Noted for its “old-fashioned values and high-class food”, this personable town-centre brasserie was originally an 18th-century tollhouse for traffic coming into Reading. Occupying a prime site overlooking the River Kennet (bag a seat on the terrace in fine weather), it promises top-drawer service and a relaxed vibe in thoroughly contemporary surrounds. Chef/proprietor Paul Clerehugh also runs the bucolic Crooked Billet at Stoke Row, and a similar freewheeling spirit pervades the menu here: starters of Japanese cured and torched mackerel with wasabi potato and cucumber or fried duck egg with toasted brioche, wild mushrooms and crispy bacon could precede grilled John Dory with sautéed chorizo, squid, courgette and harissa or Glastonbury free-range chicken baked with garlic and herb butter. Drinks also tick all the boxes, from eclectic wines and beers to swanky cocktails. It’s all “amazing value” given the quality on offer, with “great customer service” to boot.