7 Things Not To Miss in London December 2nd - 4th

Eating for a good cause? This we can get on board with. And at Fat Macy's festive pop-ups, the cause is every bit as good as the food. Aiming to train young homeless Londoners to run supper clubs so they can save up the money for a rental deposit, this Christmas run of bashes is taking over the Printworks Kitchen in Clerkenwell on dates throughout December. Here your chefs will treat you to three courses that put new twists on traditional festive dishes, along with cocktails to get you fully into the Christmas spirit. Fuzzy feel-good vibes, guaranteed.

2, 3, 9, 10, 21 and 22 Dec; £30

Fat Macy's, Printworks Kitchen, 26 Rosebery Ave, EC1R 4SX

OK, it's December. We've busted into the advent calendars. We can now officially set all engines to FESTIVE. But that doesn't mean you can't stay stylish – so set aside those bauble earrings and head straight for Shoreditch's Redchurch Street instead. Because for the first week of December, the street's none-more-hip stores and restaurants (Patty & Bun, Barber & Parlour, Nudie Jeans, Kit and Ace…) are putting on special Christmas events, cocktails, discounts and parties. But if you only hit one place, make it Modern Society, who kick off proceedings on Thursday with live music and festive cocktails on tap (yes!), then team up with top Peruvian restaurant Andina for Pisco sours aplenty over the weekend, before curating a photographic exhibition by Ladytron founder Reuben Wu from Wednesday. Christmas just got cooler, folks.

1-7 Dec; free

Modern Society, 33 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DJ

Haven't you heard? It's party season. So act accordingly and get yourself along to this latest collaboration by now-legendary club night The Hydra. Rounding off another huge series of parties, this Saturday sees them host the debut London showcase by uber-cool New York house imprint Novel Sounds – which means subterranean techno from label boss Levon Vincent, irrepressible beats from Joey Anderson, and all-night, 11pm-6am shape-throwing. Way more fun than sleeping.

3 Dec; £12.50

Novel Sound, Studio Spaces, 110 Pennington Street Wapping London

In these days of baos and cronuts and gourmet crisp cafes, it's easy to forget about the eating-out classics. But the new Ping Pong in Covent Garden is reminding us why we fell in love with dim sum in the first place. Well and truly upping the dumpling ante, the specials include lobster and prawn with shiitake mushrooms, all warming, pillowy and wrapped in beetroot wheat pastry; while the aubergine and pearl barley is a wholesome hug of a dish. Crispy chilli squid is light, fragrant and crunchy, honey soy chicken skewers are melt in the mouth. And as for the delicious build-your-own baos? Well, they prove that when you do it well, there's nothing wrong with the new trends, either. N-O-M.

Ping Pong, 23-24 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NA

So we wouldn't usually recommend a pound shop as the place to pick up cutting-edge style. But we're not talking about that place on the high street where you can get industrial-sized bottles of Head & Shoulders for a quid (though also handy). Nope, this is The Poundshop – a collective on a mission to bring you pieces by independent designers and makers at affordable prices. Popping up at the ICA this weekend, they're curating a super-cool Garage Sale full of art, gifts and interiors buys by the likes of Scout Editions, APFEL and One I Made Earlier. Pick up seconds, prototypes and samples for prices ranging from £100 down to – you guessed it – £1. Probably no Head & Shoulders on offer though, sorry.

1-3 Dec

Poundshop Garage Sale, ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH