Happy fourth birthday!

Wherever did the good people of Sheen eat out five years ago? Now they can choose from a growing array of serious eating places, including The Glasshouse in Kew and The Victoria in Temple Sheen, but both are relative newcomers. The accolade of 'pathfinders' goes to Pippa and Redmond Hayward. Redmond's opened its doors in 1997 and from the start has offered the intriguing combination of West End food and a comfortable neighbourhood setting.

To celebrate its fourth birthday (which probably equates to a 28th birthday in human years), the Haywards have commissioned a gentle refurbishment, which includes moving the bar to the front of the room and breaking up the seating with some strategically placed screens. If the builders do their stuff (and you spot a squadron of Gloucester Old Spots doing neat barrel rolls in the skies over Sheen), the reopening is scheduled for tomorrow.

The menu at Redmond's changes continually. Things have to be that way because Hayward cooks fresh, seasonal food. Technically he is very accomplished, and four years into the mission he is cooking better than ever. Dishes are still gutsy, flavours and textures are intelligently balanced, but the presentation is probably slightly simpler and less fussy than those far-off days of 1997.

This is all to the good. Starters like a summer salad of fennel, marinated artichoke, roast red pepper, baby spinach and cannellini beans show an astute understanding of 'what goes with what', and this is the kind of dish that is perfectly in tune with the season. Or how about a warm salad of calves' liver with a honey dressing, the peppery leaves just wilted by the heat of the dressing and the pink-cooked liver? Also excellent (a real contender for 'best-ever' in its class) is the brandade of salt cod which comes with an overcoat of smoked salmon and a lemon dressing - silky smooth, creamy rich and not too salty. Magnificent.

Main courses include mint, pea and broad bean risotto, roast fillet of sea trout with cauliflower pur?e, leeks and white truffle oil, and the gloriously simple pan-fried fillet of seabass, with a well-made sauce vierge, and a stunning accompaniment - crushed new potatoes with smoked salmon, chive and cr?me fra?che. This is the kind of dish that is easy to do but difficult to do well. The fish needs precise cooking, and the seasoning in the potatoes/smoked salmon combo is critical.

On a more elaborate note, roast marinated pigeon breasts with soft thyme polenta, seared foie gras and balsamic is a triumph. If you are among the many thousand gastronauts who have never been able to see the point of polenta, this dish may be a life-changing experience; ponder your viewpoint as you tuck into the gentle, even-tempered, luxurious pur?e. The grain- mustard mash which comes with the pan-fried duck breast, Puy lentils and port sauce is very nearly as good.

Puds are equally considered: strawberry, blackberry and spearmint sorbets; praline parfait with almond tuille and chocolate sauce; summer pudding with clotted cream. There's also a commendable array of cheeses from Neal's Yard which are all well-ripened.

In past incarnations, Redmond Hayward has had a Michelin star to his name, and you have to wonder why he hasn't got one at Redmond's, especially as in his fourth year he is as good as ever.

Redmond's
170 Upper Richmond Rd West, SW14 8AW