HARD ROCK CAFE
150 Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1QZ Telephone: 020 7514 1700
Every time we have visited the Hard Rock Cafe in London we have always had a great time as the atmosphere is lively and the food is good. It is always busy, and the night we visited was no exception. Our kids were very excited to join us, and enjoyed the party vibe as we entered the restaurant. There were a number of other families around us also enjoying an evening out.
As some readers may already know, it all started
with an Eric Clapton guitar. Back in the seventies, Clapton liked to eat at
this quirky American diner in London called the Hard Rock Cafe. The place was
this funky old building that used to be a Rolls Royce dealership, and it was
run by a couple of young, enterprising and music-loving Americans – Isaac
Togrett and Peter Morton. Clapton became friends with the proprietors and asked
them to save him a regular table, put up a brass plaque or something – and one
of the proprietors said "Why don't we put up your guitar?" They all
had a chuckle, and he handed over the guitar, and they mounted it on the wall.
No one thought much more about it until a week later, when another guitar
arrived (a Gibson Les Paul, by the way). With it was a note from Pete Townshend
of The Who which read: "Mine's as good as his. Love, Pete." The young
proprietors put it on the wall. After that, the guitars never stopped coming.
Today there are more than 70,000 guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas,
microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, a
bus and assorted rock memorabilia - by far, the largest, most valuable such
collection in the world - on the walls of over 163 Hard Rock Cafes, Hotels and
Casinos in 52 countries around the world.
With this history in mind, you would hope that the quality of the food matches the reputation of the venue, and luckily it does! We started our evening with a drink at the bar, after help from the waiter to select a cocktail from an enticing list. I had the Hurricane – which is one of their signature cocktails (£7.95 - or there is an extra charge for a souvenir glass to take home). My partner enjoyed the Pickled Tink (£6.95) - a thick, delicious frozen milkshake style cocktail.
The menu is extensive, with a wide range of choices, but again the friendly waiting staff are on hand to give useful advice. The starters include Nachos, Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings and Potato Skins. We started with the Jumbo Combo (£19.25) – perfect for a family of four, providing a good sample of the other starters on offer. It includes Santa Fe Spring Rolls, Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Potato Skins, and Tupelo ChickenTenders. This large platter was served with four sauces for mixing and matching, offering a perfect accompaniment.
There is a mouth-watering selection of Entrees, including Steaks, Fajitas, Grilled Salmon and Beer Battered Fish & Chips – from £12.45. There is also a list of Smoke- house, Salads and Sandwich options. The Legendary Burger menu is excellent for burger lovers (count me in on this one!). The burgers are priced at £14.95 (with a variety of top- pings available at extra cost), and the Veggie Leggie is £13.95. A smaller 6oz burger is also available for those with a smaller appetite for £10.25. I chose the Legendary 10oz Burger (14.95) which was topped with seasoned bacon, Cheddar cheese, a crisp friend onion ring, lettuce, tomato and pickles. The burger was delicious and cooked to order; medium rare – just the way I like it.
Options from the Smokehouse menu are all smoked in-house. My partner chose the Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Q Combo (Duo Combo priced at £16.75), which offered Bar-B-Q Ribs and Smoked Pulled Pork. For someone who usually prefers a vegetarian option, this was a surprising choice, but one which I can confidently say was heartily enjoyed, proven by the empty plate! The Pulled Pork was a real hit due to its succulence and the accompanying sauce.
The kids loved the Lil' Rocker Menu which is great value at £7.50 per child, and includes a drink. One of the kids enjoyed the amply sized Cheeseburger, whilst the other tucked into Cheesy Mac – both offered with a variety of sides, but our kids chose Carrot Sticks (we had warned them to eat something healthy if they wanted a dessert!).
The wine selection offers plenty of choice, and we enjoyed a bottle of Blackstone Merlot, California (£19.95). The large bar caters for a fantastic range of beverages.
I knew we would have to save some room for dessert - we had promised the kids after all! The dessert list offers a fabulous selection, and we sampled the Fresh Apple Cobbler (£6.75) and the Hot Fudge Brownie (£6.75) – which I must say are two of the best desserts I have ever enjoyed. This was comfort food at its best - homemade, sweet and delicious. The kids enjoyed their Chocolate Fudge Sundaes, which were available for an extra £1.95 on the kids menu.
As you enjoy your meal there is always some- thing to entertain you from the music videos or dancing waiters, to the memorabilia that surrounds you. The music is loud, and there are many tracks you will find yourself rocking along to. There is an Entertainment In-House DJ, who selects the playlist throughout the evening. We enjoyed a broad range of classic rock hits, including tracks from Bon Jovi, Deep Purple and Queen, just some of the ones I can remember. Radio Ga Ga had the whole restaurant clapping in time with the video. You will find yourself tapping your feet to most of these familiar tracks, and it is impossible not to be distracted by the amazing collection of rock and pop pieces that are displayed all around the restaurant and between the tables.
The service throughout was very good, and seems to work as a well-oiled machine. Staff are cheerful, pleasant and helpful with menu choices, and cater very well to the kids.
Hard Rock Cafe undoubtedly houses some of the
most fascinating and important pieces of rock and pop history. The Vault, in
the basement of the Hard Rock Store over the road, is a must see. They
seemingly offer tours every 20 minutes or so. It is housed in an old Coutts
bank vault (the vault doors and some of the safes are still in place). Whilst
the kids hadn't heard of some of the artists whose memorabilia is housed here,
they were very interested to learn more. There are some fascinating original
lyrics by John Lennon, one of Madonna's bustiers and the kids got to hold
guitars played by Slash and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Take your camera.
It is a fun venue, which is more than just a restaurant. If you haven't yet visited, add it to your list - either book before or get there early, as the queues can be long.
