Pitcher & Piano Burger to Bun: Mushroom & Sticky Red Onion

The Pitcher and Piano is a bar in local Tunbridge Wells which changes its menu fairly regularly. We have previously reviewed one of their burgers, but this time it’s the turn of their new Burger to Bun menu. The mushroom and sticky red onion burger is described on the menu as follows:

MUSHROOM & STICKY RED ONION (V) CRISPY PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM, STICKY RED ONION, BLUE CHEESE SAUCE, TARRAGON MAYO, LITTLE GEM. OUR BURGERS COME WITH SKIN-ON CHIPS (V), SKINNY FRIES (V) OR SWEET POTATO FRIES (V) – £9.00

I’m never very impressed with the service at the P&P. There seem to be new members of staff every week, and you’re lucky if you can actually get the drinks or food that you wanted to order. That being said, we did manage to order the burger this time (albeit with second-choice cocktail).

The sweet potato fries are very crispy and very salty, which I suppose is a good move in a bar. The bun was very soft, a lot more so than most of the brioche buns you get these days.

The blue cheese sauce was very strong, but there wasn’t an awful lot of it. I actually preferred this as I’m not a blue cheese fan, but it could certainly come as an annoyance to those who are. The deep fried mushrooms were juicy and quite delicious. However, there was a lot of juice that ran out underneath, which left the rest of the bun soggy and messy to eat.

The tangy red onion was actually a great match for the burger, which interacts well with the rest of the flavours. There was a small amount of salad, but any more than that would have rendered the bun too large to eat.

I’m not really sure why it’s served both wrapped in paper and on a plank of wood, as both ideas seem to conflict. Is this a fast food joint or a trendy bar? Of course, the wood platters are really starting to feel dated – and I shudder to think how many times these ones have been used over the last few years.

ON THE VEGBURGE SCALE, I GIVE THIS…

TASTE – 7/10

PRICE – 5/10

REST OF EXPERIENCE – 6/10