Outdoor barbecue ban leaves some disappointed

In anticipation of summer, Beijinger Wang Yu looks forward to outdoor meals with family and friends - skewers of mutton sizzling over barbecue pits and piles of cold marinated peanuts washed down with a beer.

But a new ban starting this month on restaurants offering barbecues and serving cold dishes in the open in the capital has left residents like Wang disappointed.

The move is part of authorities' latest efforts to improve environmental and food hygiene standards.