Love it or hate it, everyone knows 14 February marks Valentine’s Day.
The day needs no introduction and neither does The Hard Rock Cafe, where we were invited down to try out their Valentine’s menu with a side of party, thanks to the Pete Tong DJ Academy.
So, whether you are celebrating with your partner or your girls for Galentine’s, or maybe you’re treating yourself to a solo date, Hard Rock guarantees dishes made with love.
The Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus was busy upon arrival and had a buzz which was magnified when we were escorted to our table, which overlooked DJ Floyo.
Floyo brought the energy playing world-class music throughout our dining experience and I found it amusing to match the artist on the track to memorabilia around the restaurant.
Where else in London can you have this experience? The Hard Rock really is the Museum with a menu.
We opted in for the three-course Valentine’s feast, which was priced at £38.95 per person and featured a wide choice of four starters, seven mains and two deserts – definitely not for the indecisive.
I started my meal with the pure passion martini, which is a limited-edition cocktail for those who like to begin with a sip of something special.
The drink was deliciously fruity with passion fruit, mango, orange and lime juice, shaken ice-cold with vanilla vodka and grenadine.
On the menu it was said to be topped off with prosecco. Maybe my palette isn’t up to scratch but I couldn’t taste the fizz.
I still thoroughly enjoyed the drink and will definitely be going back to have it again before it is taken off the menu.
My date was vegetarian, and our waiter was super accommodating and personable with helping us customise the menu so it was appropriate for his dietary needs.
We ordered the smoked bacon and red wine onion flatbread, minus the bacon to make it veggie friendly.
The flatbread was delicious, a perfect blend of rich flavours and crisp textures.
The roasted garlic and ricotta cheese perfectly complemented the red wine onions and was hands down our favourite dish of the evening.
It was the type of starter which you did not want to end.
For mains, I picked the grilled salmon and spicy shrimp.
Norwegian salmon with a sweet and spicy mustard glaze, mashed potatoes, garlic broccoli and Bangkok spicy shrimp was delivered to my table.
I was really excited when I ordered this seafood lover’s dream. However, once I began to tuck in my excitement soon turned to disappointment.
The salmon was dry and lacked the flavour the menu promised and the mashed potato was rather bland and did absolutely nothing for my taste buds.
The Bangkok shrimp was rather mediocre and nothing to write home about.
I guess there are plenty more fish in the sea.
The only vegetarian main on the menu was the Moving Mountains burger, so my Valentine’s date was a little restricted option wise.
The burger consists of a 100% plant-based patty, topped with cheddar cheese and a crispy onion ring, served with leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomatoes.
Overall it earned a nod of approval and was devoured within seconds.
To finish off our meal I opted for my favourite kind of dessert, a liquid one.
Resurrecting me from my food coma was a classic espresso martini.
The martini was rich, bold and effortlessly refined and it gave me energy to bop along to Floyo’s tunes for the rest of the night.
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