Restaurants

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Alfresco breakfast

South

Franklins Kennington
Franklins’ secret weapon is the spacious courtyard shared with neighbouring restaurant Thai Silk. It makes the busy traffic swirling either side of this part of Kennington seem a world away. Typical dishes include worcestershire sauce-flecked welsh rarebit and fat morsels of lamb with spinach and aïoli.
Franklins Kennington, 205-209 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QS (020 7793 8313/www.franklinsrestaurant.com)Vauxhall tube/rail.

Lola Rojo
A bright, modern Spanish restaurant with on-trend nueva cocina tapas exquisitely presented and a terrace bar with equally quirky designer stools. On the menu you’ll find hot or cold tapas, meat, fish, cured meats, as well as paellas and rices, all made using superb ingredients. The all-Spanish wine list is an eclectic treat, too, with some excellent bottles from up-and-coming regions.
Lola Rojo, 78 Northcote Rd, SW11 6QL (020 7350 2262/www.lolarojo.net) Clapham Junction rail. Feature continues

Marco Polo
The setting, bang on the riverfront in a development of expensive high-rise ‘luxury flats’ (as the estate agents would have it) is hard to beat. On sunny summer days and on warmer evenings, the outdoor tables are a sea of eating, drinking and enjoying humanity – frequently with a large proportion of young ’uns among the chowing hundreds. The pan-Italian menu takes in pizza and pasta plus lots of fish and a few veal dishes and, while the wine list doesn’t excite, it is decent value. Desserts are mostly of the typical Italian kind, however kids will love the banoffee pie.
Marco Polo, 6-7 Riverside Quarter, Eastfields Avenue, SW18 1LP (020 8874 6800) East Putney tube.

The Perry Hill
It might look like a former Harvester, but it’s spacious, clean, has a sizeable, friendly bar in addition to its meandering restaurant and includes a children’s play area in its huge, decked beer garden. You’re welcome to eat outside, too. Among the summery dishes are a lovely duck breast salad that salutes Asia with papaya, toasted cashews, tamarind dressing and nori. Traditionalists can opt for chargrilled rib-eye, or own-made wild boar sausages. Bombardier and London Pride are well kept.
The Perry Hill, 78-80 Perry Hill, SE6 4EY (020 8699 5076/www.theperryhill.co.uk) Catford Bridge/Lower Sydenham rail.

Petersham Nurseries Café
Who can resist the likes of a rhubarb bellini to kick-start a sunny afternoon at this chichi garden centre café? But be warned, with such temptations meals here can easily hit the £120 mark, despite the dirt floor and dinky metal furniture. There were too many creamy-yoghurty-herby sauces on the menu, but there’s no denying Skye Gyngell’s talent for flavour combining. Spiced roast lamb with flatbread was memorable.
Petersham Nurseries Café, Church Lane, off Petersham Rd, Petersham, nr Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AG (020 8605 3627) Richmond tube/rail then 30-min walk or 65 bus.

Le Pont de la Tour
This Butler’s Wharf stalwart has recently added a crustacea bar to its alfresco eating area, offering a lighter alternative to the modern European menu served inside. A seafood platter (rock oysters, whole crab, Mediterranean prawns, cherrystone clams, cockles, mussels, whelks and grey shrimp) costs £37.50 per person. Wines start at £6 per glass, and £19 per bottle, though watch the tendency to up-sell, which we found off-putting on our recent visit.
La Pont de la Tour, Butlers Wharf Building, 36d Shad Thames, SE1 2YE (020 7403 8403/www.danddlondon.com) Tower Hill tube or London Bridge tube/rail.

Stein’s
Just 200 metres along the towpath from Richmond Bridge, this friendly Bavarian beer garden was opened specifically with the aim of providing parents with an inexpensive, relaxing place to go with their children. Order and pay at the kiosk then wait for your food. On the menu, an excellent sharing platter of Bavarian cheese and sausages (wurst are naturally a speciality). About half the benches alongside the river are undercover, should it rain.
Stein’s, 55 Richmond Towpath, west of Richmond Bridge, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6UX (020 8948 8189/www.steins.com) Richmond tube/rail then 20-min walk or 65 bus.

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