The first - and only - problem you may have with The Hempel, a bijou boutique hotel a stone’s throw from trendy Notting Hill, is finding it. If you beetle determinedly along to Craven Hill Gardens from Bayswater tube, you will rapidly run out of numbers. The confusing road layout means that the Gardens meander round corners and on either side of the main drag.

The Venue
Once located, however, renowned designer Anouska Hempel’s temple to Zen is worth the weary traipsing. As you stagger, heaving sighs of relief, into the hotel’s discreet entrance, you will first be confronted by an elephant. Not lifesize, you understand, but big enough. And bejewelled. The Hempel is taking part in the Elephant Parade 2010, a conservation campaign for the endangered Asian elephant. And more than 250 painted and decorated elephants can be found all over the capital, all of which are up for auction. And where better to start an elephant hunt than The Hempel?

The Atmosphere
If you partake of a pre-dinner snifter in the bar, the final traces of hotel-hunting stress will melt away. The Zen decor is calming and the ministrations of the warm and friendly staff will smooth the most ruffled of feathers. Fires burn merrily in their minimalist hearths - also a feature of the elegant reception area - and subdued lighting and candles add to the soothing ambience.

This extends to the dining room, and the only criticism of the restaurant itself is that it is on the small side and less than romantic. However, if you are lucky to get a seat by the window in the summer, it will be far more conducive to wooing.

The Food
And talking of wooing, this is food to fall in love with. Chef Michael Carter has cooked under several Michelin star-holders and spent two years working in Japan. No 35 - and you, the diner - is lucky to have him. He understands flavours and how to marry unusual ingredients. An amuse bouche of Roquefort foam with pear puree is so much better than it sounds - who could have guessed that cheese-flavoured foam could be quite so delicious? For starters, a salad of Dorset crab is served with finely sliced, crispy chorizo, flaked almonds and a puree of avocado. For £9.50 it is not an enormous portion, but the flavours, separately and combined, are superb. Similarly, warm duck confit with spiced lentils and peach puree (£8.50) is a masterpiece.

The mains - pan-fried sea bream and rump of lamb - are equally accomplished. The bream (£19) is perfectly cooked and the crushed potatoes with tomatoes and olives are tasty but not overpowering. The dish comes with asparagus and a saffron sauce, although the latter is not much in evidence - soaked up by the potatoes, perhaps. A smoky aubergine puree acts as a splendid foil for the sweet lamb (£18), which is served pink and accompanied by tomato couscous, which works with the aubergine as well as the meat.

When it comes to puddings, No 35 really excels. More foam arrives: a pre-dessert, but this time a voluptuous billow of marshmallow and passion fruit puree. While a creme brulee served with raspberries and hazelnuts (£7.50) is luxurious, the mango parfait (£7.50) is spectacular - quite possibly the best pudding you will ever eat. It comes with a cloud of coconut cream, berry tea jelly and mango puree. All the elements are divine, but combined they ascend to the heavenly.

The Drink
With a glass of Petit Chablis costing £10 and cocktails - the list of which is lavish - at £8.95 to £12.95, drinking in No 35 could prove pricey. But also on offer is a perfectly quaffable Flamingo Bay Chenin Blanc at £24 and the house Champagne, a Taittinger, is not unreasonable at £50. As well as a Flamingo Bay red also at £24, the list includes a Chilean Pinot Noir for £28.

The Last Word
No 35 is, in every sense of the word, a find, and so is its chef, Michael Carter. The hotel and its environs are stunning - the pretty private garden opposite, where Michael has a herb garden, features in the movie Notting Hill - and the staff are charming. It’s not cheap, but is well worth a visit as a treat.

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