I’m writing this not, alas, from some sun-kissed Maldives cabana or a Riviera sun-lounger, but from the surroundings of my sitting room in North London. And I can exclusively report that, at the time of writing, spring – or at least some version of it – is not only here, but looks as if it’s here to stay, with temperatures edging up from ‘chilly’ to ‘positively welcoming’.
And this means that we’re inclined to shake off the arctic slumber of winter in favour of heading outside, and so, in turn, some of London’s most enticing restaurants are cashing in on the pre-summer vibes by opening up their terraces, allowing both for panoramic views and an overdue feeling of warmth and expansiveness.
It may be a false dawn – these things are transitory, and it won’t be for a couple of months until we can fully enjoy the delights of true summer – but that shouldn’t stop us from getting thoroughly in the mood by heading outside to restaurants’ outdoor spaces and enjoying fantastic food and wonderful atmosphere alike. Here are some of our favourite places that are well worth a visit.
Tamarind
This long-established Mayfair Indian restaurant is an equally long-established favourite of Arbuturian readers and editors alike. You can expect sublime food and equally sumptuous cocktails and wine, served and prepared to perfection, and the typical discretion and style of the restaurant means that a wide coterie of well-known faces keep on coming back, as they have for decades. But even in London’s most popular spots, you need innovation and something forward-looking, which is why its first-floor terrace, which can either be fully open to the elements or totally closed if the weather threatens to become chillier or less clement, is such a fantastic idea. It means that you can breeze over here on a sunny day for a long lunch, or retire later in the evening for an early dinner.
Whatever you choose to do, you’re not going to be disappointed by the food, which has been going from strength to strength recently. A recent visit early one evening – with just enough time to appreciate the terrace at full strength before a rather nifty curtain closed over us – saw the charming staff recommend firstly a couple of superb cocktails, a ghee-washed Old Fashioned and a Goan Sour, and then a full immersion in the ‘gourmet tasting menu’, which comes served with elegantly paired matching wines with each course.
It would take too long to list everything – and an element of surprise for a visit here is always invaluable – but some real highlights included beautifully umami-laden lamb chops, a fine, spicy Mangalore prawn curry and perhaps my own favourite dish of the evening, a crispy lobster in a red chilli jam. Wine-wise, everything that the wonderful sommelier recommended was a perfect pairing, but if I had to single out a couple of highlights, the opening sparkling English from Hattingley Valley was an effervescent joy, and a particularly fine Chateau Saint Baillon rosé was a sublime match, too.
Tamarind has been going now for 30 years. On this delightful evidence, the next three decades will be every bit as eventful and rewarding.
Tamarind, 20 Queen Street, London W1J 5PR. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.tamarindrestaurant.com.
Sabine
Lots of restaurant terraces offer panoramic views, but few can quite match Sabine’s, in the heart of the City; the most favoured tables (which alas didn’t include ours) overlook none other than St Paul’s Cathedral, which makes it one of the most stylish and sought-after spots anywhere round here. Although Sabine is connected to a business-oriented hotel, you’d never know it from the restaurant-bar spot, which has a buzzy, hip atmosphere and the kind of glamorous clientele who have money to spend and know what they want to spend it on.
Certainly, as befits the wide number of financiers and well-heeled lawyers who seemed to be our neighbours for the night, this is not a place where people running up bills running into the hundreds, even thousands of pounds are uncommon. But this doesn’t obscure some thoroughly decent and interesting options on the menu. We kick off with a couple of whisky-based cocktails, the ‘Amber Mirage’, which has a nicely balanced peaty flavour to it. Several of those down and you’d be playing the bagpipes with gay abandon.
Small plates are largely posh canapes – mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes, chicken toast and Italian sausage arancini – but are none the worse for it, and a touch of flair in the kitchen can be discerned from the mains, which includes excellent Sumac marinated chicken and a delicious ‘surf ‘n’ turf’ which might be pricy at £55 but does at least offer fine sirloin and king prawns in a holy alliance of sorts, joined by a decent bottle of house red, a Syrah from Provence (£50 – this is not for the faint of heart).
But the views are why you come here, and there’s something unbeatable about being able to toast Wren’s masterpiece with your cocktails – which is worth any amount of cash, frankly.
Sabine, 10 Godliman St, London EC4V 5AJ. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.sabinelondon.co.uk.
Amélie
“What, exactly, is a Pantechnicon, old boy?” As Larry and I took our seats outside Belgravia’s salubrious Provencal spot on its sun-soaked terrace, I cursed myself for not having the knowledge to hand immediately. A quick foray into Google later, I was made aware that it was nothing to do with the classics, as I had suspected, but instead a name for a heavy horse-drawn furniture van in bygone days, and then a title for the rather splendid (and substantial) nineteenth-century construction on Motcomb Street that now houses one of its very best and most impressive restaurants.
We popped into Amélie’s upstairs briefly to see the lie of the land, and it’s a splendidly comfortable, well-upholstered spot, but if you’re lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, then it’s the outside, on the Miraval terrace, that is people-watching heaven. Enjoy seeing who nips into the nearby Coco de Mer boutique to buy its pricey lingerie, and who is content with the rather less daring delights of Waitrose. We, meanwhile, busied ourselves with a couple of the excellent cocktails, the Pomme d’Azur – a Calvados-laden delight which bore a resemblance to an especially good cider – and the Riviera Blush, which is their take on a Martini, with added tomato. Does it work? Most certainly.
The food on offer here is simple, and all the better for it. Starters of eggs mimosa and very fine escargots are the brasserie staples of your dreams, priced sensibly (a tenner and £14 apiece) and served in decent portions. Larry and I do some light bitching about writers we don’t admire, and then it’s time for a steak frites to share for a main, a bavette – a very underrated cut – with copious quantities of chips and the house special sauce, which owes a debt to that of the Café de Paris. It’s all very fine, and after a small glass apiece of Sancerre and then a shared bottle of Bordeaux Superieur – this is a lavish wine list, and the entry-level vino is still a stiff £55, but it’s worth it – you’re going to be in clover.
Larry spends an inordinate amount of time on what he smirkingly describes as a ‘work call’ – some of us clear our diaries, but never mind – and after the excellent waitress is reassured that he is well and happy and that he has not fled the restaurant, we plunge into pudding. We’re right to do so, because a divine chocolate mousse – served with a mixture of toppings (olive oil, sea salt and chocolate sprinkles here, please) – and Larry’s choice of an orange tropezienne tart are some of the nicest desserts I’ve had in ages, and accompanied by very fine Taylor’s port and Sauternes.
Amélie, then, is cheaper than a trip to the South of France, but summons up the spirit of Provence, albeit fleetingly but wonderfully. Belgravia has a real star, and it is all we can do not to return immediately.
Amélie, Pantechnicon, 19 Motcomb St, London SW1X 8LB. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.amelie-restaurants.com.
