London Fields Brewery, The Old Vic Tunnels & Topman’s General Store lead the march for the arch

There’s a trend for local tunnel set-ups in the air. In this age of craft-over-chaingang ethics and rent issues, perhaps this isn’t so surprising. But we’re totally loving it.

Our last real tunnel love was surely Maltby Street – Bermondsey’s beloved railway arch alternative to Borough; its old brick-clad archways lending themselves perfectly to the market’s baking, brewing and cheese-aging.

But now, after a successful soft-launch, London Fields Brewery is making a run for the crown of best-beer-from-a-local-tunnel. Also set in railway arches – this time in London Fields – their ‘Love Not War’ was even made while barricading themselves in from the riots! Plus, we need one of their takeaway four-pint demijohns: £12 to take home; £10 to refill. Local rates – nice.

Down beneath Waterloo Station, meanwhile, The Old Vic Tunnels are upping their subterranean ante with The Minotaur. A collaboration between Lazarides and Kofler & Kompanie’s Pret A Diner concept, think two weeks of culinary pop-up set within an underground maze of mythological art with a three-course dinner from Michelin-starred chefs, Nuno Mendes, Matthias Schmidt and Juan Amador.

Alternatively, if you’re lacking an archway to hand, try the stripped back, bare brick, refreshingly sparse faux-tunnel effect of Topman’s new General Store boutique. (We won’t get into the whole ‘independent Shoreditch’ rant.) It’s been co-curated by Matthew Murphy (of bStore) and packages itself very much as a sort of more affordable Albam – surprisingly inoffensive colour-blocked chinos, ‘Heritage Fit’ tweed, chunky knitwear – feeling every inch the (almost) subterranean secret.

And people say sticking your head in the ground doesn’t work.

Info
Topman General Store is now open
98 Commercial Street, E1 6LZ

The Minotaur runs Oct 10-25, 7pm and 9pm, at £75

Ten double invitations to V&A Friday Late to give away

Bombay Sapphire cocktails at the MasterCard bar, canapés and a private talk: access to V&A’s Friday Late with MasterCard isn’t your average museum trip. Along with exhibition access and all the usual Friday Late masterclasses, workshops and talks, the beautifully styled Bombay Sapphire Imagination Bar in the John Madejski garden will be serving up cocktails made from things like blueberries and myrtle. Email competition@urbanjunkies.com to be in with a chance of winning ten VIP double tickets for access, and if you get a reply, we’ll see you there!

V&A Friday Late with MasterCard
30 Sept, 6.30-10pm, free
V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL

For more imaginative evening ideas visit www.facebook.com/bombaysapphire

Toronto International Film Festival

With Fash Week and Design Week taking over our schedules recently, we almost let TIFF slip by. Luckily Samantha Coughlan, from one of London's top boutique talent agencies Olivia Bell, was soaking it all up for us.

Read her lowdown on the best bars, films and gossip, and make a note in your diaries for 2012. Click here to read Sam's TIFF round-up.

EAT – at Gordon Ramsey’s newest resto-bar Bread Street Kitchen, Bread Street Kitchen. One New Change, St Pauls, EC4M 9AF

BOOK AHEAD – for annual Frieze Art Fair talks and exhibitions. 13-16 Oct. Regent’s Park, NW1 4NR

SEE – independent short and feature-length films, from the likes of Chrstian Jiménez at Raindance Film Festival. Sept 28 – Oct 9. Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus, 19 Lower Regent St, SW1Y 4LR

SHOP – the new limited Bape X Star Wars capsule collection. The Bathing Ape, 4 Upper James St, Soho, W1F 9DG