Vespers, Basingstoke 

Vespers

Here’s a serious vote of confidence: Vespers Restaurant at the Apollo Hotel in Basingstoke was awarded an AA rosette within two weeks of opening. The Apollo is a luxury 4-star hotel and its 26-cover restaurant combines a warm and relaxed atmosphere with impressive cooking that looks as good as it tastes. Start with perfect smoked salmon, its richness sharpened with lemon and capers, and follow with tender chicken breast served with basil gnocchi and tomato sauce, or pan-fried lamb cutlets with a minted red wine jus. For dessert, orange tart comes with chocolate ice cream – a classic combination of flavours – and the light and crumbly strawberry shortbread is filled with fresh strawberries.