Sunday 9 August 2015

Latin American Food Fiesta at Hard Rock Cafe

Is party on your mind and rains playing spoilsport? There’s only one way to get over the monsoon blues. Step into Hard Rock Cafe and let the month-long Latin Fiesta from August 7 till September 6, lift your spirits with foot-tapping music, crafted tequila cocktails and delicious Latin American food.
Latin America is home to a wide variety of culinary delights. Each using a distinctive combination of spices and fresh ingredients, and each known for popular regional condiments such as guacamole, pico de gallo, and pebre, every Latin American country has its own unique dishes and specialities to sample. I was excited to try these in Bangalore.


The cocktails served during the festival is highly recommended, Nita was with me during my dinner and she couldn't stop praising the cocktails. I started my evening with mocktail. Santosh, the bartender attended us who has been with Hard Rock cafe for over 10 years and crafted many drinks, he knows his job well. He made a watermelon and basil mocktail for me, which was really nice. The blend of watermelon and basil was just perfect. My love spicy mocktail is very evident. Every restaurant I visit, I make sure that either they serve me a spicy mocktail from the menu or else make one for me. I requested Santosh to make one for me which he politely obliged. By far, this was THE BEST spicy mocktail I have ever had, some mango and orange juice with a twist of jalapeno. Both the drinks were repeated and the spicy mocktail deserves a special mention. I requested Santosh and Vibhu, the manager at Hard Rock Cafe to add it to the menu.




Samosette of Spicy corn and cheddar cheese, crispy phyllo triangles stuffed with corn, mixed spices and cheddar cheese served with tangy pesto mayo. These were repeated on the table.



Red Rod Fries which had crispy fries topped with dry spice and a cheddar cheese sauce, jalapeno, spring onions, sweet chili drizzle served with tangy salsa. Its not very cheesy, but a little spicy so you can enjoy these over some drinks or beer.



Next was Spanish-influenced Fire Cracker - Crunchy Chicken Tenders, smoked chicken strips, with burst of spices and Spanish paprika served with sun-dried tomato and chipotle dip. The chicken strips were bland and can be enjoyed only with the dip.


Next dish was to fire up my taste buds, Char Grilled Tex-Mex Chicken Skewers which had char grilled chicken tenders marinated with Tex-Mex spice rub & tangy marinate, served with honey mustard dip. This was tasty especially during a rainy night to add spice to my tastebuds. The dip mellows down the spice.


Bahama Mama - Chicken Burrito was next, flour tortilla laced with roasted chitpotle chili ranch, smoky ragout of sweet corn, fresh dill and smoky baked beans, seasoned crunchy temders, shredded lettuce, mixed cheese and jalapeno served with spiced fries and tangy salsa. The burrito was fresh and very filling, get ready to share it if this is your order. The veg version was liked by Nita, as well.



I skipped Tijuana Chicken Sub Roll, a tantalizing blend of Mexican spices & tangy smoky salsa. It was on a hot dog bun served with fries and how much it tempted me to eat, but I couldn't as my tummy was full.

If you are into sea food, then the Orange Tequila Prawns, pan seared king prawns in corn taco shell, glazed with reduced spicy, tangy cilantro, orange sauce and flambeed with tequila. I did not taste this as it had tequila.


For vegetarians, the Brazilian Barbeque Veg Grill Skewers, sizzling skillet of BBQ glazed and spice-rubbed with Brazilian spice barbeque, cottage cheese skewers  served over chimichurri-spiced fajita onions and bell peppers is a must try. Nita, who enjoyed this dish was praising it.


To end a meal, dessert is a much. Walnut Brownie topped with chocolate fudge and vanilla ice-cream was on the table. This was much better than the last time I had it. The walnut brownie was soft and melted in the mouth. I would have preferred Tres Leches, a latin american dessert which taste much better but it wasn't on the menu



Chef Niranjan, Kitchen Manager Madhu and AGM Vibhu along with Santosh made sure my evening was awesome with good food and drinks.



The meal and the taste on the whole was very good but it had more of Mexican touch as I had some of these dishes during the Mexican festival held in September 2014, after all Mexico is the second most populated country in Latin America. The dishes are priced between Rs.375 - Rs.530. Enjoy the food fiesta like a Latino from 7th August to 6th September 2015.

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