Hedone

Excellent technique, good and comforting flavours, with top notch ingredients come to the fore. This is very skilled cooking without any flamboyance. However it is pretty expensive at £95 for the shorter tasting menu. Wonderful wine selection, had a superb austrian red. Definitely worth a visit but be prepared to stump up a fair whack. The food is great and the service was competent with some personality.

Outstanding restaurant with a great setting where you can watch the chefs prepare the food. The cuisine has great depth and all dishes show great levels of sophistication and a greatly welcomed touch of acidity. Superb place and, in my opinion, the best restaurant in London.

Absolutely stunning food menu at Hedone. Some dishes are beyond amazing and combinations like foie gras, black garlic, miso and beet opens up new flavour registers. Potential of two stars if this quality, creativity and great craftmanship (fully on display for us customers) was kept throughout! One can only complain as a red wine lover to the state of tasting menus. The trend of way too young white wines with the pairings has gone too far. Two solid reds should be a minimum. I wish this restaurant continues to strive and then there's no limit how far it could go!

We went to Hedone with high expectations & to a large extent the restaurant met them. It's a some what eclectic ambience more reminiscent of a cafe than restaurant. We had lovely seats but some of the counter seating looked both distinctly uncomfortable and out of place in a restaurant this pricey. Overall, I walked away conflicted - truly spectacular creative dishes spoiled by minor details like the way they were served, the hit-or-miss quality of service and the high price. Dining out is a lot about the food of course but also about the experience and Hedone misses on the latter. I found that our experience is consistent with those of my friends which is disappointing because it would take very little to address them and deliver those inventive dishes in at atmosphere that could truly be relished.

A disappointing experience. Overall the service here is not bad but I feel the staffs are under training with Michelin one star standard. We had the prestige wine pairing (159£/person) and I feel the wine service here is not professional. First of all, they wouldn’t give you a taste before they serve you the wine. Secondly, they would not tell you why they chose the wine to pair with the dishes. Lastly, some of the wine for the prestige are stored in the refrigerator without any cap. Which could let the wine being decanted too much and lose its own flavour. Most importantly, the tastes of the wine did not go well with the dishes as well. I only had 3 white wines and stoped the wine pairing after that as I fell the dish would taste better without the wine pairing. For the food, the food quality dropped a lot comparing to last year when the chef Mikael Jonsson was here. The best course is the seabass but it is exactly same as the seabass from last year’s menu. All other dishes were just okay, not too bad. In terms of the price, The restaurant is too pricy. We spent 611 pounds for 2 person (105*2 tasting menu+35*2 extra course+159 wine pairing + 65 3 glasses wine pairing for me+ extra service and extra wine). I feel around 200-300 would be a fair price for the food and the service. Last week we spent 700 at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey and the ambience, service, food and wine pairing their was much better than this place. To sum up, I wouldn’t recommend this place. With the same cost you have much more choices such as the Ledbury, Restaurant Gordon Ramsey. You will gain a more satisfying experience at other place. The restaurant was incredible, but not for now.

This is a weird restaurant. It's location on the high street is incongruous, you're miles from fashionable East London or the poshness of Mayfair, you leave the traffic behind and you're sat at a generously proportioned table (far away from other people's, thank God) and on impulse go for the Carte Blanche menu with wine pairing which costs a month's rent... The food is outstanding. Every course produced a noise: a sigh, a moan, a gurgle. You just can't fault it. The wine was fabulous, although I would recommend getting a good bottle to save yourself a few hundred quid. The room lacks atmosphere, probably due to the fact everyone is moaning as they eat, which in itself creates an atmosphere. Go.

Perfect Michelin 1* restaurant can be found in London. Amazing experience with the reasonable wine list.

Great place and amazing food. Wine list too expensive and lack of new world wines

Hedone has an amazing resume: top 100 best restaurant in the world, 1 Star Michelin, great yelp reviews. All checked out! But my experience was a little underwhelming - there were misses, some of the dishes' presentation was a bit messy but did pick up and finished strong in the main courses. It is a small restaurant with less than 30 seats and the best seats would be the 4 bar seats overlooking the kitchen. Overall good experience but expected more.

We ordered the carte blanche menu which cost 135 quid per person. It has a wonderful beginning, the starter finger foods were absolutely amazing. The oyster with apple foam, asparagus and the scallops are delicious so I was excited about the coming dishes. I will never know that I don't eat sweetbread and rare pigeons cuz I don't know it will appear on the table. We tried really hard to be polite to eat the food, we really tried. It's a fancy idea to have a surprise menu, but if you apply something "strange" on the table, yoI better let people know it. I always think that Chinese people eat everything, but I was wrong. I will remember to tell the restaurant that I don't eat sweetbread and rare poultry when I go to a French restaurant next time. Despite the pigeon and sweetbread, all the seafoods are fresh and sweet. And the service is great.

There's a lot of praise for Mikael Jonsson who changed careers to become a self taught chef. The proof is in the execution of his courses. Why It's Hedonistic +'s: + Chef's Tasting Menu (£135) - for that price we experienced a memorable journey of ingredients and flavors mixed in an inventive way. It's the World's Best Restaurant #98 in 2017, #60 in 2016 and of course there's one Michelin star in the mix. That all says something. + Ingredients - sourced and prepared with much thought. Changes seasonally as it should and so going into detail about each course would be dated. However to illustrate the brilliance, I have to highlight the poached oyster combined with a cucumber sorbet. + Service - Water always filled. Wine pairings served timely with gracious pours. Explanations given without pretense. Even the chef came to pour us some wine and explained how he had selected it. + Ambience - We had a corner seat where we could survey the bar seating and tables. Very warm and intimate. Noise level tolerable. We couldn't hear anyone unless we strained our ears. + Location - We had to rely on the Tube. It's not far from Chiswick Station and about a 30' ride from the center of London. Why It's Too Safe -'s: - Not all courses were a huge success. For example the fish and chip rendition was a piece of fish that looked like a open-ended egg roll that could be dipped into tartar sauce. It didn't pop in my mouth even with the sauce. Having tried 2017 World's Best #7, #68 and #90, I can see why this is #98. Unlike any of the ranked ones we had tried, we actually saw the chef and could hear a little about his story. This is important to me since it's part of the experience.

We walked in with much trepidation as we held tightly on to our wallets. It was going to be a big dent in our pockets, but we had to; we just had to. A scorer on the San Pellegrino list, the Hedone star had been touted to be a high single star. Mikael Jonnson was present the entire time in the dining area, serving wine, courses and observing his team plate the courses as the evening went by. The amuse was an exquisite canapé with mushrooms and a carefully conjured white sauce with a delicate wheat base. Another hit was the coned avocado course with a bechamel or soubise like sauce filling and milder greens on the side. The rare pigeon with a delicious possibly bordelaise sauce to enhance the rarity of the bird, a side green and a roasted asparagus stalk was definitely the highlight of the meal. The meat was perfect, the presentation was astonishing. The desserts were sublime. A chocolate bar with raspberry ice cream; the chef's ingenious take on this classic. A 2013 Rully St Jacques, with a memorable density of fruit and a 2011 Marsannay were the most memorable pairings in the tasting menu. Mikael Jonsson is a genius, and you will pay the price of eating food from his perfected kitchen, especially if you go with the wine pairings. Somewhat expensive for a one star restaurant, but worth it, if this is the kind of stuff you like to splurge on.

I'm stating upfront that I never got to eat at Hedone so I can't comment on the food. This is my opinion based on my experience as detailed below. I rang the restaurant after my best friend was hit by a car while cycling and was in A&E. My objective was to reschedule the booking. The owner gave me no opportunity to make this request after explaining the situation, and told me "We have a strict cancellation policy that will be enforced". My experience with this restaurant is, in my opinion, only worth 1 star. I think this is poor customer service. In my opinion, some better judgement should prevail under extenuating circumstances. I would have happily rescheduled and found some way to compensate him for treating his customer with respect considering the circumstances. I'd like to think that empathy under the right circumstances is something everyone should be able to expect.

Chef Mikael Jonsson is the star of this story. A self taught chef originally a food blogger doing things his way with panache and grace. I applaud this man for his approach and attitude to food in general and while very serious about his food he has a certain playfulness and 'je ne sais quoi' in what he puts on your plate. If you get the chance and you have a group coming down then I recommend you hire the private room downstairs - I did just this for my birthday. And did it elevate the experience! An 10 course blind tasting. Each and every dish a delight and perfectly paired by the sommelier with some very rare and interesting wines taken from the glass wine cellar just behind our table. Admittedly we even took a break and popped in there and had a look round. Mikael's selection of wine was seriously impressive! One of my best food experiences I have ever had without question! Go there but bring your wallet!

One of the greatest pleasures as a Yelper is to share an amazing restaurant serving amazing food with fellow Yelpers. While not quite a complete secret due to it gaining a Michelin star in this year's guide, tucked away in the wilds of Chiswick in west London, Hedone is a little culinary beacon in London Now, envy is an ugly emotion but I have to confess and repent that I do feel envious of Hedone's Swedish chef patron Mikael Jonnson. He is living my dream! He had the guts to give up being a lawyer (and serious food blogger) and with no former classical chef's training, open his own restaurant. Even braver than that was to buck the trend and forge a new type of restaurant out of his food philosophy that the ingredient is absolutely king and there will be no compromise. Hence things like 2 pallets of vegetables from France every week It was fascinating to chat to him after service and to hear how he had to initially battle to convince some diners who didn't understand his ethos but even in his wildest dreams, I'm sure that he wouldn't have dared to imagine that he would garner a Michelin star only 18 months after first opening So, if like me, you get worried that there's no menu posted on the restaurant website, let me assure you the only reason for that is the menu changes constantly depending on the best produce that chef can lay his hands on. There is even a special menu offered for £95 per head where he will cook a bespoke meal for you. This will include quality ingredients that he could only source in such small quantities that the dish can't go on the main menu Anyway, I digress. Onto my experience at Hedone. Oh, by the way, the name is the restaurant comes from the Greeek word for enjoyment (hence the word hedonism) I was dining here with some foodie friends and as I arrived early, I was able to chat to the charming restaurant manager Aurelie, who came over from the Michelin starred La Trompette down the road. She set the example for her team of waiting staff, who gave us impeccable and freidnly service all evening In a growing trend, the kitchen is at the heart of the restaurant and I was happily able to persuade my friends that we should grab seats at the kitchen counter so as to watch the chefs at work. That also had the bonus effect of being able to chat loads to Chef Jonnson, which definitely added a special touch to our evening There were tempting dishes on the a la carte menu too but in the end, the £65 tasting menu looked yummy and great value Some canapes arrived no black slate - smoked mackarel tartlet, girolle biscuit topped with raspberry (I think) and a slice of foie gras between thin crispy wafers. Wow. Some fantastic flavours, which set the tone for the food to follow I also have to say a word in praise of the superb bread, which Chef Jonnson was taught to bake by his mum. It was un-put-downable - so good that I'm prepared to sacrifice good grammar to make the point! 1. Poached Irish rock oysters, Granny Smith, shallots Wow wow wow. The thick juicy oyster had a sublime texture, almost like a mousse which was perfect set off by the sweet apple and deep flavour of the shallots. I had to find out how the oyster had been cooked - in my experience, this texture was unique and I was unsurprised to find out that Chef Jonnson had invented the technique of cooking the oyster sous vide in its shell to achieve this 2. Slow cooked duck's egg, new season Luberon green asparagus The asparagus was made the star of the show with multiple preparations being brought together by the unctuous creamy duck egg which had again been sous vided 3. Scottish langoustine tails, 'fumet, kombu The photo shows that this dish was simplicity personfied - 2 shiny plump langoustine tails on a broth made from the cooking liquor and kombu, a Japanese seaweed. Nowhere for the chef to hide with cooking of this simplicity and that's the genius of this place. The ingredient was the star - sweet langoustine with umami laden sauce 4. Liquid ravioli Taking good advice not to burst the ravioli beforehand, we got the definition of flavour explosion in the mouth! 5. 55 days aged black Angus rib eye, Dauphinois mousseline, Chantenay carrots, caramelised ecalion Once again, with no compromise to showing the ingredient at its best, the wonderfully flavoursome beef came with fat attached and it was delicious! 6. Lemon variation Super zingy and balanced lemon tart with ice cream 7. Warm chocolate, powdered raspberry, Madagascar vanilla ice cream Very modern interpretation of this dish where the warm chocolate came out of a soda siphon and was perfectly paired with the raspberry and vanilla Although we had no space for coffee, we were sent off into the night with some petit fours - macaron, financier and home made marshmallow They have an amazing private dining room downstairs and with an eye on the bespoke menu, that would make an amazing evening's gastronomy This is one of London's unique fine dning destinations

According to his Wikipedia entry, the chef here used to be a lawyer. I think he read a precedent that stated: tasty food should comprise some ingredients, cooked, and flavored with either bitter, sweet, or sweet and bitter. Literally every dish (even dessert!!) followed that algorithm. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. It lacked soul. And for a meal costing over 260 GBP per head (their wine list has absurdly expensive mark-ups) I want something more than ingredients served with a by-rote intellectual formula.

A bit of a gastrotrek from central London... Yet, this is a unique enough restaurant to make the effort to visit for dinner. They might be open for lunch, but, I am not sure. With a cozy dining room, a nice selection of interesting dishes and wines to choose from, plus, excellent service, one can't go wrong here. The open kitchen adds a bit more excitement to the darkish-grey, dimly lit dining room. Further, if one was stuck at Heathrow, this place would make a good dining option nearby the airport. I made a reservation using Top Table, and got instant confirmation.

Superb! Every meal was impressive with different concepts and presentations. The amount of detail effort was impressive, couldn't stop taking pictures. I may have more pictures from this restaurant than all of London. Highly recommended! Worth the drive out of central London!

Items Received: Beet Root Cone - Beat Foam, Smoked Dill Fermented Rye Crisp, Old Winchester Sour Cream Fermented Buckwheat Crisp, Bone Marrow, Sturgeon Caviar Poached Oyster with Apple Foam, Apple Gelee, Violet Umami Flan - Bread Crumbs, Brown Bread Custard Bread and Butter Scottish Hand Dug Dived Scallop Sashimi, Cucumber, Seaweed, Japanese Emulsion Mediterranean Tomato Variation, Dill and Mustard - Gazpacho and Sorbet Turbot - Broad Beans, Fennel, Vinaigrette Supreme Lobster - Sea Weed, Coral Sauce Liquid Parmesan Ravioli, Smoked Onion Consomme, Mild Horseradish, Smoked Pancetta Black Angus - Sirloin, Carrots, Onion, Beef Emulsion, Vegetable Vin Jaune English Strawberries, Meringue, Hibiscus, Coconut Sorbet, Lemon Cream Warm Chocolate, Powdered Raspberry, Passion Fruit Jelly, Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream Pudding White Chocolate Macaron with Apricot Butter and Lime Bon Bon Caramel Located in the Chiswick area of West London and the recipient of considerable praise plus one 2013 Michelin Star a visit to Chef Mikael Jonsson's Hedone was amongst the most anticipated of my recent trip and although a trek through rain soaked streets may have dampened the experience in the literal sense it was the Chef and his team who figuratively did so as I dined carte blanche at the counter. Considered by local enthusiasts to be perhaps London's best gastronomic experience with a strong focus on sourcing and subtle manipulation of the season's very best it should be said from the start that a visit to Hedone is quite unlike the refined spaces of the UK's top tier and although strikingly casual to the point where children were allowed to tantrum at tables the service was far too rudimentary even for that, a clear frustration to Chef and Maitre D' who more than once snapped at staff eventually leading one young woman to break down in tears. Moving past the mood, one clearly stemming from a stone-faced chef who twice praised himself as being of "considerable skill" before lecturing me as to why a piece of stringy beef was "in fact, perfect" I can honestly say that much of what I tasted from the kitchen at Hedone was actually quite good yet even as both the vibrant tomatoes and opaline turbot wowed with precision before a briny ravioli in a broth of sweet smoke blew me away I simply cannot fathom a reason to return or recommend spending 180 minutes in a space so lacking in service or spirit no matter how 'considerable' the skill or serious about the craft.

Ok, we have eaten at famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey. This by far does not disappoint. The food is fantastic and the atmosphere is perfect. It is not intended to be kid friendly but you need to come here with a perfect person. It is not cheap but yet this quality does not deserve to be. If you want an experience, GO!!!

Drink: -No cocktail list, though they can accommodate classic drink requests. -The wine menu is predominantly French, though there are a few other International varieties to select. -Tasting menus can be accompanied by wine pairings for 59 (regular tasting) or 79 (Carte Blanche). -Knowing I had had quite enough wine the night before, I opted to simply order by the glass while he indulged in the pairings. -Every wine we sampled throughout the evening was spot on and accompanied by a thorough explanation by the chef himself Food: -The seasonal menu changes daily -On Friday and Saturday evenings, only tasting menus and carte blanche options are available (lunch time and other evenings you have the option of a 3 course meal) -The food is ingredient driven and has a definitive focus. By that I mean that the flavours are not muddled down with fancy-pants techniques or too many garnishes or components. When you get a dish in front of you, you know which ingredient is the star. Smoked Eel Lemon Tart, Parmesan Sable with Cherry, Foie Gras between Balsamic Sourdough Crisps A lovely welcome that felt quite similar to the one we had at Pollen Street Social. My favourite bite by far was the foie gras and tangy balsamic sourdough. Poached Cornish Rock Oyster, Granny Smith Foam and Shallots Massively plump oysters that paired nicely with the slightly sweet mildly acidic apple foam. And while I think it could have used something else to elevate the flavour of the dish, perhaps something with a little heat, it was still an enjoyable two bites. Mediterranean Tomatoes, Orleans Mustard, Dill and Yogurt Sorbet One of my favourite dishes of the night. The tomatoes were absolutely enchanting when paired with the tangy herbaceous sorbet and the touch of heat from the mustard. Hand Diver Scottish Scallop Cooked on its Juice, Seaweed Powder ( 10 pp extra) I am not really a fan of scallops that don't have a serious sear on them, so this wasn't my favourite dish. However, I must say that the preparation did allow one to appreciate the delicate sweetness of the shellfish. Liquid Parmesan Ravioli, Onion Consomme, Mild Horseradish, Pancetta Another favourite course, this one reminded me a lot of a dish we had at Alinea with a similar liquid filling. The combination of the super salty ravioli and the sweet and comforting consommé was an absolute dream. This course was paired with an unusual Orange Wine from Italy which had an unmistakable truffle scent that went nicely with the umami rich parmesan. Roasted Breast and Leg of Scottish Grouse, Smoked Potatoes, Blackcurrant, Foie Gras, Juniper A much better grouse than the one we had sampled earlier that day. The meat was tender and juicy, pairing beautifully with the bright berries, the fragrant juniper and the luscious foie. I was a bit confused by the potatoes, which just tasted like they had been boiled, but perhaps the dish needed something neutral to balance out the other big flavours. Roasted Breast and Leg of Squab, Beetroot Variation Beautifully cooked meat that paired nicely with the sweet beets, though I did find this dish a bit bland in comparison with the Grouse. Fresh English Blueberries, Rosemary Sorbet A fabulous example of how sometimes the simplest things can be the most incredible. The sorbet was intensely piney but in the most captivating way possible, and it paired so nicely with the sweet ripe berries underneath. Warm Chocolate, Powdreed Raspberry, Passion Fruit Jelly with Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream A truly stunning dessert. The bitterness in the chocolate was tempered by the acidic raspberry wafer and the creamy ice cream on top. I also loved the contrast in temperatures - warm molten lava type cake and chilly ice cream all separated by a thin delicious berry barrier. Raspberry Macaron, Financier and Chocolate Tartlette Always nice to end the meal with something sweet and that macaron was particularly dreamy. Salted Chocolate Caramel with our bill A lovely treat for the (kind of long) car ride home. Closing Remarks: -The bill for two tasting menus, one wine pairing, two glasses of wine and two teas was 289 ($470 Canadian). For the high quality casual yet professional service, in conjunction with the solid food and wine pairings, I would say it was well worth the price tag. -Sure, it's a bit of a schlep to Hedone if you're staying downtown in London, but I would absolutely make the trek again. It's a fabulous spot for a date, and a great example of an innovative meal that doesn't compromise the integrity of clean well executed ingredients.

We had an excellent meal at Hedone. My tip is go for the table / bar overlooking the kitchen for a great experience. The service was spot on - attentive without being suffocating, and they seemed genuinely interested in what customers thought. Each dish was executed perfectly and for 5 courses I thought the final bill of £170 for two (including two glasses of wine) was just right. The patron apologised for the hectic evening because they were a man down, not that you would have noticed such was their professionalism. I've no doubt that this restaurant will continue to get the plaudits.

Wow. Just wow. We came here for lunch for a friend's birthday. Fortunately it was a late lunch because the other half and I had a late night and the hangover wasn't great. It's also quite far from us, as one doesn't expect a fine dining in Chiswick, so after an hour and a quarter of traveling, we managed to roll in. It was a bit chaotic at first, there were a lot of people running around and we wanted to get the tasting menu, but it had to be ordered before 2:00 and time was of an essence. Luckily, we managed to get it in on time so we all opted for the tasting menu, and for an extra £10 we got the scallop dish too. The other half and I opted for the prestige wine pairing and the others glanced at the cocktail menu, but they opted for the wines of their choosing. The food was really spectacular. The homemade bread was absolutely scrummy, and I kept taking a slice every time they came around. Luckily, the removed our bread plates by the third course, or I would have just kept eating it. I couldn't decide whether the brown or white was better. Every dish was constructed in an interesting way and the flavors were spectacular. There was a dish made out of flavors and textures of onion, and I could have eaten so much more than I was given. In fact, all the courses were that way, as you finished it, you kept wishing you had a little bit more. The scallops were fantastic and cooked in such an original way, and the flavor came through strongly. The parmesan ravioli were awesome, and I could have eaten several more of them. The pigeon was glorious and the smoked potato with it was amazing. We opted for the cheeses as well, and there were a nice selection of them. Desserts were great. One was a tart and I wanted to lick the plate when I was finished. The warm chocolate dessert at the end was rich and spectacular. And the wines? Wow. Just wow. There were so many new and original wines that we got to try, and because there was no sommelier at the moment, the chef was coming out and talking to us in detail about what he was giving us. At one point he even changed his mind and completely changed our wine glasses. Awesome. He even had us guess what one of the wines was, and I think the chef was impressed with the other half's knowledge of wine. One of them was so good, we had to order a second glass of it. Hedone gives such an interesting food experience, that I am willing to head back out to Chiswick to go back. At one point the other half even mentioned he wished it was in Enfield, and I said it would be dangerous if it was as we'd be there way too often. If you decide to go, go with an open mind. It's non-pretentious. After telling the chef out amazing it was, he was humble and disagreed. The cooking techniques are different than usual. Scallops weren't served seared and there was a dish completely made of onion. It's not traditional, and if you're not willing to try new foods and new cooking techniques, this place might not be for you.

We had to check the pronounciation: it's Hedone to rhyme with Chardonnay, but really please don't let that put you off. My husband was a bit uncertain what to expect as no menu is featured on the website, this is because the dishes are prepared according not just to season, but what is good at the market on a daily basis. We opted for the seven course tasting menu at £75, both choosing the lamb rather than the squab. We were luckily enough to be served by a waiter we had met before at Medlar, who had also worked at Chez Bruce and La Trompette, so clearly a class act with good product knowledge. With a glass of champagne each we were served amuse bouches of foie gras with lime jelly, tuna tartare in a crispy savoury cornet in a bed of wild rice, and crab wrapped in avocado with pistachio mousse and green apple foam. The first course proper was soft cheese with umami, a crisp green sauce and frozen crumbled stilton. Next course was slow cooked duck egg yolk with apricot quenelle, shaved fresh almonds and girolles. The fish course was perfectly cooked sea bass with grapes, then came the superb liquid parmesan ravioli (just hold on the palette until they dissolve). The meat course was a huge piece of lamb, cooked pink with artichokes. the first desert was a raspberry dish with lots of different textures, finally a chocolate mousse layered with cranberry powder, topped with vanilla ice cream. Mister S took the coward's route and swapped the last two courses for selected cheeses. Amazing this was all produced in an open kitchen, which was the epitome of calm - quite an unusual sight. This was all quaffed with a couple of bottles of excellent Syrah, and we waddled home very happy!

This restaurant was truly outstanding, one of the best dining experiences of my life. Our reservation was a bit on the early side (6:30 on a Saturday night). When we arrived, we were the only table in the resaturant. Usually I hate that, but this time was different. We sat down, the head chef came over and greeted us, and asked us if we would like to do the "carte blanche" chef's choice tasting menu. We opted for this, and he asked us several questions about our likes and dislikes. He then personally made wine recommendations based on what he was going to bring out. When we ordered more wine halfway through the meal, he came out again and guided us on wine selections based on the remaining dishes. It was awesome! As each subsequent dish came out, I thought it was the best one yet, only to be further amazed. We had oysters, scallops, venison, pasta, canapes, crab, and a host of others I'm now forgetting. Every bite was perfection. This chef and restaurant have a big future. I implore you - GO THERE!!!

Easily one the very best restaurants on Planet Earth. Been twice now, and both times I was blown away by the quality, imagination, skill and presentation of absolutely everything. Lovely relaxed atmosphere, and delightful friendly service. This is a great place for special occasions!

Recently, I have witnesses more and more restaurants move away from rich, overworked dishes to simpler fare which highlights the quality of the ingredients rather than the ego of the chef. There is no better example than Hedone which if wasn't located in Chiswick would surely be more widely reviewed on Yelp and certainly more celebrated. We sat at the bar which directly overlooks the kitchen in which a small team of chefs, including Chef Patron Mikael Jonnson work industriously and quietly. This is for me the best place to sit as you can interact directly with the chefs and it is fascinating seeing your food created before your eyes. We opted for the tasting menu, although the lunch menu (£25 for 3 courses) looked to be of excellent value. I will not do a course by course review although the photos which I will post in due course will give an idea of what is on offer. At the center of each course was an immaculately sourced ingredient. For example, the beef is hand selected by Mikael from O'Shea's butchers and then aged for 55 days (or more!) to his specification. Consequently hearing other dinners exclaim that this is the best Turbot/Pork/Scallops/Beef which they have ever eaten is not surprising. Certainly, outside of France I have not enjoyed ingredients of the quality on offer here. The wine list currently has a French bias but will be expanded in the coming weeks with, apparently, more Italian wines being added. It certainly has some interesting wines on offer with expert guidance on hand if needed. More impressive than the list was the way in which Hedone dealt with a glass of Burgundy which we had ordered to accompany our squab main course. We felt that the wine was adequate (if subtle) but Mikael disagreed and after tasting the wine whisked it away and replaced it from a different bottle. We had not asked him to do so (or even raised it with him) but it seems that he would not be happy if anything sub-par is served to his guests. Dedication of that kind deserves acclaim and popularity. So get down to Hedone and enjoy some of the finest food you will find on these fair isles.

I'm not normally keen on fine dinning as I don't have the right taste buds for it, or just not the right knowledge of the ingredients. But having some very convincing and knowledgeable friends, I'm open to this food adventure ... once in a while. This was a true success. We went for lunch and had the taster menu. As there was a staff shortage we had THE chef Mikael Jonnson (the honour of it ... I nearly fainted like a Victorian heroine) serve us wine and share his considerable knowledge with us. It was just pure bliss. As I don't eat fish I asked to have two courses replaced by something else. The chef approached me directly and suggested other options, one of them with the words: "They will all be jealous!" And he was right. The pork belly was the star of the meal. At least for me. If you want to have a run down of the menu look at Yee Gan O.s review earlier on. He's so much better in explaining it. It was a great experience and the food was absolutely outstanding.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. This please is an excellent experience and should not be missed, the Michelin star is well deserved. Its small and cosy and the kitchen is visable from the whole restaurant so you can see what is going on. The only minor issue is that as the place is so small is that with the staff running around (providing an excellent service, no fault there) between the tables it felt a little disturbing with the constant running behind the back.

It was time to go back. Before we couldn't afford it! A Michelin star and a top 100 rating in the world's best restaurants is going to affect the prices sooner rather than later. This place is about to explode. So we got a Tuesday night booking and off we trotted. Memories of our last time there were some amazing highs with some patchy bits, a place that needed to iron out a few things. Well those problems have indeed been ironed out, for the most part anyhow. We went all out and had the taster menu and, although it wasn't without its faults for me, the whole thing was rather lovely. Starting with the bread. Sourdough as it should be. Burnt crust, moist middle, lots of irregular holes, lots of taste. I'm afraid that I kept taking as the bread basket kept coming. In the end I had to instruct them not to come any more or I might have had to forgo the last couple of courses. A joy, served with unpasturized butter and a little salt. Wish I could make my bread that well. Jealous. Needed to eat a whole loaf just to pick up tips innit. A couple of plump oysters to start, on an apple foam thing and decorated with a beautiful pansy. Personally I didn't like the apple and oyster combination at all, but the dish was expertly turned out and a joy to look at. Again, I prefer my oysters a little less fastidiously cleaned, I like to taste the sea. But I still appreciated the care that had gone into it. I wouldn't swap it for plain old oysters and a bit of shallot vinegar though. Next a wonderful dish of peas, morels, and accompanying sauces. There was a lot of juicy bite in the peas and lots of lovely textures and flavours throughout the dish. A good exploration, well turned out. Followed by langoustine tails in a thin broth. So sweet, so delicious. So Choc full of langoustine flavour was the broth we could smell it before it reached the table. Brilliant. Next, ravioli of liquidisers Parmesan. I'm not particularly one for liquidised this and frozen that. But this one got me when I bit into the ravioli. We were warned by the lovely waitress not to cut the ravioli or the liquid would run out so we popped one straight in and bit. BOOM! Explosion of flavour all over. These arent ravioli, these are mouth bombs, thats what matey the head chef should call them. There were four in a bowl. I could happily have eaten 20. Star of the show. Next, squab. Now my missus isn't a fan of pigeon. Flying rats and all that. So when this dish came with the feet still dangling off it, it was a bit of a challenge to get her to enjoy. I'm not bothered by that sort of thing but even I found the presentation challenging. Best just to gobble it all up so there's nothing to see. I hacked the feet off for her but the dye had already been cast. Great stuff. Double portions for me. It's a toughie with a bird like this. Chewy skin, dry meat, aggressive taste. But it was cooked beautifully and I enjoyed it, Although I have to say I found the accompanying chicken liver sauce a bit like wading through mud. All a bit too thick and cloying. The idea nicer than the actual eating. Onto puddings. A moussy number I can't really remember but I know I enjoyed. Followed by a fantastic biscuit with powdered raspberry on top which gave an amazing zing to it and offset the creaminess below perfectly. Really, very good - although I guess you can tell I'm not so bothered by the puddings in general. There was a lovely triumvirate amuse buche to start and another lovely trio to finish before they rolled us out like barrels. So, once again, some real high points to the cooking, and a couple of things I simply didn't like. But the execution was spot on most of the time. That's why it only gets 4 stars. That and the sommelier who seemed peeved that I wanted to choose my own wine at the start and couldn't be bothered after that. That, and the fact the bill came to £260. Two bottles of wine, granted. But they were two at the cheaper end of the menu. Also, the room doesn't inspire me particularly although I like that you can sit at a bar-like area and watch the kitchen staff busily working away. Quite exciting as you are literally sitting there with them, no window or wall to block you. Aspiring chefs and food nonses could certainly learn a thing or two and I would recommend sitting there. I certainly will if we go again which I will happily do as long as the fame and adulation don't hike the prices up further. It's certainly a real star and its brilliant that its in the slightly unfashionable gunnesbury area. But maybe with even more confidence they will ditch apple foams and muddy chicken liver sauces. Oh, and just to add, the service was informed and charming. They were only to happy to talk about the food but weren't too geeky about it all. Not too fawning either. Just the right balance, which can be difficult when a place has aspirations like this one.

After months of Hedone being on our next 'splash out' dinner list we were left wondering what the fuss was about. If you look at my previous reviews I'd like to think some of the places I've eaten stand me in good stead to critique a place like Hedone, but I was left a bit cold. Underdone game birds are certain to leave me unimpressed and overall it just had none of the polish places like L'Enclume have wowed me with.

I was invited for a dinner here as the place had started to receive good reviews back in April 12'. The food was good and very creative but nothing amazing when it came to taste. I would try it again but only if in the area.