Happy 50th Birthday, Hard Rock Café Manchester
This post contains a gifted meal however all opinions are my own
50 years of Hard Rock Café, can you believe it? Back in 1971, in an old Rolls Royce dealership in London, Hard Rock Café opened it’s doors and created a place where rock stars could rub elbows with truck drivers whilst listening to the music they loved and dining on roadside café food. Fast forward to 2021, and Hard Rock Café is synonymous with hearty burgers, live music, fantastic memorabilia and being a go to place for food and fun. Aside from Manchester, two of my favourite Hard Rock’s have to be the one in Orlando at Universal Studios – such an amazing vibe, and the one in Sydney which has so many memories as I struggled to eat my burger and stay away with the jet lag. I was so happy to get back to Hard Rock Manchester again.
As always, the staff in Hard Rock couldn’t have been more attentive however I have to pay a special thanks to Kevin who ensured that our whole evening was perfect, we weren’t waiting to0 long in between courses,, sat with empty plates around us and that our drinks were flowing. A credit to the Hard Rock team.
The Cocktails
We did indulge in a few cocktails. It was Monday night, our first day off after working all weekend and we needed to relax and enjoy. Enjoy we did, and we started off the evening with the Blackberry Sparkling Sangria. A delicious blend of red wine, blackberry and cranberry juice, a squeeze of orange juice and topped off with Riondo prosecco, it’s a delightful twist on an old classic. Being a sangria lover, I’ve decided that making it with bubbles will be my new recipe at home. It was fresh, fruity and refreshing and served in a signature Hard Rock tumbler which you can take away as a souvenir.
Did you know that Hard Rock have a happy hour? With £2 off draft beers, £3.50 wines and £5.25 cocktails, it’s an ideal place to head for after work drinks. We stuck with the cocktails and worked through some tasty drinks.
Happy Hour Mojito – Bacardi Superior Rum, sugar syrup, lime and mint, it tasted just how a traditional Cuban mojito should do.
Blueberry Cosmo Cocktail – Smirnoff Vodka, elderflower, blackberry syrup, lemon juice and soda. I think this was my favourite out of all the cocktails. Very refreshing and could also be quite dangerous as it tasted more like a juicy drink than a vodka laden cocktail.
Aperol Spritz – A summer classic. Aperol, sparkling wine, a dash of soda and an orange slice and I was whisked away to the sun drenched terraces of abroad. Perfection.
The Starters
We had picked our mains before even looking at the starters, so decided on something light. Choosing the Crispy Spring Rolls and the Onion Ring Tower, the portion sizes were decent and so much so that we worried that we may not have been able to eat our mains. The spring rolls were Southwest style and packed full of black beans, roasted corn, peppers, jalapenos and Monterey Jack cheese, wrapped up in golden thin pastry and fried to perfection. The guacamole Ranch style dip was a new combination but it worked so well. The pastry melted in your mouth whilst the Mexican style filling awakened the taste buds. A generous serving of beautifully crispy crumb coated onion rings to be dipped into BBQ and Ranch sauce were the perfect accompaniment.
The Mains
Usually when dining with a friend for purposes of a blog review, we would both choose something different however as soon as we saw the Surf and Turf Steak Burger on the menu, our eyes lit up. Each Hard Rock burger is served with fries and tomato ketchup. I’m going to hold my hands up and say that the Surf and Turf burger is one of the best burgers that Hard Rock have ever presented. I have tried so many including the infamous 24K Burger and this one tops every single one. A legendary steak burger that can only be cooked to a medium rare due to the size of it, sat upon a layer of ‘slaw on a fresh and light toasted brioche bun, topped with the One Night in Bangkok spicy shrimp. You can get the shrimp as an appetiser and I will be back for bowl of it. The shrimp was insane. Cooked in a creamy spicy sauce, there was enough heat to give a kick at the end but not too much to detract from the fresh juicy prawns inside.
When it comes to burgers, I tend to end up deconstructing them as I can’t manage all of the bread but this time, it was the steak burger that defeated me. It’s a big piece of meaty goodness and I’m pleased that it could only be cooked to medium rare. The slaw was fresh and made a welcome change from the usual lettuce and tomato, but the stand out component was the shrimp. It’s worth a visit to Hard Rock just for the shrimp.
The Dessert
No matter how full you may be, there is always room for dessert. We chose the Hot Fudge Brownie to share, which I’m so glad we did as it’s enormous. Let me set the scene. A sundae bowl larger than your head filled with hot fudgey brownie, topped with the creamiest homemade style vanilla bean ice cream. Hot fudge drizzled across the dessert, sprinkled with chopped walnuts, chocolate sprinkles, fresh whipped cream and a cherry on the top. If that hasn’t made your mouth water, then I don’t know what will. The ice cream was the stand out of this dish – it tasted like it was homemade with full cream and lots of vanilla. I make a good brownie and the Hard Rock dish was gooey in the middle, with a light crust and a deep, rich chocolate flavour.
You really can’t go wrong with a visit to Hard Rock Cafe and I’m pleased that I was invited along to celebrate the 50th birthday. Due to the current restrictions, social distancing does mean that tables may book up inside quickly over a weekend however the terrace is open but for table service only. Each table is sanitised before taking new guests and the amenities are spotless and clean.
