Hard Rock Cafe introduces new menu inspired by local and global cuisines

Popular cafe and bar Hard Rock Café has launched a new menu,which features dishes from cuisines spanning South India, the Middle East and East Asia. We visited the cafe on a Monday evening, just when the weekday crowd had begun to arrive. Picking a seat right across from the bar, we first ordered some quick bites from their wide selection of starters. We were recommended the Prawns Pepper Fry (prawns tossed with spicy roasted chili lime rub and curry leaves), Chicken Tinga Tacos (soft shell taco with pulled smoky chicken in picante sauce, sour cream, and tomato salsa), and Mezze Platter (the vegetarian variant consisted of Beiruti hummus, beetroot hummus, tzatziki, grilled harissa cottage cheese, falafel kebab, and assorted veggies). The Prawns Pepper Fry was quite spicy, and despite the spice levels being off the charts, we enjoyed the South Indian flavours.

The Chicken Tinga Tacos were delectable blend of textures. The chewy taco shell, the stringy pulled chicken, and the crunchy iceberg lettuce and cilantro were well-complemented by the picante sauce and sour cream. However, our favourite was the Mezze Platter, which is ideal if you are sharing it with a couple of friends. The spicy cottage cheese paired well with the yoghurt-based tzatziki, as did the crunchy falafel with the creamy hummus. For the main course, we were served the Quesadilla Veg Burger, the Penne Taco Bowl with chicken (penne pasta tossed in smoky spicy sweet chilli cilantro sauce and shredded cheddar cheese with Tex Mex chicken), and the Asian Noodle Bowl with shrimp (cold ramen noodles in a sesame-soy dressing over a bed of julienned vegetables).

Bowled over
The Quesadilla Veg Burger, which came with fries and a dip, had the most sumptuous filling of cornmeal polenta and avocado, which gave it a buttery texture. This was contrasted by the crunchy corn tortilla chips. The Penne Taco Bowl was creamy yet spicy and had strong smokey notes, thanks to the smoked paprika chicken and fire-tossed veggies. The Asian Noodle Bowl was a pleasant surprise for us, as it was light on the stomach after a heavy meal. The cold noodles were mildly spiced and the addition of peas and julienned carrots made it refreshing. Despite trying to incorporate local and international flavours, Hard Rock Cafe has retained its essence. Their new menu is bound to welcome new and old visitors alike.
₹1,500++ for two. At St Marks Road