FARANG RESTAURANT REVIEW: HARD ROCK CAFE



The way I see it, there's only a few reasons to visit the Bangkok Hard Rock Cafe:

1. You've never been to a Hard Rock Cafe and want to check it out.

2. You've been to a Hard Rock Cafe (or Cafes), but like going to different ones just to see what kind of memorbilia is on display.

3. You're looking for a place that's "kid-friendly."

And finally:

4. You have a hankering for a cheeseburger, but the Garage (see my previous review from back in August) is too far away from where you are.

When we went there, our reasons were clearly 2, 3 and 4.

I've been to several of these establishments over the years in places like Orlando, Paris, and Tokyo. Being the big-time rock fan that I am, I enjoy checking out all the guitars, photos, costumes, etc. that are on display.

A few years ago, the Hard Rock Cafe opened its doors in Detroit, just a couple of blocks from my office. I was actually excited about this, but after going there several times, I realized that the food was pretty mediocre. The burgers are OK, but in Detroit I can name about 10 places that bury the Hard Rock Cafe in that department. In Bangkok, that's just not the case. As far as I can tell, it's either the Garage or Hard Rock for burger lovers on this side of the planet.

So since we were in the area, with the kids in tow, we decided to check it out.

The staff was excellent. They really seemed like they were going out of the way to welcome us and make our kids happy. For our daughter Julia (age 5), this didn't take much: some crayons, some balloons, and some temporary tattoos. For Max (age 8), this entailed allowing him to roam around the place at will and even letting him get on their mini stage to act out his rock-god fantasies.



The atmosphere is like any other Hard Rock: loud music and cluttered walls. Some of the unique items on display included a signed drum head from Ringo Starr:



A bass guitar from the Who's John Entwistle:



The Artist Currently Known as Prince's jacket:



Shirts from the closets of George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix:





And a really cool jacket that was once worn by Marvin Gaye (personally, I think this belongs back in Detroit):



The restaurant had several levels but for some reason seemed a little dingier than the other versions I've visited. All in all, we had a good time. My bacon cheeseburger hit the spot, and around here that's always a good thing.