Ah eating outside, is there anything nicer? Well yes, but not on a family website. We are collating places to snack in the great outdoors so read on and see which ones stir your suncream.
Almeida
Almeida restaurant has launched its new al fresco terrace area with the installation of French windows opening out onto the pavement. Just off Islington’s Upper Street and overlooking the renowned Almeida theatre, the terrace is the perfect spot to enjoy a pichet of wine with a selection of petits plats. Inside, Head Chef, Alan Jones, serves modern French cuisine with an emphasis on light, seasonal dishes such as Pan fried sea trout, baby fennel, sauce vierge and Barbary duck breast, creamed spring greens, smoked bacon, pepper sauce.
30 Almeida Street, London N1 1AD Tel: 020 7354 4777
Le Pont de la Tour
Le Pont de la Tour offers one of London’s best riverside terraces with views overlooking Tower Bridge and the city beyond. Displaying an array of shellfish and seafood, the Crustacea Bar offers diners a lighter alternative to the à la carte menu. Guests can choose their crustacea from the bar and dine on the banks of the Thames. To celebrate the restaurant’s 18th birthday, Head Chef, Lee Bennett, is offering a special celebratory seafood platter for £18, consisting of brown shrimp, oysters, whelks, Atlantic prawns and Cherry Stone Clams, and available until the end of August. Also on offer are 18 oysters for the price of a dozen, available until 12th June. Both offers can be enjoyed on the terrace as well as in the Bar & Grill. Guests should quote ’18th birthday’ on booking.
Le Pont de la Tour, 36d Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE Tel: 020 7403 8403
www.lepontdelatour.co.uk
Eight Club
1 Christopher Street, Moorgate, EC2
Uniquely designed Eight members club provides an exclusive, contemporary and discreet haven in which you can enjoy good British brassiere food, great service and a superb lounge.The new venue offers unparalleled panoramic views of the city – a balcony stretches around the entire floor with an al fresco Chef’s table for 16 guests and also features a BBQ / spit roast.
A cigar enclosure provides the perfect spot for summer-time smoking and guests can enjoy cigar evenings coupled with whiskey tastings at the venue.The outdoor space would also be perfect for a private party, with capacity of up to 100 standing.
The Brasserie Terrace Kitchen at Coq d’Argent
Located on the rooftop at City restaurant Coq d’Argent, The Brasserie Terrace Kitchen has been declared officially open for the summer! Head Chef, Mickael Weiss, has once again created a fabulous new menu reflecting his classic French cooking and using the best of the spring ingredients. Dishes such as a selection of shellfish and crustacea and onglet of beef with crispy shallots and bordelaise sauce can be enjoyed whilst overlooking panoramic views of the City of London. Guests can also enjoy a cocktail from the new season list whilst watching the sun set over the exclusive roof garden.
Coq d’Argent, No. 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ Tel: 020 7395 5000 www.coqdargent.co.uk
Gilgamesh
Camden View , Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH
020 7 482 5757, www.gilgameshbar.com
Gilgamesh, located in Camden Town Stables Market offers a unique Eastern gastronomic and entertainment experience. The pan-Asian restaurant boasts a 40ft high ceiling with a fully retractable roof that opens with warmer weather. The floor to ceiling glass windows give the room an entirely al fresco feel when the roof is completely retracted. The Lapis stone bar is one of the Gilgamesh main features and is hand-crafted by the same 10,000 strong Indian design team responsible for the ancient Babylonian interior style throughout the building.
The Albion
10 Thornhill Road, London N1 1HW / 020 7607 7450 / www.the-albion.co.uk
One of the main attractions of The Albion is its beautiful garden. The French windows in the restaurant area open onto over 450 sq metres of English country garden covered in wisteria and floral wilderness evocative of Georgian times.
The garden area, which has recently been updated with new garden furniture, seats over 120 people for dining and drinking surrounded by herb beds, fruit trees and an original Georgian walled garden. In the summer the garden comes into its own when there is a BBQ operating throughout the day (starting from May) complete with spit roast.