Once again, a Hard Rock Cafe vegetarian menu will be available throughout October, being Vegetarian Awareness Month. This menu will be available in Malta in both the St Julian’s and the Valletta Waterfront restaurants.
“With the success of last year’s vegetarian offerings and the increased consumer interest in meatless dining options, we wanted to introduce a new menu that goes beyond the typical”
– Antonio Bautista, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations for Hard Rock International.
Hard Rock Cafe has invited me once again to their press release plus taster for this Vegetarian initiative. The 2016 Hard Rock Cafe Vegetarian Menu includes 1 starter, 2 salads, 2 wraps and 2 burgers, all vegetarian friendly. Some of these dishes were a success in the Hard Rock Cafe’s 2015 Vegetarian Menu.
Starting from the starter:
- Cauliflower “Wings” – crispy Buffalo-style cauliflower served with bleu cheese, celery and carrot stick.
Moving on to the bread dishes
- Grilled Ratatouille Wrap – grilled ratatouille vegetables topped with Sriracha mayonnaise, olive oil and baby arugula, served in a seasoned grilled flour tortilla with a side salad.
- Black Bean Wrap – black beans mixed with brown rice, red onion, peppers, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno slices, garlic, honey and spices, topped with grilled tofu and a tofu lime and garlic crema, served in a seasoned grilled flour tortilla with a side.
- Cauliflower Burger – a house-made patty of cauliflower, garlic, egg, goat cheese, oregano and breadcrumbs, topped with zucchini, squash, Monterey Jack cheese, arugula, tomato and garlic aioli, served on a toasted brioche bun.
- Black Bean and Quinoa Burger – a house-made patty of quinoa, black beans, breadcrumbs, red peppers, red onions, garlic, cumin, cheddar, egg, and hot sauce, served on a toasted bun and topped with arugula, tomato and a tofu lime and garlic crema.
Concluding with my most favourite dishes on this year’s Hard Rock Cafe Vegetarian Menu, the salads:
- Pico de Gallo Quinoa Arugula Salad – a fresh mix of pico de gallo, quinoa, lime juice and chopped cilantro mixed with arugula and topped with shredded Brussels sprouts, spicy pecans, feta cheese and craisins, tossed in a citrus vinaigrette.
- Pear Salad – freshly sliced pears, arugula, cherry tomatoes, bleu cheese crumbles and caramelised walnuts served with a pear dressing on the side.
My Hard Rock Cafe Vegetarian Menu Review
The dishes contained two of my least favourite ingredients, cauliflower and beans. Despite this, most dishes were seasoned and cooked in a way that made it still pleasing for me to eat, except for the Black Bean Wrap. This wrap was the most favourite dish for the people joining the press release. Strangely enough this wrap was my least favourite dish. It was too spicy for me and I could feel the beans’ texture.
As I mentioned before, my most favourite dishes were the salads. This came to me as a surprise as I don’t usually look for or order salads. This came from my mother’s way of doing a salad. Her way is to just cut and mix raw veggies with no dressing, vinegar or seasoning added. Some restaurants serve this plain salad so I usually don’t bother to risk it. For me this is like ‘eating’ water and I don’t feel like I’ve eaten.
I think I will start ordering salads from Hard Rock Cafe as the Vegetarian Menu salads were very tasty. Another great thing about the salads can be veganised and in my opinion they are healthier than the bread dishes.
Hard Rock Cafe Vegetarian Menu Awareness
This Saturday, Hard Rock Cafe employees will be distributing free green apples in Valletta from 10:30 till 12:30, to promote Vegetarian Awareness Month and their vegetarian dishes for the same month.
Comment Below
What are your first impressions about this year’s vegetarian menu? Which dish are you eager to try out this October? If you have tried the menu already, which dish you liked or didn’t like and why?