It’s time to get the pumpkins out and the costumes ready: Halloween is here. We’ve chosen our top 5 happenings, from raves to dinners and everything in between, plus some off-piste Halloween inspiration. As for the day-to-day weekend plans, we have our usual pick ‘n’ mix: new restaurants, new bars, more restaurants, more bars. Have fun! This Weekend’s Picks • FRI The Cocktail Trading Company Smithfield • SAT Tokyo Nights • SUN 45 Jermyn St. TOP 5 Halloween Happenings ©: W Union Square 1. For a luxury Halloween, book The Barbican Halloween Ball and banquet 2. Celebrate Halloween ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ style at The Mondrian’s The Darkness Within 3. Get your freak on at the Secret Sundaze: Carnival du Freak Halloween bash 4. Dance til’ dawn at The End of the World Halloween Party at Brixton Electric 5. Forget trick or treat sweets, try Morito’s black themed Halloween tasting menu FRIDAY EAT: Bandol DRINK: The Cocktail Trading Company Smithfield Tonight we start with some South of France classics via South Kensington. From the team behind Margaux in Fulham comes Bandol. Although it has a simple menu of dishes such as bouillabaisse, duck leg confit and black ink risotto, it’s headed by chef Zsolt Ferencz, whose CV includes a 10 year stint at Scott’s – so expect good things. It also goes without saying that the wine list follows the Provençal path, too. We’re fans of the original, so we recommend sampling the latest from The Cocktail Trading Company Smithfield. Descend into the basement bar for their OTT quirky cocktails such as the sesame peat (pictured), chocolate flip (infused with pistachio ice cream) and tequila sunrise (with spiced blood orange sherbet). 12pm - 11pm Prices vary 6 Hollywood Road, SW10 9HY 4pm – 12am Prices vary 50-52 Long Lane, EC1A 9EJ Radar Bush Theatre’s fourth annual RADAR festival returns this November Sponsored listing “I love RADAR’s eclecticism. I love its sense of adventure. And I love its refusal to pin theatre down in any way.” – The Guardian Head to RADAR festival this November for a myriad of topical performances, theatre and comedy, handpicked and curated by the Bush Theatre creative team. As usual, the festival celebrates new and established talent, including playwright Steve Waters, whose one man show ‘In a Vulnerable Place’ tells the story of a very personal journey into the reality of climate change. Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s new piece ‘Blank’, is to be completed by a new performer before a live audience, line-up includes Hattie Morahan, Tim Crouch and Paul Hunter. Plus, look out for newcomer and Fringe First winner, Joe Sellman-Leava. Each ticket buys entry to a double bill, who knows who you might discover? Book now. Radar Festival, November 11 – 26, 7 Uxbridge Road W12 8LJ, Tickets from £10 FOLLOW US! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See what we’ve been snapping this week on Instagram ! SATURDAY EAT: Tokyo Nights DRINK: Silk Stockings As you know, Night Tales’ Tokyo Nights has opened, transforming their home in Shoreditch into the back streets of Japan: neons, lanterns, traditional inns and a Love Hotel… the works. The food follows suit. New and old vendors will be serving up dishes, so go hungry and fill up on chicken katsu burgers, gyozas, and tempura – or book in for the Ramusake five course taster menu, or eight course Ritsuko & Co Supper Club. Get there early; long queues are predicted. Now to Dalston for some cocktails. Silk Stockings, by the team behind UJ fave Satan’s Whiskers, may be modestly billed as an intimate neighbourhood bar, but, judging by Satan’s Whiskers, it’ll be a spot worth travelling to. Like its Bethnal Green counterpart, expect a sexy bar (in Dalston, finally!) with good-time bartenders, killer cocktails and a hip hop soundtrack. The perfect recipe. 6pm - 12am Free before 7pm on Thursdays and £3 after £5 on Fridays and Saturdays. 288-299 Old Street, EC2A 9DP 5pm - 12am Prices vary 80 Dalston Lane, E8 3AH WIN £100 TO SPEND AT ELECTRIC DINER Cake App Are you paying at restaurants with cards and cash still? Not for long. With Cake, download the App to pay and split the bill via your phone. Think Uber but for restaurants. Easy! To celebrate their arrival we have £100 up for grabs to use at Electric Diner’s ‘Smoke & Meat Tuesdays’, plus catch a film or two with a £50 Electric Cinema gift card. All you have to do to enter is follow @thecakeapp on Instagram and like the image pictured above. Piece of Cake. To find out more about the Cake App or to download it, click here PRESS PLAY Clubbed to Death Throwing a party and need a soundtrack? We may have found the one in Clubbed to Death, an eclectic mash up of British club culture, circa the ’90s. Think Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, and Primal Scream! Crank it. Buy the full album on iTunes from £6.99 SUNDAY EAT: 45 Jermyn St. DO: The Lobster Now to St James for a bit of class, caviar trolley and all. The look at 45 Jermyn St. is old-school suave and the menu ranges from breakfast to late night supper. The wine list is superior and boasts 230 choices and the cocktails seem fun, with carbonated Rickies and ice cream floats. As for the caviar trolley, choose from Iranian beluga 000, golden oscietra and Siberian sturgeon – all from £2 per gram. Decisions, decisions. Finish the weekend with a dose of independent cinema at Picturehouse Central. Our pick: the surreal, black comedy drama The Lobster. Single people transforming into animals. Really, what else is there to say? Well, except starring Rachel Weisz, Colin Farrell and John C. Reilly. And, if you still haven’t checked out the Martin Brudnizki-designed first floor restaurant, do so now. 8am -12am Prices vary 45 Jermyn St, SW1Y 6JD Various times From £18 Picturehouse Central 20-24 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7DH Halloween Mood Board I Ab Fab Darlings, sweeties, darlings, this year, we’re fobbing off the usual spooky costumes, grabbing the Bolly and going Ab Fab on Halloween. Excitement levels for the movie: severe and climbing. Halloween Mood Board II Kanye West Paper Doll Or do Halloween the Yeezy way. Your mood board should begin with this Kanye West paper doll, ready for you to accessorise, cut out and stick about. Kanye West Paper Doll available online WEEKEND GUIDE BY CS LIKE SHARE FORWARD PREVIOUS EDITION (c) 2015 Urban Junkies. All rights reserved. Reproductions of any portion of this website only with our express permission. Urban Junkies is a free daily mailer. All listings and features are editorial: We do not receive any payment from venues, artists or promoters. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information listed but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.