I know that there’s a credit crunch at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped a huge number of bars, restaurants and clubs opening their doors across the capital the last couple of months. Maybe they’re trying to capitalise on the December party season. I know that we’re all a little lighter in the wallet region, but hell it IS Christmas.

The last couple of months has seen refurbishments and launch parties aplenty, I have drunk so much Champagne I swear my liver has evolved to deal with glasses of bubbly at an increased rate. So here are my tips on the best new additions to London...

The South has seen something of a boom recently as venues have opened in Battersea and Clapham especially at a faster rate than ever before. One of my favourite chains Be at One just opened their Clapham branch and the cheap, quality cocktails and great happy hour deals are sure to impress in these hard times. Mishmash had a refurbishment and has been met with some acclaim and a plethora of gastropubs have sprung up (don’t they always?). The Bolingbroke, The Brunel and Avalon opened within weeks of each other to attract the young professionals of the area in for a bite with their pint. I’ve been really impressed by the consistent quality of this neck of the woods; however, South East London is bringing up the rear with the Exhibition Rooms opening in Crystal Palace to much acclaim.

If, like me, you tend to stay north of the river then you’ll have noticed the sudden spate of venues opening in North London. The Queensbury in Willesden Green had ANOTHER name change and a lick of paint, but kept serving the same good food it always did. Meanwhile, Islington – as you might expect for such a popular place – had an explosion of new venues. Albert and Pearl, Public House, Slim Jims and – a favourite of mine – Double Club all threw open their doors for the first time and have been packed to the rafters pretty much ever since. Meanwhile, The Fellow graced Kings Cross with a new, upmarket gastropub that we at View rated highly.

Bored yet? There’s more!

Of course, West London isn’t one to sit in the shadow of the rest of London, and with the congestion charge relaxing you can drive your Porsche merrily round from members bar to members bar. I was happy to see an unusual addition of Ghost Inc join the West London ranks, bringing a taste of the East to Kensington. The Fire Station flew the flag for Hammersmith with good grub and a party vibe (oh and don’t forget the fire bucket urinals and fireman’s pole!). The Harwood Arms brought the ubiquitous gastro slant to Fulham and Southern Belle offered a taste of home to our American friends.

As an East End girl, however, I was delighted to see the huge number of venues down this neck of the woods opening their newly painted doors for the first time. Green and Red opened their basement bar Chamucos, I had a decent meal at Hat and Tun in Clerkenwell and the long awaited reopening of Russian Bar in Hackney finally happened. I sucked at bowling and just didn’t care at All Star Lanes Brick Lane (I’m ashamed to say the bowling shoes were cooler than my own Primark ballet pumps) and I’m excited to check out The Redchurch tonight after it had a refurbishment. Oh and don't forget the fairytale wonderland that is Callooh Callay, one of my top new spots of 2008.

Phew, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! However, let’s take a moment, bow our heads and say a fond farewell to those places that have closed or are saying a final goodbye this month. Notably, T Bar – we’ll miss you.

Now let’s do a bar crawl!