Monday, August 3, 2009

The HRC experience

We had promised a party to my sister and her hubby, so obviously they had finalized on one of the most expensive restaurants in Pune – Hard Rock CafĂ©.

The place was quite far (Near ABC farms, Koregaon Park) and I had never been to this side of Pune. In fact during the drive I often thought, “Is this really Pune? Looks more like B’lore” As we entered the parking area of the restaurant I started wondering “Is this India? Looks more like the US.”

There was a cover charge of 400Rs per couple and looking at the huge crowd I could understand why. We had reserved a table so that turned out to be a very good idea. The ambience inside was great; the music was a bit too loud (or maybe it’s just my age). (Warning: Not the place to go with kids. Unfortunately we didn’t know that before). Jeans and t-shirt, one kid on my waist and the other holding daddy’s hand while daddy pushed the empty stroller, we looked like complete misfits in the world of stilettos and cleavages. But who cares? We were there for the food. And guess what, we weren’t disappointed. The food was nothing short of awesome.
The Margaritas were pretty good. Ok, it was my first time so I don’t have anything to compare them too, but my husband swore they were the best in Pune. The Non Veg. Jumbo Combo platter for starters was amazing. It had little bit of everything – from potato skins to wings. The Santa Fe spring rolls in the platter were the best. In the other appetizers the Nachos were decent. The burgers were big and nice with perfectly salted French fries. The portions were huge – absolutely American style. My sister and I could only finish through the starters so we jumped directly onto the desert – a chocolate cake that was worth every paisa. It was huge. We just couldn’t finish it. The staff was very efficient and though there might have been very few occasions when they might have got to talk to small children they seemed perfectly kid friendly.

The HRC experience cost us 4K. That's pretty expensive! But considering the drinks and food portions I think that was ok for a once-in-a-while indulgence. I would definitely recommend it to anyone craving for American food.