Chara Revett
editor@classactmedia.co.th
The limited-time expanded veggie menu features a diverse, internationally-themed offering, inspired by the diverse culinary customs spanning the planet, encompassing the best of the American Southwest, Moraccan, Medertanean and Asian flavours.
The Phuket Newsrecently visited the Hard Rock Cafe in Patong for a tasting. To be honest, we weren’t really sure what to expect as you don’t usually associate Hard Rock with healthy food.
Greeting us were General Manager Roberto Pettinau and Kitchen Manager Pitak Nammongkol, who had freshlyblended ultra-healthy juices to welcome us to the iconic establishment.
My favourite was the concoction of beetroot, orange and ginger. You could taste every flavour complementing each other finely, especially that sharp little tang of ginger and orange.
Some other fresh juices on the new menu include pear, cucumber and kale juice, and an apple and kale juice.
“From this month and beyond we want to invite locals and tourists to stop in. Some of the items on the vegetarian menu are strictly vegan, and our staff are pleased to advise customers which ones contain egg or dairy,” said Roberto, adding, “We’ll still be serving favourites from our
Vegetarian like a rock star regular menu too. Our aim is to be accommodating and provide many
choices,” explained Roberto.
Indeed, there are plenty of options on the new LT vegetarian menu, which features nine scrumptious dishes and three beverages to choose from.
After being seated like rock stars between a framed Fender and tribute to Jimmy, we proceeded to sample a few of their meatless burgers.
The first one on the plate was the Kefta Burger which consisted of a home made patty of patato, shitakes, portabellas, balsamic glaze, barley thyme and seasonings, topped with a sriracha hummus, arugula and tomato. I actually felt like I was eating a real burger, the patty exceptionally mouthwatering, rich in flavour.
Next, we delved into the Black Bean Burger, which was seasoned with sriracha hummus, arugula and tomato. My colleague didn’t leave a crumb and highly recommends this one to those who like their bean protein.
Otherwise consider a wrap, which was next up on our tasting sample.
First, we embraced buffalo spiced fried cauliflower wrap, followed by a roasted squash and walnut pesto wrap. Both were absolutely amazing. The texture of the squash was so nice and soft, one could literally srpead it on a piece of bread. And the crispy cauliflower goes down pleasently with a
side of guacomole and jalepenos. My colleague, who’s American, says it might as well have been a burrito back home.
Already starting to feel stuffed (like rock stars) we ended our tasting where one would typically begin, the salads. There was a pear salad and a roasted beetroot and vegetables with kale.
Now honestly, I’m not a huge fan of beetroot, but today my tastebuds were particularly receptive to its rich burst of flavour finely infused with the baby spinach.
Chef Pitak reveals the secret, “The beetroot is slow roasted for three hours so that it gets that caramelized flavour with the other ingredients... ” A must try, whether you’re vegetarian or not!
Both salads were quite refreshing and leaving one feeling good and hearty. Chef Pitak explains that all of the ingredients are sourced locally, and as with all of the kitchen’s produce, undergo stringent quality assurance screening to comply with the high standards set forth by Hard Rock Headquarters.
Both my colleague and I agree, Hard Rock sure can do health and heartily for the hungry at that! I highly recommend everyone to go and try Hard Rock Cafe Phuket’s new vegetarian menu, on offer throughout the month. And bring your appetite! For more information, visit www.hardrock.com/phuket