Apart from installing third party software to replicate the Start button, the menu you get when pressing Windows key + X is the closest you may get to open things on Windows 8 the old way - but to come by without a Start button replacement, it lacks a few features.
This is where Winaero's WinXEditor comes in which makes it remarkably easy to add and remove groups and items to the menu:
Download WinXEditor from the Winaero homepage here: http://winaero.com/comment.php?comment.news.30
If you get an error on a missing dll file, try out this article: Fix msvcr100.dll error
Edit Win+X menu on Windows 8 with WinXEditor
Useful info. Lucky me I discovered your web site accidentally, and I am surprised
why this accident didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.