1 | For New-Old-School: Simpson's On The Strand

Given that it opened in 1828, you'd expect Simpson's to have required the odd face-lift. And their most recent has made it look – and feel – some decades younger than its most venerable age. This has always been the sort of place your dad or, indeed, your grandparents might take you. And while there's nothing wrong with that, the gentle lightening and brightening of both the interiors and menu mean that, whilst meals here remain an undoubtedly smart affair (as one might expect from one of Winston Churchill's old haunts – his favourite table is all the way at the back, by the fireplace), you no longer run the risk of sitting wriggling with inadequacy at either your sartorial inadequacy or simple youth. Book in for old-school glamour and service, with a carvery trolley serving properly juicy beef every day of the week, right at your table. Aside from traditional comforts like steak and kidney pudding and an epic fish pie, there are daintier options like the chicken breast and ballotine with charred sweetcorn, and a refreshingly chilled pea soup to start.

100 Strand, London, WC2R 0EW; simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk

Picture C. James Bedford

2 | For An Oriental Pop-Up: Lucky & Joy

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Chowing down at Lucky & Joy, you might feel like you're back on your gap year eating in a charmingly dilapidated roadside shack. The roadside shack element is real enough – Lucky & Joy is made up of a series of connecting rickety spaces full of quirky neon, glittery curtains and mismatched furniture, extending out from two railway arches on Cambridge Heath Road – but Moro alumni Ellen Parr and Pete Kelly have taken some artistic license with the menu, which recreates dishes they sampled while travelling across China that wouldn't traditionally be seen on the same menu, including Uyghur Pilaf from the northwest, which is studded with pomegranate seeds and walnuts (though thankfully they've opted for making it with beef, not the sometimes-traditional camel), to Yunnan aubergine and silken tofu from the southwest. Our pick though, are the cold sesame noodles that come in a tiny American-style Chinese take-away box. Or maybe the cream cheese and oolong ice cream. Or the Yunnan flavour cocktail, with coconut washed vodka, ginger, and lemongrass. A journey of discovery that's just off the Central Line? What's not to like.

Until 15 October

298-299 Railway Arches, Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9HA, 020 7437 4170

3 | For Saturday Sessions: Urban Food Fortnight

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We all know how brilliant London is for food and drink, but what about the food and drink that we actually grow and make here? Sustain's Urban Food Fortnight is celebrating all of the marvelous things happening in the capital with a series of events lasting until 24 September. On Saturday, head over to Regent's Park's Allotment Garden to taste its wares and learn just what can come out of it. You'll get "garden goodies" to take home, a chance to get involved in making fresh apple juice, and a "guess the weight of our squash" competition. Oh, and pizzas. Obvs. A truly useful Saturday afternoon.

10am – 5pm, 16 September

Chester Road, London, NW1 4NR; sustainweb.org/uff/

For a full map of events, visit here

4 | For Boozy Fun & Games: London Mezcal Week

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London Mezcal Week is in full swing until Sunday, and you have a whole weekend festival of ahead of you. So if you're not familiar with the agave-based spirit, then now's your chance to learn a bit more with workshops galore and producers to talk to. And if you're an old hand then you'll be in clover, with a cocktail bar, a tasting room containing more than 30 different types, and plenty of Mexican food curtesy of Borough Market's El Pastor, Neil Rankin's Temper and Hackney residents Bad Sports.

Until 17 October

Unit 5 Gallery and Yard, Hackney Road, London, E2 8NH; londonmezcalweek.com