Diners won't curb outdoor habit

Rome, Paris and Barcelona may be famous for it. But can London ever claim to be a serious venue for al fresco dining?

All of these cities have congestion, vehicle fumes and manic urban noise to contend with. But London has the added problem of inclement weather.

Even when the sun does make a rare appearance from behind the clouds, can we really convince ourselves that we are a European city that is comfortable with dining in the open air?

Clearly it's a challenge to which Londoners are willing to rise. The chance to emulate Mediterranean holidays in the capital - with seared tuna steaks, olive and rocket salad and chilled white wine on the busy streets - seems an opportunity too good to miss.

White vans and motorcycle couriers may roar past, while sporty soft-tops blare garage music just feet away, but many Londoners see engine noise and car fumes as a small price to pay for a few stolen moments in the sunshine, European style.

At lunch-time in Covent Garden yesterday - the longest day of the year - lawyers and office work-ers mingled with theatre luvvies in pavement caf?s, seemingly unperturbed by the traffic on the busy street just inches away.

Management consultant Chris-telle Heikkila, 32, who was eating at the Boulevard Brasserie, said: "I've just got back from two weeks in Marbella and, if you shut your eyes and block out the noise, you can just about pretend you're still there.

"We don't get the sun very often, so you have to make the most of it when it does appear," she added over the noise of a cement mixer as it chugged past.

Luc Ferrand, 28, and his colleague Tara Marcus, 30, were having lunch at the Coach and Horses on Bow Street. Far from being put off by the traffic standing inches from their hands, they were happily balancing their steak sandwiches and chips on a bicycle-festooned railing.

"We love the sun," said Mr Fer-rand, who works in advertising. "In fact, whenever the sun comes out we come down here for a drink, just to celebrate. It's our office local, you see."