Hard Rock Cafe is celebrating females all over the world with a special menu throughout the month of March.

Loving the excuse to keep celebrating I headed down to its Old Park Lane restaurant with a friend to make the most of it.

On the Thursday night we went there was live music in the cafe next door but we were so busy chatting over the drinks we missed it.

Two cocktails are offered on the menu, a pink laced tequila-based Margarita and a gin based Run the World.

To be honest I don’t know what I had. I ordered Run the World made with fresh lemon, guava and black cherries.

The Pink Lace Margarita and Run the World cocktails on offer during International Women’s Month at Hard Rock Cafe (Image: Hard Rock Cafe)

I loved the coconut rim on the glass and the very fresh taste of whatever it was.

So much so I ordered another, which didn’t taste the same. 

A little confused I asked our waiter about it and he said “different barmen make them differently”.

My friend was surprised by the sweetness of her Margarita, expecting something more ‘tangy’ but the Mezcal, a type of agave, may have been responsible for that – or the guava.

We tried the three main dishes on offer, two of which are vegetarian. We were asked if we had any allergies and mine didn’t interfere with anything I was eating.

I opted for the Mahi Sandwich which was divine.

Within a toasted bun sat a thick fish fillet topped with crispy shoestring onions and a spicy sauce.

Every flavoursome bite of this burger had a satisfying crunch and a warm heat.

Newsquest reporter tries out the International Women’s Month menu at Hard Rock Cafe (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

My friend went for the Spring Pasta tossed in a creamy garlic sauce and asparagus squash and peas which she said was “nice”.

There are options to add chicken, steak or salmon which she said might have “lifted it” in terms of taste.

We shared a Berry Salad which came with a very generous portion of the steak we chose to add to it.

The lettuce was blended with fresh berries including blueberries and strawberries and also goats cheese, almonds and toasted coconut. 

The beef was tender and the salad itself was so fresh.

Hard Rock Cafe’s (very tasty) Berry Salad and the Coconut Almond Sundae to mark International Women’s Month (Image: Hard Rock Cafe)

The Coconut Almond Sunday was massive – vanilla bean ice-cream served with a soft marble cake, candied almonds, toasted coconut and drizzled with hot fudge sauce – and wonderfully decadent. 

IWD is ordinarily marked annually on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements, to educate and raise awareness about equality.

American president Ronald Reagan continued the tradition until 1987 when Congress designated the entire month of March as Women’s History Month, and it’s been marked stateside ever since. 

Hard Rock Cafe, created by two American businessmen, Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett, opened its first restaurant in Old Park Lane in June 1971.

This year the IWD theme was Inspire Inclusion which naturally means different things in different countries.

At Hard Rock it means a very tasty, filling and fulfilling meal in a very lively environment.

Cheers to that.