The seventeenth of March annually calls for St Patrick’s Day – a day full of parades and céilís where a mist of green and shamrocks take to the streets.
Thousands of people both Irish and non-Irish alike celebrate the life of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
The missionary is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century and this Sunday we raised a Guinness in his memory at The Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly.
For a limited time, The Hard Rock Cafe London and Hard Rock Cafe Old Park Lane is offering an exclusive St Paddy’s day menu, blending the best of Irish and American flavours.
The only way to do St Paddy’s Day right is to dress head to toe in green.
And so, we entered the sacred doors of The Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus with four leaf clover specs and an obnoxiously large novelty Guinness hat.
But fret not if you don’t have an Irish-drenched outfit on hand, Hard Rock has you covered!
To start on the Irish themed menu, my friend and I ordered a ‘Guinness-Infused Pub Cheese Crudité’.
It came to the table with an array of colours on the plate and screamed health is wealth with its assembly of fresh veggies.
The cheese dipping sauce pleasantly surprised me.
With the Guinness infusion, it gave the dip a roasted flavour thanks to the unmalted barley that goes into the brewing process of the stout.
The contrast between the freshness of the plate and the roasted flavouring of the dip perfectly set my taste buds ablaze – that’s one way to make me eat my five a day!
Next up was the ‘Irish Smash Burger Extravaganza’ and this was a pot of o’ culinary gold.
Our attentive and friendly server Pedro placed down the masterpiece of a burger with a knowing nod supplying us with such a look that we knew burger gods had graced our table.
The double patty smashed burger is topped with cheddar and Guinness pub cheese, smoked bacon, pickles and a cabbage bacon jam – indeed a culinary craic.
It was only right to accompany our food with some alcoholic Irish beverages – we ordered an Irish Apple Crush and an Irish Coffee.
The Irish Apple Crush was refreshing and decorated with fresh mint and apple slices.
The flavours reminded me of a mojito with an apple flare.
One may say we were too cliche with the choice of an Irish coffee but I say traditions are traditions and who am I to break one – especially one this delicious!
Perhaps I’m being greedy and just have a massive sweet tooth, but I couldn’t help but notice a dessert was absent from the Irish menu, which left me a little disappointed.
However, once distracted by Robbie Williams’ extremely sparkly sequined jacket which he wore on stage during his ‘Take the Crown’ tour in 2013 all was forgiven.
It’s hard to ignore London’s best rock and roll restaurant, or in other words The Museum with a Menu, when you feast on St Paddy’s crudité, burgers and drinks next to iconic memorabilia.
Featured image: Photo taken by Evie McQuhae
