New restaurant and bar openings continue apace in London. Here’s a round-up of the latest London restaurant news.

Buddha-Bar

Pan-Asian restaurant Buddha-Bar opens today in Knightsbridge, serving a blend of Chinese, Japanese and Thai food and a choice of “avant-garde” cocktails. Diners are overlooked by a giant Buddha designed by sculptor David Begbie, while DJs provide a mix of electro and tribal sounds. You can enjoy 25% off food plus a free cocktail until 30 October.

Reverend JW Simpson

The team behind quirky cocktail bar Bourne & Hollingsworth have launched a new venue, Reverend JW Simpson, in Goodge Street. During building work the designers discovered an old apartment and decided to keep as many of the original features as possible, including the flooring, wallpaper, chipped paint and mementos of the former occupant – Reverend JW Simpson.

Tonteria

Mahiki founder and friend of the royals Guy Pelly has opened a new venture in Sloane Square with partner Marc Burton. Tonteria resembles a Mexican bar, with distressed décor, Mexican plants and hammocks. There’s a Mexican-inspired menu, sharing cocktails served in skull-shaped vessels, and a shot train that delivers tequila shots to tables.

Rekorderlig Winter Forest Bar

East London’s Old Truman Brewery will be transformed into the Rekorderlig Winter Forest Bar from this evening. Open until 6 November, the pop-up bar will offer Swedish cider and food pairings in Scandinavian surroundings. Tickets cost £5 and include a selection of Rekorderlig flavour tasters and a complimentary dish.

More New London Restaurants

Other new openings include:

• Cabana – the Brazilian chain launches a third restaurant tomorrow at Westfield London
• The Fat of the Land ­­- a new Mediterranean pub and dining room in Marylebone
• Tortilla – the burrito and taco chain has opened a new site on the Strand, close to Trafalgar Square
• The Shed – this new bar and British restaurant in Notting Hill is receiving great reviews
• PipsDish at The Garage – Philip Dundas’s pop-up in an old Citroen repair workshop in Islington is now open permanently
• Maroush Bakehouse – a new Lebanese restaurant and bakery in Earl’s Court
• Piste – Archer Street cocktail bar has opened a basement nightclub with the feel of an Alpine retreat

Saracens v Tigers at Wembley
Two of the country’s top rugby teams will challenge each other this Saturday as the centrepiece of a whole day of entertainment at Wembley Stadium. (Saracens are from London, if you’re not sure who to cheer for.) The big game begins at 3.30pm, but warm up gig from is Bajan chart act Cover Drive, who opened for Rihanna on her Loud tour last year. Tickets are still available, with adult prices from £16. 15 Sept

Lambeth Country Show
Forget the big smoke and escape to Brockwell Park this weekend, as the Lambeth Country Show brings the spirit of a country fair to South London. We’re talking sheep dog displays, flower and vegetable competitions and more animals than ever before in the farm zone. There’s also live music on two stages and other rural pursuits like, er, horse jousting – though we’re not sure they really do that in the countryside! 15-16 Sep

IKEA Floating Night Market
IKEA wasn’t content with a catalogue to introduce its latest collection. It has set up a floating night market on Regent’s Canal this Friday evening, with market boats packed with its new wares including textiles inspired by graphic patterns and global influences. Reserve your free slot here for a trip that promises to be no longer than an hour. 14 Sep

New Artist Fair
Art can be expensive – for the artists as well as the public. The emerging talents at the New Artist Fair sell their work directly to guests, without any gallery fees. And if you feel like buying, the pieces range from a respectable £50 to £2,000. Around 45 artists have work on display, ranging from painting and drawing to printmaking, photography, sculpture and installations. It’s in the Old Truman Brewery, a distinctly cool building that is part of Brick Lane’s heritage and worth seeing for itself. 14-16 Sep

London Design Festival
Some 300 events on the programme means this festival of London’s design prowess could get a little daunting. Try narrowing your interests – are you more tempted by fabrics or furniture? Glass or graphic design? Or you could stick to one area – this map shows the location of the talks, exhibitions, installations and events taking place. A top spot will be the Victoria and Albert Museum, where a beam of light will follow you in the entrance tunnel while in the ceramics galleries you can climb previously closed staircases to see Keiichi Matsuda’s Prism installation in the dome. Until 23 Sep

Got any suggestions for events this weekend? Post them below and let us know.

Victoria’s Secret New Bond Street Store Launch: 29 Aug

Sample Sale: 30 Aug-2 Sep
Starting on Thursday, there’s a four-day sample sale of men’s designer shoes, clothes and accessories at the Old Truman Brewery on Hanbury Street, E1. For just £1 admission, you could pick up bargains like Ralph Lauren polo shirts from £60; Ted Baker shirts from £35 and True Religion T-shirts for £29 (RRP £79.) Head along from 1-8pm on Thursday, 1-7pm on Friday, 12-7pm on Saturday and 12-5pm on Sunday to get your hands on some great new clothes for autumn. Visit www.secretsamplesale.co.uk for more information.

Book Signings: 6 Sep
I’ve got two exciting book signings for your diaries, happening next week.

On Thursday 6 September, actress and author Emma Thompson will be in Selfridges signing copies of her new book, The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit. Emma’s book is the 24th tale in the existing collection of Peter Rabbit stories. It is the first time that Frederick Warne has published an additional title to the series which Beatrix Potter wrote between 1902 and 1930. In The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter’s adventures take him beyond the boundaries of Mr McGregor’s garden all the way to Scotland, where he meets the gentle giant Finlay McBurney, a distant Scottish relative. Emma will be signing copies of the book between 5 and 6pm on 6 September.

On the same day over at Waterstones Piccadilly, you can meet the Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James. From 6.30pm, the writer will be signing copies of the bestselling novels Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

In both cases, make sure you arrive early to avoid disappointment. Details about the Selfridges signing are all clearly laid out here. You’ve been warned!

My Perfect West End Day
If you’re feeling lucky, why not enter one of West End London’s fantastic new competitions?

Between today and 3 September, you can with the Perfect Iconic West End Day, as part of West End London’s new Perfect West End Day campaign. This prize includes a VIP shopping day for two at Liberty, dinner for two at the National Portrait Gallery, tickets to see One Man Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, and a night’s stay at The Langham Hotel. There’ll be more competitions coming in the next few weeks – I particularly like the sound of the Perfect Family West End Day, which includes a VIP experience at M&Ms World, dinner at the Rainforest Café, a private shopping spree at the Disney Store and four tickets to see Stomp and meet the cast. Check out www.westendlondon.com to find out more.

London’s history is dripping with beer. Alehouses have been present in the capital since Roman times and the impure state of London water always guaranteed that beer was in constant demand.

You can trace this history by visiting buildings like the Old Truman Brewery, or examining the codestone lions on Westminster Bridge, which originally graced the entrance of the Old Red Lion Brewery on the South Bank.

Although there are few survivors of London’s original brewing industry, a new generation of artisan brewers has taken up the mantle and there has never been a better time to visit London pubs to taste the best of what the capital produces.

CAMRA’s London: City of Beer is a new website aiming to enhance your experience of beer in London. At the launch, we learned that the city now has 24 breweries that are creating a phenomenal range of exciting brews. Many of them do guided tours and tastings: try Sambrooks in Battersea or the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick.

Fortunately for those who can’t make it down to the breweries themselves, many London pubs offer a wide selection of real ales and other London beers. From smooth malty Porters made at Meantime in Greenwich to intensely hoppy pale ales from Bermondsey’s The Kernel, there is something to suit everyone’s taste.

London also has a fantastic range of beer-related events and you can search for upcoming festivals, tastings and walks on the City of Beer site www.londoncityofbeer.org.uk. A particular highlight will be the Great British Beer Festival, which runs from 7 to 11 August at Olympia and offers over 800 different beers.

Last night I went to the launch of London’s first-ever drive-in cinema.

Located in a large carpark in the Old Truman Brewery off Brick Lane, the Starlite Drive-In consists of about 20 brand new Volvos parked in front of a big screen for your viewing pleasure.

For the launch, the cars were the stars: we were invited to explore the three types of Volvo provided (a convertible, a sporty 2-door model and a 4×4) – by sitting in the driver’s seat, playing with radio and sun roof controls, and honking the horns (although this was discouraged!). There’s no need to bring your licence though, as all the cars remain stationary and the engines are firmly off. We only saw a short promo film, but tonight and tomorrow cinema-goers will watch Dirty Dancing and Grease.

Catering and entertainment was provided by The Brickhouse nightclub, which backs on to the carpark. There was a brief speech from Damien Barr – the visionary behind the Starlite Drive-in:

“We all grew up with the drive-in dream. But it never happened in Britain because we don’t have the space, the weather, or that car culture. I wanted to update the idea and make it work for an urban, eco-conscious audience and this seemed the perfect way to do it.”

After which, we were treated to 1950s-style performances – retro singers, burlesque and a hula hoop girl.

I’d love to say long live the drive in but Volvo Sarlite Urban Drive-In is open for two nights only in London, before relocating to other spots around the UK.

Let’s hope it returns next year!

For those of us who don’t find ourselves regularly hanging out with the Royals in Mahiki, there’s a new pop-up bar coming to town made by Cheeky Tiki, the conceptual designers behind the celebrity hang-out.

OK, so being a tree house made from reconditioned whisky barrels, this new pop-up bar doesn’t have quite same the glamour as Mahiki.  But the wooden bar with board games, orange lanterns, and whisky cocktails is still the perfect place to catch the last of the summer sun.

The Monkey Shoulder Tree House lands at the Old Truman Brewery from 10 to 13 September.