Smallwhiteelephant opened a few weeks ago and I popped in for the first time to say hi. Dale and…read moreJen (the owners) are lovely people and their coffee is lovely to match. They have a huge depth of knowledge about their brews and also sell cake! Space out front, space in back and free wifi. You can even grab a coffee to go

Small White Elephant clearly was looking for the crown of "hipsterist hipster spot in hipsterland"…read moreand may well have snagged it! Awkward seating - either outdoor patio chairs (inside) or upturned crates with pillows, etc. Many stuck in the corner and rather in the way of both customers and serving staff. That was an odd start. The drinks came adorably in tiny vessels, rather impossible to handle when filled with hot drinks, but they were ever-so-Instagrammable. The cake was delicious. The service was perfectly good. In the evenings, they apparently serve pho in addition to being a little cafe. Crowded, not terribly comfortable, but cute and with good products. It's a mixed bag.

If you live in West London, a trip to the South London Gallery is a bit of a trek. The directions…read moreon the website say it's a 10 minute walk from Peckham Rye station. That's probably about right, but it felt much further - mind you, a good opportunity to taste a different flavour of London. The current installation by Thomas Hirschorn is well worth the visit, and I'm glad I made it just in time before closing. The book shop and cafe are also very inviting and I am sure to find another excuse soon.

Strange how great things can be right under your nose but you just don't get around to checking…read morethem out as often as you should do. Well for this resident of Nunhead the South London Gallery is a case in point; it's no more than a very leisurely 15 minute stroll from door to door but this Sunday was my first visit in an age. Thanks to some gentle prompting from B we decided to keep it local and take in some culture in Camberwell this weekend so we made our way down the ever busy Peckham Road to check out the Manon de Boer exhibition before it ends on 23 January (just my kind of arty Dutch film offering). This must be one of the most stunning exhibition spaces in the country let alone London. It has had a lot of work done on it in the last year or two, extending the facilities into the once derelict house next door, and there is now some more small scale exhibition space, a fantastic cafe and a beautiful garden which is home to the wonderful Clore Studio. There is also is a shop which sells a great selection of art, film and music books and magazines along with postcards and other interesting bits and pieces. Unlike most of the galleries in town, such as both the Tate and the Tate Modern which can be a nightmare a lot of the time, you will find this is quite a tranquil experience and you are unlikely to need to elbow your way through a crowd or clamber over a buggy to get sight of the work. Exhibitions here are free and there are various talks, live events and general arty "happenings" throughout the year which are either free or very reasonably priced. If you are into contemporary art or just fancy a decent lunch in some lovely surroundings this would be a very fine way to spend an afternoon south of the river. In February there is a retrospective look at the work of Goldsmiths graduates Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard which I would recommend.

Last time I was at The Biscuit Factory was with a little group of reviewers when we checked out the…read moreArch Climbing Wall. Just recently I went to the area again to visit a poetry event at the Vibe Gallery. It was a great evening full of spoken word, music and performances. The Vibe Gallery includes a bar offering a range of drinks at reasonable prices. If you are interested in any kind of contemporary art, it might be worth reading through Vibe Gallery's events and exhibitions. Vibe Gallery seems to be a lively and interesting place, and I will definitely go there again when something is on that appeals to me.

Vibe Gallery is a pretty cool place and has some great events happening. It's quite newly opened,…read moreand has started doing movie nights, workshop events and of course launch parties for new artist's galleries. They're going to be doing arts and crafts fairs and alternative grottos near Christmas! They're always looking for new artists and people to showcase their work. It's in a business centre near Bermondsey underground, right next to the reception. It has parking if you come in the daytime you have to get a permit from reception.

If you ever come down around 7pm on a weekday night, you will see some pick up football…read more Get along.

Basing this review on the fireworks display on 5th November. It's so nice, probably one of the best…read moreall round displays as there is music before hand, food and crowd control now with free tickets that you need to book in advance. Definitely less crowded than any other display you'll go to. 15 mins of pretty impressive fireworks. And it's about 5 minutes walk from Canada Water, really accessible.

THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE GALLERY DURING A JUMBLE SALE…read more phew! But I had to say that. Great sale Great people Good decently priced food and drinks from the gallery itself (and a happy hour later!) Great day out. The third Saturday of every month.

I live right around the corner from this place and work from home, so was excited about a potential…read morenew place to have lunch or potentially sit with a laptop when I need to get away from my desk for a think. As such I've tried it three times... and won't go back. The first time I went the noise of construction was loud enough that it wasn't pleasant enough to stay, so had a beer and left. Didn't hold that against them - they clearly opened unfinished and I figured things would change. The second time I came in, weeks later, a new exhibit was being put up. The music was blasting for the benefit of the arts students putting up the art. I got ignored for quite a while trying to order some soup and wine, and when the wine got to me it tasted like it had come from a many days open bottle. So, fair play. It's a cafe/gallery. Sometimes it will be loud. Back today, ordered a full English, there is AGAIN a new exhibit being put up. So not great. Guy with laptop in corner looking annoyed that you can't really work there. The owner is present and contributing to the general un-niceness of the place by planning something with a colleague at full volume three inches away from me in an empty cafe, stamping on boxes, etc. So fine. Atmosphere isn't great, but I'm here for food. But when the food arrives it's just kind of awful... super low grade sausages that leave slime on your teeth and I left on the plate, a piece of bacon that was all fat and no bacon (seriously, I don't eat low fat, I'm not being picky... there just weren't no bacon), an egg that tasted re-cooked, and a burnt recooked hashbrown that hadn't actually been warmed up. The beans were fine... as beans tend to be. I guess the place is banking on the pizza and beer evening crowd, and it might be a great place for that esp with the arts school nearby. But unfortunately it's not worth going during the daytime and it's a shame they're cutting that segment of the local business out. Hard pressed to figure out a reason to ever go back when you have Cafe 57 (awesome food, slightly but not much higher pricing, great staff, great atmosphere, and a REAL gallery attached and free!) and a couple of local caffs (cheaper, no worse in atmosphere, and better food) nearby. Good luck guys. I'd love to have something successful in that spot as it's good for Camberwell, even if you've lost my business!

A great little bar in Peckham. We decided to venture to Peckham springs to take advantage of the £3…read morecocktails (happy hour 6-7pm)! The cocktails were well made and well, cheap! The other great addition was Patty & Bun were there for a limited time, so cheap cocktails and the best burger in London cannot to badly. Great music. Easy to find. Friendly crowd. Definitely worth a visit.

Tres chic and one of the only places that doesn't charge an entrance fee for dancing at night in…read morePeckham. Not so original, but it's got a nice vibe, some unique cocktails, and hosts some good events/nights here and there.