Festival City, Dubai. May 2016
bar reviews
As I have mentioned in the past, I came to know about Hard Rock Cafe in Kuala Lumpur [see: Dubai Festival City]. After receiving great customer care there over several years and having the staff insist that is part of their mission, I made it a point to sit at HRC bars during my travels and test them out. I am not sure if what I was told was always correct, but it made for some interesting experiences.
Hard Rock Cafe, Jakarta - absolutely fun! It was outrageously expensive for the common Indonesian, but the bartender and wait staff always had me in stitches. I would definitely go back even if I was paying ten dollars for a beer that cost less than one out on the street. They reminded me a lot of the staff in Kuala Lumpur, very fun loving.
Hard Rock Cafe, Bali - great location and the servers and bartenders tried hard. I think due to SO MANY tourists, they just couldn't keep up their super-service motto. I won't say I didn't like it, but the place was so hopping all the time, there was no time for the service staff to do much more than bring food & drinks.
Hard Rock Cafe, Penang - this is also a Hard Rock Hotel. The outside pool bar was amazing for sitting by the beach at Batu Ferringhi, but for customer service I had no chance to really experience it. You can't really chill by the beach AND have a "sit at the bar" experience. Great location anyway.
Hard Rock Cafe, Singapore - predictably lackluster service in Singapore even if the bartenders were all from Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I honestly tried to like the place, but I had much better service at Brewerkz down by the Singapore River. I very rarely hung out at HRC Singapore even though I was often on Orchard Road. Even bestie, MP, said "Uncle, let's not go back there".
Hard Rock Cafe, Seville - why on earth go to Hard Rock in Spain? Mainly out of curiosity (and it was next to my hotel). It was super fun and friendly, too. I wished I could have transported them out of Spain to Saudi Arabia because I didn't want to waste food and drink experiences at HRC (whose menu was pretty much the same worldwide). When such great local wine and dishes were available elsewhere (at less than half the price), it was a one-time hard choice to hang out there. All that aside, I had a really great experience and given the location next to FC Seville's stadium, they must do a rip-roaring business when the home team plays.
Hard Rock Cafe, Vienna - my only "bad" experience and it was not even my own, just observed. I came in and ordered a beer and received a smile, excellent service, and a beer. The bartender made a great impression until about ten minutes later. A young, South Asian couple sat down at the bar just down from me. He gave such lackluster service and so totally changed his demeanor toward them I almost called the manager. Then I thought, "how can I prove it?" It was really sad to see racism at work - especially in a place I usually loved.
Hard Rock Cafe, Dubai - I had great meals there with MWK and Owais on his big graduation trip. Also, WMF and I caught live music there on his whirlwind tour of Dubai. The place conjures up good memories and the service was mostly from customer-service-friendly Filipinos. My only complaint is that it is VAST and loses a little bit on "coziness".
Hard Rock Cafe, Bangkok - Brian and I went a few times over the years when we visited Bangkok. We always found it acceptable (decent Western food), but I never had a chance to experience the bar on my own. It deserves a return visit.
Hard Rock Cafe, Valencia - for clueless world travelers like me, the "always open" HRC chain is a godsend on huge holidays. I totally forgot that I would arrive in Valencia on Epiphany Eve and the following day, other than having an incredible chance to photograph the city carless and people free, everything was closed up like a drum. I noticed Hard Rock was open and went in for lunch. I was one of the few people there (along with other food-frustrated travelers) and I tried to make the bartender happy. She had to work on the biggest holiday of the year in Spain - I would have been sad, too. Even so, I had great service and I was so happy the place was open.
Hard Rock Cafe, Kuala Lumpur - The place that begat the quest and my favorite maybe only for the fact that it started me on this journey of curiosity all over the world. I always had a good time there and it remains one of the friendliest bars I ever visited anywhere. One of the bartenders is still in contact with me on FB!
If price is no object (HRC is never cheap), I think one of their bars is usually a safe bet for a good sit down with decent conversation and service. When traveling solo, that ends up being quite important at the end of a hectic travel day.