Pioneering Chiswick restaurant Hedone has closed

Hedone, the pioneering Michelin-starred Chiswick restaurant run by Swedish food blogger-turned-chef Mikael Jonsson, has closed its doors on Chiswick High Road for good.

Swedish chef Mikael Jonsson has closed Hedone in Chiswick

As reported by Big Hospitality, Hedone closed last week. Jonsson said the closure was in part due to the physical and psychological toll running a world-renowned restaurant had had both on him and his business partner wife, Aurelie Jean-Marie-Flore.

Big Hospitality also reports that Jonsson had been struggling to make a profit due to the small size of the restaurant and the tiny number of covers it catered to.

Eater London reports that Jonsson had been planning on scaling back his work at the restaurant, and for the full tasting menu only to be offered twice a month.

Hedone opened in the west London borough of Chiswick in 2011 and held its Michelin star since 2012. It also made regular appearances on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Jonsson was diagnosed as being allergic to shellfish and raw meat as a teenager. In order to cook, he had to take cortisone injections to prevent asthma attacks.

A former solicitor, Jonsson began his food career as a restaurant blogger, writing reviews of his culinary experiences around the world on his website, gastroville.com.

Though he trained as a chef in Sweden, Jonsson had never worked in a professional kitchen prior to opening Hedone in London at the age of 45.

Soon after opening, the restaurant gained a reputation for Jonsson’s fanaticism for impeccable sourcing, quality ingredients, precision and painterly presentation.

Jonsson’s obsession with provenance and quality ingredients came across in his dishes, which were often deceptively simple to allow the produce to shine. Scottish Scallops came topped with a potato skin emulsion and beef juice, while 45-day aged beef from acclaimed London butcher Darragh O’Shea, was served with juniper-smoked potatoes.

His cooking was wildly inventive, playing with textures, temperatures and perceptions. He also gained a reputation for baking some of the best sourdough in London, which he sold at weekends at Dynamic Vines in Bermondsey.

“What distinguishes Hedone is the relentless focus on the highest quality ingredients,” said food writer Andy Hayler, who has eaten there 74 times.