Originally published on Tuesday, 30th July 2013

The Culturist: August

Oh August, how did we get here? From China to Japan (learning and eating anyway), Berlin to France (sort of), surfing in Cornwall to swimming in Brockwell, we’re cramming it in this month before summer is officially O-V-E-R. And to eat and drink? Smoked goods and quirky wines all the way.

SWIM: THE LIDO CAFÉ

Cinema until September 18, tickets £12.50, Brockwell Lido, Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, WC2R 1LA

Swimming in the city – it must be done at the Art Deco-meets-urban Brockwell Lido. Get there early for a dip (and we mean early) before a Mediterranean lunch in The Lido Café of gazpacho, antipasti, mackerel baps and burgers with buttermilk coleslaw. And, until September, the Lido is hosting a pop up cinema in conjunction with The Luna Cinema. Watch Napoleon Dynamite poolside (or, if you book VIP tickets, in a dinghy in the pool) while enjoying hot dogs from the BBQ.

LEARN: CHINEASY

Kickstarter campaign ends August 22

Forget night school and Rosetta Stone – if you want to learn Chinese it’s all about Chineasy. Design-led, intelligent and charming, it’s a visual system that helps you recognise Chinese characters. The brand’s creator, ShaoLan Hsueh, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a book and other educational material. They need to raise £75,000 in less than a month. Watch the videos and get donating!

EAT: KOYA-KO

Koya-Ko, opens August
50 Frith Street, W1D 4SQ

Koya has been doing some interesting things of late, namely a chef swap with neighbour Barrafina. Now, word on the Soho streets is that Koya is knocking through to next door (where Mooli’s was), and it’s supposedly happening this month. We have little information other than that it’s going to be an udon noodle bar, featuring some of the original recipes, and it will seat 25 people, meaning more queues like the original. More details to come soon.

INTERNATIONAL: THE TRUTH HURTS [BUT THEN IT WILL SET YOU FREE]

Until September 1, free, Gipsstraße 11, 10119 Berlin

Those of you heading to Berlin this summer, make note of new exhibition The Truth Hurts. One half of the inimitable Pret A Diner, Olivia Steele is also a neon artist by day, now showcasing her latest work in the Circle Culture Gallery. She aims to challenge modern culture with her fluorescent, sentimental and philosophical statements, which often border the sarcastic and are placed in unlikely settings.

EAT: SMOKEHOUSE

Opens August 19, 63-69 Canonbury Road, N1 2DG

Islington’s getting some more love from Neil Rankin. After a residency at John Salt, the smokemaster will take the reins at new restaurant Smokehouse. If you hadn’t already guessed, it’s all about le smoking here – there’ll be a wood and charcoal grill, a robata grill and a Big Green Egg ceramic BBQ. Menu-wise, it’s going to be changing daily with “big, gutsy flavours”; think lobster and spring onion frittata, short rib Bourguignon and a pork mixed grill with peppered ox cheek. There’ll also be a nightly special of rib racks and brisket and a bar menu which features a foie gras club sandwich and crab on toast. Twenty beers on tap round things off.

READ: LOVE 10 THE SWEETIE ISSUE

Out now

Minnie Mouse… she’s getting around a bit. Now, she’s made her cover debut for LOVE magazine’s 5th anniversary. Designers are getting in on it, too, à la last years AW13: Miu Miu, Gucci and Jake and Dinos Chapman for Louis Vuitton have designed their own take on the iconic ears, modelled by Cara D, Georgia May Jagger, Rosie H-W and more.

FESTIVAL: SUD DE FRANCE JOIE DE VIVRE FESTIVAL

August 31, free entry, South Bank, Riverside Walkway & Bernie Spain Gardens, Upper Ground, SE1 9PH

Sud de France is hosting its very first South of France festival… on the South Bank. Celebrating the Languedoc-Roussillon region, expect a fresh market (eyes on the rosé), and even a makeshift beach and a pétanque pitch. Our pick, however, has to be la musique, provided by Sète’s Worldwide Festival, curated by Mr Gilles Peterson. If you missed the festival this month (or you want another dose of that closing beach set by Gilles) then make sure you’re there.

SURF COMPETITION: WIN A SURFING TRIP WITH VITA COCO

So if you wanna hang 10, simply email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name and phone number. We will get back to you end of the week. The weekend is redeemable between July and end of November 2013 for one reader and a +1.

Summer means three things – sunshine , water, and coconuts, so good news – we’re giving away all three, courtesy of Vita Coco. So pack your bags it’s time to head seaside as we are giving away a surfari weekend in Cornwall. Learn to ride the waves with two three-hour sessions with George's Surf School, rest your head at the St Enodoc Hotel and refuel with a month’s supply of Vita Coco Coconut Water. The weekend also includes breakfast, dinner at Outlaw's and all your transport sorted.

WINE: FLIGHT CLUB

August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, from £20, Climpson's Arch, Arch 374, Helmsley Place, E8 3SB

Every Thursday until the end of August, “Flight Club”, a series of one-hour tasting sessions, is hosted in London Fields’ Climpson’s Arch. Each week has a different theme, with popular Victoria Park spot Bottle Apostle providing the wine (think six different bottles each week), and you can even stay on for a Licky BBQ, the current foodie residents of the arch. Up this week is “Not Rioja”; next week sees “Rosé, Yes Really”, followed by “Weird Grapes and Crazy Labels”, “You Don’t Like Chardonnay?” and lastly – and perhaps most useful – “Speed Dial Wines”.

SHOP: RAY-BAN REMIX

Available now, from £103

Finally, you can customise Ray-Bans! The new online service, Ray-Ban Remix, lets you customise each and every part of your glasses (including the lens and engraving), and is available for the Original Wayfarers, New Wayfarers, Aviators and the Justins. It’s all to go with our Nike iDs and monogrammed LV wares...