CURRENT POPULATION: 7,512,000
% POP GROWTH: 0.75 %
CITY AREA: 1,579 KM2

CITY DENSITY: 4,758 INH/KM2
GDP PER CAPITA: €27,590
DIALLING CODE: +44

CLOSING THE DEAL
LUTYENS RESTAURANT
85 FLEET STREET, EC4
TEL. 020 7583 8385
The old Reuters building on Fleet Street is the latest London location to get the Conran treatment, transforming it into the smart, understated Lutyens Restaurant. Entering from the street, you go into the bar area, before carrying on through to your table in the large open dining room beyond. With attentive service (including an excellent sommelier, who is both knowledgeable and approachable) and good food, it’s another solid addition to the City’s dining scene, albeit without the standout dishes that can make a meal truly memorable.

WITH FRIENDS
THE DELHI BRASSERIE
44 FRITH STREET, W1
TEL. 020 7434 8261
Just two doors down from Ronnie Scott’s and across the road from Bar Italia, The Delhi Brasserie isn’t as famous as its neighbours, but over 20 years it has established itself as a real Soho institution. Ideal for good food, a good atmosphere, and maybe even a celebrity or two.

ENTERTAINING A CLIENT
SERPENTINE BAR & KITCHEN
SERPENTINE ROAD, W2
TEL. 020 7706 8114
Located on The Serpentine, this casual eatery is the newest dining option in picturesque Hyde Park. The varied menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and wood fired-oven pizzas is ideal for lunch. And if the weather’s still fine, head out to the patio, where you can take in views of the lake, complete with paddle boats and ducks.

STYLE
CALLOOH CALLAY
UNIT 2, RIVINGTON STREET, EC2
TEL. 020 7739 4781
Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky, Callooh Callay is a fairytale addition to London’s bar scene. Where else can you walk through a wardrobe and into a mirrored lounge, or sip your drink in the bath? It’s a cocktail lover’s escapist fantasy.

RELAX
THE LOBBY BAR
ONE ALDWYCH, WC2
TEL. 020 7300 1000
One of London’s loveliest hotel bars, The Lobby Bar is the perfect place to slump back into a comfortable chair with an aperitif in hand and relax. Large-scale artworks dotted around the room add character, while the traffic bustles past on the Aldwych outside.

VALUE
IBIS LONDON EXCEL
ROYAL VICTORIA DOCK, E16
TEL. 020 7055 2300
Ideally placed for both London City Airport and the ExCeL conference centre, this Ibis includes all the comforts you’d associate with the hotel chain, including Wi-Fi and 278 reasonably sized, comfortable rooms.

BUSINESS
THE ROYAL LANCASTER
LANCASTER TERRACE, W2
TEL. 020 7551 6110 Well located directly north of Hyde Park, this timeless hotel has been voted Best UK Hotel for Meetings by Meetings and Incentive Travel four years in a row. Stylishly furnished meeting rooms come complete with cutting-edge technology, and can accommodate up to 1,200 people.

BESPOKE
MONTAGU PLACE
2 MONTAGU PLACE, W1
TEL. 020 7467 2777
You’re guaranteed the personal touch at stylish Montagu Place, the London hotel with just 16 rooms spread across two Georgian townhouses. Set minutes from Oxford Street and the West End, it’s a comfortable home from home.

Running from 23 September to 31 January 2010, Tate Britain’s Turner and the Masters (www.tate. org.uk) will display a selection of paintings by JMW Turner, alongside work by the old masters who inspired him. With about 100 paintings drawn from collections around the world, it’s a fantastic opportunity to appreciate Turner’s work in its historical context.

Autumn brings The Times London Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) with this year’s celebration of cinema running from 14-29 October. The 52nd festival kicks off with the world premiere of Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.

If the Affordable Art Fair (see pages 7-8) is the place to pick up a bargain, Art London (www.artlondon.net) showcases work by more established artists. The UK’s longest established international fair for contemporary and modern art, it returns to London from 8-12 October.

The Newman Arms (www.newmanarms.co.uk) on Rathbone Street has been a tallow chandler, an ironmonger and a brothel. It became a tavern in 1860 and in the days when Fitzrovia was a centre of progressive literature it was a favourite of George Orwell and Dylan Thomas. Famous today for its fine pies and great beer, it’s the sort of pub that’s made for chilly autumnal evenings.