Heist Bank, 5 North Warf Road, Paddington, W2 1LA www.heistbank.com
Heist Bank is the new all-day hangout close to Paddington Station. Located just off the canal, they specialise in wood-fired pizza, beer, and cocktails, to bring a new experience to the area. We had the opportunity to head down to Heist Bank for a sneak preview of the menu before the official opening.
We started off with a selection of the starters, including cheese curd and olive savoury doughnuts, spicy nduja croquettes, and watermelon with labneh and toasted seeds. The cheesy doughnuts were the perfect mix of creamy cheese and salty olives – but be warned when biting into them when freshly delivered to the table that the scrumptious cheese filling is as hot as molten lava.
The watermelon, sliced into mini triangles as a homage to the pizza that we are sure Heist will become known for, is the perfect accompaniment to the doughnuts – a light and refreshing dish. The sourness of labneh, and the crunchiness of the toasted seeds are the perfect toppings for the watermelon.
Then for the main event – the pizza! Giant pizza boards were brought to our table offering a world of more cheesy delights (can you feel a theme going on…). We tried the lamb, preserved lemon, Brockley feta and rocket pizza (£10), and the smashed peas, courgette ribbons, mint, rosary goats cheese and pea shoots pizza (£9).
The combination of lamb and preserved lemons marries perfectly, creating a delicious pizza that leaves you wanting more and more. The smashed peas took us slightly by surprise – a cold topping on a warm pizza base! However, we were pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend giving it a go if you are looking for a unique and tasty vegetarian option.
Finally, we gave the ice-cream with ‘adult’ toppings a go. A creamy, refreshing ice-cream topped with a Pimms sauce. This was the only disappointing part of the meal with the Pimms topping tasting more like blended cucumber than anything else.
These were all washed down with some tasty cocktails, including gin and tonics made with Campari, a Scofflaw made with Evan Williams bourbon, dry vermouth, lemon and pomegranate syrup, and a Delicious Sour made with Somerset Cider brandy, peach liquor, lemon and egg white. However, if cocktails aren’t for you Heist Bank also offers 12 local brews on draft, from the likes of Magic Rock, Beavertower and Siren to name a few.
A light, airy restaurant with a modern feel, football and snooker table, this new Paddington hotspot brings a touch of hipster with delicious food to Paddington – definitely worth a trip down.