Free-flowing Prosecco: What we thought of bottomless brunch at Pitcher & Piano

There’s few places in the area that offer a bottomless brunch, so it’s worth making a short trip to Tyneside for this relaunched version at Pitcher & Piano which offers a side of sweeping views of the Baltic, Sage and meandering Tyne with your food and drinks.

A landmark bar on the Quayside, the contemporary glass-fronted Pitcher & Piano is a larger bar than most, which made it comfortable for social distancing on the Saturday we visited before the local lockdown.

There’s some well thought-out procedures in place, such as a sanitiser pump which is operated via a foot peddle thus cutting down on touching even more, as well as what’s become the new normal as we strike a balance between supporting the hospitality industry and keeping safe, such as a queueing to enter, QR codes for track and trace, one-way system, contactless payments and table service only. Since September 24, we’re also required to wear face masks when entering and moving through a bar or restaurant.

Fortunately, you can take them off to eat and drink – and you’ll be doing plenty of that with this offer of free-flowing prosecco, mimosas or bellinis and a choice of dish from the brunch menu for £25 per person.

You get two hours from the pour of your first drink and the staff were very eagle-eyed at keeping us well topped up, so much so, we didn’t have to catch their eye once for another drink.

Chain pubs aren’t often known for good food, but we were really impressed with the 10 brunch options here, ranging from breakfast brioche and vegan avocado smash to brunch burger and baked Moroccan breakfast.

I chose the avocado sourdough with a side of bacon, which arrived, prettily presented, with sliced avocado, beetroot hummus, crumbled feta, free-range poached egg and a sprinkling of chilli flakes to give it a kick, a top toasted sourdough. It was really well executed and a brunch I would have happily paid for on its own, regardless of the offer.

As the two hours ticked by, we lost count of the Prosecco top ups – a surefire sign that this bottomless brunch is a bargain.

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