Part of a ‘Doubletree by Hilton’ hotel, Hawkers occupies a side street off the grim one-way system that disfigures historic Kingston. Its comfortable if impersonal lounge bar is dominated by a giant TV screen, and there’s also a spacious banquette-lined dining room: smart, shiny and corporate, all natural woods, burnished metals and cerulean blue leather. The name refers to Harry Hawker, an Edwardian Aussie airman who was a test pilot at Kingston firm Sopwith – hence a house Aviation cocktail made with local minty gin, Beckett’s, and other blue-sky drinks such as For Flight’s Sake (a lychee and gin Saketini) on a list of reasonably priced signatures and classics. Continuous brasserie service starts with English or continental-style breakfast followed by Anglo-European dishes such as blackened sea bass, smoked fennel, mussels and kale in vermouth sauce; plus burgers, steaks and pastas. Sunday roasts and Champagne afternoon tea also tempt locals and visitors.