates format gives full permission to over order without censure, so we proceed gingerly.
The recommended honey drizzled angle hair feta saganaki, a smoky grilled aubergine with zatar, and rich beef meatballs get things off to a strong start, especially alongside a selection of superior breads with which to mop plates with enthusiasm.
Raw sliced yellowfin with mandarin ponzu swerves wildly out of Mediterranean waters, but is a delicious dish regardless, while my house ‘Hera’ cocktail continues the globetrotting fusions, muddling in the Greek staples of cucumber and yoghurt with a punch of Asian lemongrass.
Of our mains, rosy lamb chops faultlessly sit in the zone where juicy meets seared, orzo seafood pasta, with some plump clams atop, is heavy on the olive oil decadence, and the grilled octopus would be buttery enough alone, but with the accompanying whirl of fava bean dip, is turned into one of our favourite plates of the evening.
A very quaffable Feudo Arancio Grillo from Sicily keeps the momentum going as our food slowly but surely disappears. It’s a quiet rain-squalled Sunday night outside, but this tall room still holds a warming intimacy, where the other diners can remain out of earshot despite tables filling up.
The owners have great ambition for the place, our waitress tells us, as she indicates the sizable outdoor terrace that will add even more covers to the proceedings once sunshine is assured.
Since our visit, a monthly Friday Greek Carnival Night has started, offering goddess-themed dancers, a live band, and a complimentary cocktail on arrival, for a more upbeat end to the week. HERA is determined to make a big impression in every way, and luckily, with talent in the kitchen, it delivers on the grand promise of its surrounds.
As we return to the realities of windswept Westfield and some patchy end-of-weekend travel options, our meal has indeed swept us elsewhere for a little while, a mini-splurge well worth indulging in for a touch of occasion.
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