Crowne Plaza Reading

The Thames flows right next to this modern hotel, and the restaurant, a light, open-plan area with an eye-catching piece of floral art under a huge feature light, opens on to a large riverside terrace. There are some strikingly modern dishes on the menu, with more traditional stuff for those who prefer such things, as in chicken liver parfait with fig compôte, followed by battered fillet of cod with the usual accompaniments and a salt and vinegar sauce, or perfectly cooked confit duck leg with garlic mash and red wine jus. Elsewhere, look for tuna carpaccio with a trio of beetroot, then chargrilled chicken breast with smoked bacon and sweetcorn risotto, or parmesan-crusted halibut with curried cauliflower, lime emulsion and coconut foam. Flavours are well managed in puddings too: raspberry soufflé with mojito slush, or peach and vanilla pannacotta with peach soup.