Top 5 for terrace tables

Spring has sprung and, if you're prepared to brave the April showers, London has plenty of stylish outdoor eats. From the Gotham City-like view at Plateau to Babylon's one-and-a-half acre garden, Fay Maschler gives her top five restaurants for alfresco dining...

PLATEAU
Canada Place, E14 (020-7715 7100). Mon-Sun £110
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This Canary Wharf restaurant, with its Gotham City-like view, is where this year's Evening Standard Gourmet Competition is being held. First prize is a glamorous gastronomic trip to New York for two. More details will appear in the Evening Standard on Wed 13 Apr and on the website www.thisislondon.com. Two terraces with great urban aspects flank the bar, brasserie and restaurant where American-born chef Tim Tolley, who has worked with Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Vong, seduces and satisfies sophisticated palates. When it comes to selecting suitable wines, Michael Sims is your man.

PAINTED HERON
205-209 Kennington Lane, SE11 (020-7793 8313). Mon-Sat £80
****
There are several surprises here. Little in the name or the look of the restaurant lets you know that high-flying Indian is the cooking style. And until you are inside the dining room, the attractive terrace with white canvas parasols is not apparent. Executive chef Yogesh Datta - who has won several awards for his cooking at the original Painted Heron at 112 Cheyne Walk, SW10 (020-7351 5232) - carries on the same successful blend of traditional and innovative approaches mixed with creative acknowledgment of what is in season.

THE RIVER CAFE
Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 (020-7386 4200). Mon-Sun (Sun lunch only) £120
****
The restaurant's name is gratifyingly vindicated by a table on the terrace which affords a glimpse of the Thames beyond the grassy bank. On a pretty day, risotto of spring vegetables, then a slab of wild fish roasted in the wood-fired oven, sauced with lemon juice and olive oil, followed by some of the Italian cheeses which have been selected with typical care, can be about as good as it gets. To secure a place, be prepared to eat early - and to vacate your table for another sitting.

HOXTON APPRENTICE
16 Hoxton Square, N1 (020-7749 2828). Tue-Sun £60
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A great feature of this attractive restaurant set up by the charity Training For Life is the terrace overlooking Hoxton Square. A lunch promotion offering
menus at £6.99, £9.99 or £12.99 for one, two or three courses is good reason to test the progress of students who have found a way out of homelessness and joblessness via catering skills. With help from professionals, they turn out satisfactory dishes with lots of choice in style and size. Popular à la carte items include pork-and-leek sausages with mash, slow-cooked lamb shank and big, fat, curry-dusted chips.

BABYLON
99 Kensington High Street, W8 (020-7368 3993). Mon-Sun £100
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A one-and-a-half acre garden, established in 1938, sited 100ft up on the roof of what was once Derry & Tom's department store, provides a terrace and a view like no other. To get the best effect - and best deal - go for lunch. Until Tue 31 May the restaurant is offering a two- and three-course menu on weekdays for £14 and £16, Sat £15 and £18 and Sun £18.80 and £21. As you observe flamingos standing not far from your feet, this would be something of a bargain even without the welcome improvements in the kitchen thanks to ex-Bank chef Oliver Smith.

Prices estimate the cost of a meal for two with wine