The English summer may be a blink-and-you'd-miss-it few days, but here at Hot Dinners we can feel things heating up. The only trouble is that when it's time to head outside and soak up those precious days of sunshine that's when you face competition from everyone else in town who has the same idea. We've pulled together a list of some perhaps less well-known al fresco dining spots in town to give you a headstart on finding the perfect place to eat in the sun.
Best for City gents
Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell
Bruno Loubet has single-handedly made Clerkenwell's St Johns Square this summer's must-do postcode by adding the charmingly quirky Zetter Townhouse to his line-up. Loubet devotees, however, need look no further than his signature bistro this summer which has 34 seats spilling onto the square. The menu takes on a decidedly summery turn as the weather heats up, with new lighter dishes being added, including salmon tartare, radish and pickled ginger, uzu dressing; and sea trout, lightly smoked over pine needles, fennel confit, citrus ketchup and apple dressing.
Nothing helps a cloudy British summer slip by like a cocktail, so don't forget to try out Bruno's signature infused cordials, including the Provence (with lemon, orange, lavender, rosemary and Vermouth).
Nicknamed the 'pop-up that never popped back down', Ladbroke Grove's Dock Kitchen has Stevie Parle in the kitchen and a setting that magically changes from concrete canal to romantic riverside on a warm summer night.
Dock Kitchen offers, in additional to its usual a la carte, an experimental revolving menu that changes regularly. Worth a visit for wannabe sea captains and design mavens alike.
Having shivered through a cold Camden winter, Bryn Williams' Odette's is ready to capitalise on its secret weapon - an adorable covered garden with alfresco seating. With a quaint, ivy-covered setting and the Welsh chef's inventive summer menu featuring family-shot game and fresh local produce, Odette's is set for a scorching 2012.
Since its entry onto the scene last winter, Cantinetta owner Rebecca Mascarenhas (of Kitchen W8 fame) must have been counting down the days until summer. The 60-seater terrace al fresco seating gives the SW Italian wine bar a distinctly romantic fairy-lit and plant-strewn air. Nestled by some of the most picturesque stretch of the Thames, Putney dwellers are spoiled for choice when it comes to outdoor space - but Cantinetta delivers in spades.
Best of all Cantinetta puts on additional heat lamps and offers out wraps when the British summer doesn't cooperate.
With an atmospheric setting and buzzy bistro terrace, history and food fans alike can scratch both itches at this notorious tucked away bistro offering rustic French fare. The popular terrace pays host to a heaving weekend lunch and dinner crowd and brings a taste of Paris to the city streets of Farringdon. The Bleeding Heart may be bleeding hard to find, but it's a must-do alfresco spot this summer.
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Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell
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