Tonight:
5°c
The languid lunches and long evenings of late summer - around about now, usually - are being put on hold by the wet weather. So Charles Campion recommends the best places to eat outdoors in the capital, even when it's raining.
The Wallace Collection Restaurant
Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1 (020 7563 9505, thewallacerestaurant.co.uk)
Open for breakfast, lunch and tea throughout the week and for dinner on Friday and Saturday. The best possible combination, French brasserie food at lunch, strong English influence for breakfast and tea.
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 (020 7014 2840, rotundabarandrestaurant.co.uk)
The Rotunda has a sprawling canalside terrace with some of the tables under cover. Tuck into the simple bar food platters or eat off the more ambitious restaurant à la carte menu.
Galvin Café a Vin Restaurant
35 Spital Square (entrance on Bishops Square), E1 (020 7299 0404, galvinrestaurants.com)
Great French bistro food. There's a new terrace at the back of the room.
Cinnamon Kitchen
9 Devonshire Square, EC2 (020 7626 5000, cinnamon-kitchen.com)
There are 40 seats on the terrace at this slick and chic Indian restaurant. You can eat under the lofty atrium —outside and inside at the same time.
Petersham Nurseries
Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Surrey (020 8940 5230, petershamnurseries.com)
Skye Gyngell cooks wonderful, seasonal, light and fresh dishes at this quirky “ladies who lunch” lunchspot. You eat in a greenhouse, the floor is gravel, it feels like outside but is safe from the rain.
