With the curfew for hospitality businesses forcing pubs and restaurants to shut up shop early, there has been a shift in our dining out culture.
We're having to head out earlier in the day to enjoy the wealth of fantastic food and drink businesses the city has to offer, which lends itself to brunch and lunch.
In a city brimming with so many fantastic cafés and restaurants we’re certainly not short of options when it comes to this, and we’re covered when it comes to boozy brunch too.
Few things beat bottomless brunch when it comes to kicking off the weekend off in style, and such a debauched dining experience is therefore popular with groups celebrating special occasions.
My friend and I didn't have anything specifically to celebrate when we visited Pitcher & Piano to try its bottomless brunch last weekend, but instead simply fancied getting a little bit merry early on in the day - and with everything that's going on at the minute, who can blame us?
We were greeted at the door by a waiter who prompted us to check-in using the Government’s track and trace app, something which has become the norm, and the covid measures throughout the restaurant were very clear and thorough.
We were then instructed to head to the top floor, the designated bottomless brunch dining area, where there was only a smattering of others enjoying the prosecco-laden brekkie - although it did slowly fill up during our two-hour visit.
Pitcher & Piano’s bottomless brunch is similarly priced to most other restaurants which offer it, with diners treated to one brunch dish of their choice and as many glasses of Prosecco as they can manage for £25.
Options include Pitcher & Piano’s version of the fry up, the ‘P&P breakfast’, eggs Benedict, the breakfast brioche and the baked Moroccan breakfast.
With the taste of toothpaste still lingering in our mouths as we sunk our second mimosa, my friend opted for the P&P breakfast while I was a little more adventurous in going for Pitcher & Piano's take on the shakshuka - the Moroccan option - with added halloumi (£3 extra).
And I was rewarded for my slightly more intrepid decision, as we both agreed mine was the tastier of the two dishes.
My pal's brekkie was a little sparse - which is perhaps his fault for asking for it to come without beans - but mine was a delicious, hearty dish with just the right amount of spice.
The halloumi could have done with being cooked for a little longer, though. For an additional £3 it was disappointing.
Our food was washed down with glass after glass of straight-up Prosecco, bellinis and mimosas, and by the time it was ready to leave - at around 12.30pm (I think?) - we were suitably jolly.
The service was absolutely top notch from start to finish and the coronavirus safety measures were adhered to strictly.
If you're looking for a fun way to kick off the weekend - celebrating or not - doing so with a bottomless brunch is the way to go, and Pitcher & Piano's take on it should be considered.
