London

Hazlitt's

Intellectual date
Place to meet In the British Museum (Great Russell Street, WC1, 020 7323 8000), rooms 77-85, where you can position yourself near the juicier items of classical Roman and Greek art (you know the sort of stuff we’re talking about).
Where to eat When it comes to brain food, you can’t get better than fish, and fortunately you’re just round the corner from the excellent Back to Basics (21a Foley Street, W1, 020 7436 2181). Alternatively, you could eat some actual brain (sheep’s) – it can occasionally be found on the menu at Lebanese restaurants like Al Hamra (31-33 Shepherd Market, W1, 020 7493 1954). Feature continues

AKA

What to do A pub quiz might offer a decent chance to pool your knowledge – try the one at trendy bar AKA (18 West Central Street, WC1, 020 7836 0110, quiz night first Tuesday of the month), though it could also lead to unfortunate arguments about which is Britain’s biggest carnivore (it’s the badger). Alternatively Gresham College (Barnard’s Inn Hall, EC1, 020 7831 0575) does regular free lectures: if you can hang on till November (though this may be taking the ‘treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen’ principle to absurd lengths), you can enjoy a talk on ‘The Psychology of Seduction’ by Dr Raj Persaud. Take notes.
Later on Finish off at Book Slam in Westbourne Grove (Cherry Jam, 58 Porchester Road, W1, 020 7727 9950), where literary types mix readings with alcohol.
Where to end up Head for Hazlitt’s (6 Frith Street, W1, 020 7434 1771), named after the eighteenth-century essayist. Jonathan Swift, Ted Hughes and JK Rowling have stayed at this Georgian townhouse (though not at the same time).