Rockin’ Hard! Yeah…

Quite difficult to find anything that stands up to its own name, eh? Well, there’s Hard Rock Cafe to beat that notion.

Strolling up to the HRC located in GVK One, Hyderabad, I had a slight misgiving about what the experience would be like. Happy to say only the lighting disappointed me: it’s toooo bright for a hard rock cafe!! What hits you as you make that 14-step walk to its inner door are the rare photos of rock musicians on the wall, and the outfits and guitar used by another on their tours. And there’s more to explore.

Once in, the decor, the rock memorabilia mounted on the walls, and of course, the music, takes you on. The seating ranges from comfy cushion sofas to high stools and normal-enough table and chair combos. The DJ cubicle is roomy and located diagonally across the entrance. The ‘crew’ are a friendly lot and would oblige to play requests and dedications for ya.

The music was good. It picked up tempo and loudness as time wore in. Slower songs of U2 and INXS gave way to faster, beaty numbers from the likes of Nickelback, Metallica and Zeppelin. There’s a house band playin on Thursdays, and frequent band performances and concerts otherwise. On the walls you’ll find about 120-odd rock memorabilia – Michael Jackson’s hat, Madonna’s bustier, Billy Idol’s guitar and so on.

In Hard Rock Cafes all over the world – 124 of them – there’s about 70,000 such items. The very first one being Eric Clapton’s guitar that he wanted to be put up on the wall of his then favourite bar – the Hard Rock Cafe in London. In Hard Rock Cafes across the globe there are guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, and even a tour bus as part of the rock and roll memorabilia. Established in 1971, one of the world’s most known bands, it has cafes, casinos and hotels in 42 countries!

The food is average; the drinks looked like they had variety. The place gets crowded post 10 30 p.m.; book a table earlier if you have to!

Psst: On your way out, check out their rock store – okay tees, cocktail glasses, beer mugs, pins and more.

Verdict: Started out as an American diner in a Rolls Royce dealership in London has turned a true rock lover’s haven, I’d say!