Around the world in 8 huge burgers

Hard Rock Cafes nationwide have embarked upon a 2017 world burger tour. 160 local burgers from Hard Rock Cafes around the globe have been evaluated and whittled down to 8 for limited release in the UK, of which 4 are available right now with another 4 replacing them in June. In true HRC fashion all the burgers are huge half pounders which are featuring on menus in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They are:

May

Tennessee BBQ burger (Memphis, USA): pickle, Memphis slaw, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, crispy onion and cheddar

(Memphis, USA): pickle, Memphis slaw, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, crispy onion and cheddar Tango salsa burger (Buenos Aires, Argentina): spicy sausage, criollo, garlic aioli, Monterey Jack cheese, fresh arugula (rocket) and a fried egg

(Buenos Aires, Argentina): spicy sausage, criollo, garlic aioli, Monterey Jack cheese, fresh arugula (rocket) and a fried egg Bahn Mi burger (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam): coated in a Vietnamese glaze, cucumber, pickled veg, cilantro (coriander) and green onions

(Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam): coated in a Vietnamese glaze, cucumber, pickled veg, cilantro (coriander) and green onions Olé burger (Barcelona, Spain): a red pepper Romesco sauce, roasted veg, aioli, crumbly goats cheese and arugula (rocket)

June

Korean kimchi burger (Seoul, South Korea): spicy kimchi, bulgogi sauce, fresh tomato, lettuce and spicy mayo

(Seoul, South Korea): spicy kimchi, bulgogi sauce, fresh tomato, lettuce and spicy mayo English breakfast burger (London, England): streaky bacon, sausage, Portobello mushroom, arugula (rocket) and a fried egg

(London, England): streaky bacon, sausage, Portobello mushroom, arugula (rocket) and a fried egg Jambalaya burger (New Orleans, USA): Cajun mayo, pickles, spicy sausage, pepper jack cheese, jambalaya rice cake

(New Orleans, USA): Cajun mayo, pickles, spicy sausage, pepper jack cheese, jambalaya rice cake Plantain burger (Cartagena, Colombia): caramelised onion, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, molasses and fried plantain

Drink

A selection of cocktails to pair with the burgers are also available. Such as:

Southern Rock : Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, Southern comfort, Chambord black raspberry liqueur, Smirnoff vodka and 7Up

: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, Southern comfort, Chambord black raspberry liqueur, Smirnoff vodka and 7Up Hurricane : Orange, mango, pineapple juice, Bacardi superior rum, Captain Morgan’s dark rum, amaretto and grenadine

: Orange, mango, pineapple juice, Bacardi superior rum, Captain Morgan’s dark rum, amaretto and grenadine Electric blues : Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi superior rum, Beefeater gin, Blue Curaçao and 7Up

: Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi superior rum, Beefeater gin, Blue Curaçao and 7Up Mojito : Bacardi superior rum, fresh mint, lime and club soda

: Bacardi superior rum, fresh mint, lime and club soda Lovely Rita: Jose Cuervo Gold tequila, Cointreau orange liqueur and the HRC Margarita mix

As I was there at lunchtime I was a pure bore having a strawberry basil lemonade mocktail instead but it was very fruity and refreshing (don’t let the idea of basil in a cocktail put you off!)

Food

I chose the Argentinian tango salsa burger from the 4 current specials, specifically because I’m fond of fried egg on a burger which certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if that appeals to you it was cooked with a gooey yolk. The burger itself was expectedly large with a plentiful amount of topping so it took some time to finish (so filling was the burger that I ate no dinner that evening!).

Alongside your chosen world burger you also have a choice of classic seasoned fries or artisan fries such as chilli seasoned fries with chipotle garlic ketchup, garlic fries with garlic aioli, garlic & herb fries with chimichurri mayo or Parmesan Romano fries with garlic aioli. My server recommended the garlic fries…unless I planned to snog some vampires that evening. I had no such plans and so the fries sprinkled with a healthy amount of garlic salt were ordered! If you love garlic then I’d heartily recommend these but bear in mind that a little garlic goes a long way so your breath will probably ward off more than just vampires!

Overall

In keeping with previous visits to HRC, portions were massive so it was an effort to clear my plate (which I did eventually!). I love garlic so the fries were wonderful. All burgers are £15.25 with artisan fries costing an extra £1 which may seem excessive but this did me for lunch AND dinner. We missed their St.Patrick’s day Guinness burger in March so it’s good to see more limited edition dishes on sale at Hard Rock. Service was quick and friendly though toilets were not checked on this visit.

If you fancy any of these world burgers then get down to a Hard Rock Cafe before they disappear off the menu! I might come back in July to give the plantain burger a go as it looks the most unusual!

Location:

Hard Rock Cafe, Buchanan St, Glasgow

Public transport: Right next to Buchanan St underground station/Queen St railway station. Central station and Buchanan bus station are both under 10 minutes walk away and buses such as the First 38 stop even closer by.

Opening hours:

Sun – Thur: 12noon – 11pm daily

Fri, Sat: 11am – 12 midnight

Contact:

phone: 0141 353 8790

website

Disclaimer: Mr Foodie got free grub but the waitress tried to charge him so didn’t give him any special treatment but the treatment he got was very attentive plus she worked vampires into the conversation, which is Fred’s favourite Halloween costume. Just imagine him with a cape and fangs, go on…cutest Dracula ever right?