The Pig on the Hill

My first trip here was to have a drink and meet up with some of Mr. Snarky’s colleagues from work. We sat outside and I have to say, if I were to suggest a place for drinks with my friends, it would be the Pig on the Hill. They have some wonderful posters on the wall as well and apparently you can commission one!
Today I was exploring more of Swindon and happened to see that they now serve food all day! I took at a look at the menu outside and it looked really lovely, so I went in. I noticed there were no numbers on the tables, so I was a bit unsure as to how to proceed. So I went up to the bar and asked and they said they would be happy to come and take my order when I had settled.
I chose a nice table in the corner, you could see the t.v. or out of the window. Although, I have to say I kept noticing that when cars drove by there was a sewer cover that was clanging about… a little bothersome, but I guess if there are more people in the pub, you wouldn’t necessarily hear it. There were quite a few things that stood out to me on the menu… actually a lot of things stood out to me, but one thing that really took my fancy was the vegetarian burger option. Again, not a vegetarian and typically the idea of a black bean burger doesn’t excite me like a juicy patty of meat, however, the idea of a mushroom, jalapeño, and pinto bean burger sounded intriguing. There is also a smaller menu, a lunch menu, that has a selection of sandwiches served with slaw and olives. So if you are in a hurry or need to get back to work, they have you covered.
The waitress came over and apologized saying she had forgotten to come over and take my order, but to be honest, I don’t think I was waiting that long. When the burger came out (I will be uploading a picture) it was massive. It was a bit different than what I expected and there were some things on the burger that I wasn’t expecting. The mushroom was a large flat cap mushroom with a slice of Goat’s Cheese, some time of spread that I can only describe as either hummus or ground pinto beans, grilled peppers, grilled zucchini, slices of tomato, and lettuce. This was all served on a wood board with slaw and fries.
I did sit there for a minute trying to figure out how to start this burger. I know I have a big mouth, but even sometimes I get stumped with these massive sandwiches. Eventually I decided to use the steak knife holding it together to cut it in half. While the view of the dissected sandwich was stunning (the lettuce at the bottom was so carefully placed, not just tossed on as an afterthought), it may have been a mistake as the other half began to slide apart. The mushroom was nice and tender, Goat’s Cheese was quite chewy and squeaky which made me wonder if it was a different type of cheese (because I am lactose challenged, I don’t have an extensive knowledge about cheese). The problem with the sandwich was that everything inside was quite slippery and juicy so things were sliding and the bottom bun was disintegrating. I loved all of the vegetables that were in the sandwich, but would have liked a bit more seasoning. The spread on the top… not sure what it was, hummus or ground pinto beans, but a bit of spice in that would’ve taken the sandwich to a whole new level… maybe a bit of cumin, squeeze of lemon. I don’t believe there was salsa or jalapenos on the sandwich as the menu had stated, which might have helped with the seasoning.
I loved the slaw, it had a hint of horseradish for bite and there was some whole grain mustard in it as well for an added bit of tangy-​ness. The fries were lovely and came with a homemade ketchup which was also quite lovely. The dessert selection looked lovely, but I was absolutely stuffed after the sandwich. I would love to come back and try out some of the other dishes and perhaps get some dessert as well! They have happy hour, they also have a deal on Tuesdays where those buying a bottle of wine can receive a cheese board for two… or you could buy a large glass of wine and get a small cheese sampler for one. Also, if it is your birthday and you book your birthday dinner, you get a three course dinner for free!