Mikael Jonsson revealed as chef behind Antidote Wine Bar
The Swede has been brought in to instil ‘a bit of the Hedone ethos’ into the food offering at the Newburgh Street-based wine bar and upstairs restaurant, with Chris Johns - the former senior sous chef at L'autre Pied - coming in to deliver the new food.
Jonsson told BigHospitality’s sister title Restaurant magazine: “I’ve always loved the site and I’ve known the owners since I opened my restaurant. They had been talking for quite a while about doing a refurbishment and trying to re-launch the venue with improved dishes.
“They approached me and I was happy to get involved. I have a vision in my head of what I want to do with this place but it might change depending on how people respond to it.
“It’s like doing a second restaurant without having all of the hassle. We have a great kitchen team now as well.”
VIDEO: Antidote Wine Bar
In the below video, two of Antidote's owners, Thierry Bouteloup and Guillaume Siard, discuss the ethos they initially put in place at the venue.
Winning formula
Former lawyer and food blogger Jonsson saw his Michelin-starred Hedone restaurant in Chiswick make its debut on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list last year (placed 70th), as well as climbing 38 places in the 2013 National Restaurant Awards to take 14th spot.
At Antidote – which closed for the refurbishment on 12 January and re-opened under a soft launch two weeks ago – Jonsson said the food will indeed take some inspiration from Hedone’s successes (scroll down for Antidote's new menu).
“We’re doing food similar to what we did at Hedone a couple of years ago, but with some cheaper ingredients,” he said. “I’ve explored many new things in my career and I’ll be using a lot of what I’ve learnt for this new venue, but it will have the same ethos as what we’ve been doing before – pure, delicious food.
“There’ll be some classic dishes with a modern twist. There’ll be two different offerings – in the wine bar, it’ll be small plates such as foie gras and various charcuteries. Upstairs, the restaurant will incorporate a ‘Menu du Marché.
Knead to know
Antidote is also now serving up a range of artisanal breads produced from Jonsson’s very own bakery, situated downstairs at Hedone. This is the third venue in London to stock the bread, along with Hibiscus and Wild Honey.
“The bread’s been really popular,” added Jonsson. “I’ve got a long list of restaurants who want it.”
Antidote Wine Bar will offer a small selection of dishes for lunch, while a four-course set menu will be available in the evening, priced at £40 (see below). Jonsson added that this is likely to change again in the future, with the addition of a few more options.
Antidote is now open at 12A Newburgh St, London.
