A fanboys dilemma

I'm often stuck in a difficult situtation when I'm planning a venture into the city for some breakfast, or lunch, on the days monday to saturday. The reason for this being that I'm always torn apart between breakfast and lunch as alot of the time i rarely eat breakfast in the morning because I'm A): to lazy to wake up, B): hung over and cant be fucked or C): because i know then i will be stuck in this difficult task... what is this task you ask? Well, simply, shall i go to Hardware Societe for breakfast or lunch? Because they stop breakfast at 11am :( (they do all day brunch till 2 on saturday). Now, if its one of the my days off from being a corporate slave, or I dont start working for the man 'til later that day, I usually won't rise until the bare minium of 10 am (and usually then I have to try to wake up my girlfriend to get her out of bed which takes another 30 minutes). So thus bringing me to the decision do i rush in for some god like eggs or do i causally stroll on in and enjoy a hefty lunch. When I do make that extra bit of effort though, its always worth it. Since my first visit to Hardware Societe, I was greeted by a big warm smile and friendly attitude. The fact that this hasn't ever changed is one of the things that keeps bringing me back on in. Every time i visit i feel like part of the family, they happily listen to my complaints about how seedy/tired im feeling without rolling there eyes like they just wish for me to shut up and order like so many other cafes. Then of course the main reason I return again and again is the food. The fare at Hardware is in a french/spanish bistro style which, of course, is music to my ears. Having pretty much eaten everything on the menu I can almost say everything is pretty kick ass, most of the menu often leaning to more rich and robust flavours but still with a few lighter options. I won't list it all as it has recently changed menu (and I also lost all of my photos from there) but I will give you a brief run down...
For breakfast make sure you order the eggs at least once! They do a few varieties (baked, poach, scrambeled) but I can't stop praising the omelet's they make, rich, fluffy, sexy and bursting with flavour. The confit duck omelet, yes i said duck, is a heartstoppingly decadent way to start your day and sure to bring a smile to your face. The fried brioche is also a star as well with a crisp outside and a buttery, bready goodness being trapped on the inside. You can see how it has become a favourite amongst their regulars, including my lovely lady.
fucking sexy
white truffle scented wild mushrooms




As I was saying though, due to my slackness and wine-o lifestyle, I usually end up at Hardware for lunch. This of course is not something to frown about, it's only something that makes you want to dance and sing.
Everyday they have changing empadnadas and tarts which are always too die for.


Also there is a daily changing special... Steak Friday's, Paella Wednesday or Pork Tuesday's, there's always something new and mouth watering coming out of the kitchen so your tastebuds will never get bored. Some staples that have survived the changing menu though are grand things like the confit duck with is crisp skin and juicy and succulent flesh, it will make you punch yourself in the groin for not getting here sooner.
Your crouch is being punched right now isn't?



And if somehow you're still feeling a little peckish after all that, you could always pick up some of their amazing macaron's (which always have fast little feet for running out the door), they come in a range of delectable flavours and will give Adriano Zumbo a run for his money.
So in the end no matter what time I wake up and drag my self out of bed, I'm always happy to know that Hardware will be waiting for me, brekafast or lunch, with amazing food and service that always brightens my day. Like all great places, word always gets out quickly and Hardware is always packed (no reservation policy) but you should always be able to get a seat shortly if none are available. In the mean time you can always grab a mag from the magazine ladder and just be jealous of the venue and cry that your home doesnt look like it (see for yourself when you go).
In summary, Hardware Societe is an amazing little cafe which is sure to become a Melbourne icon in the cafe and resturant world, with its amazing quailty of food, value (very rarely anything goes above $15) and the great vibe it has, i recommend you go there before too much groin punching is needed.



Mat of course pays for all his meals at Hardware Societe because last time he tried to pay in monopoly money the cops where called.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Entre,tapas y vinos

On a nice Sunday night whilst having a stroll in jess's new hood and having a look for some no fuss good take away when I walked past a sign Which grabbed my attention "entre tapas y vinos"

^note: Not the actuall sign but it looks the same forgot to take pic

and thought to myself "gee I like all those things" so I turn my now perked up eyes towards the menu at the front and read such delights as "goats cheese lollipops" "quail in soy glaze" lots of things with truffle,jamon and foie gras so now my attention has been gained(which with A.D.D is no easy feat) I also notice how low the prices are compared to other tapas bars in the higher end scale. It all seems to be good be true at this point and start casting doubt as the place is completely empty despite quite a packed street. The only people I can see is a small group of 3 out the front and just as my fear begins to take control I'm comforted in the fact it's a face I have seen a few times before then Jess whispers in my ear that's it's one of the chefs from vue de monde and my appetite steadily starts building up again. We take our seats at the front so we catch watch all the lovely St kilda bogans walk past. It's a very relaxed atmosphere even if we are now the only people in here. The decor is nice wooden tables and seats, no white linen here, also has a cool piece of street art of a bull fighter.


Once we have relaxed ourselves under the heaters we get given our menus and start deciding on what we want, we decided on goats cheese lollipops($7 for 2)
The quail in soy glaze with spring onion and asparagus and the scallops with foie gras,jamon,truffle and artichoke foam for now.We get two anchovies to start our appetite and boy they very salty but still nice.Next up we had goats cheese lollipops and they were so nice and delicate the first thing you notice is the toasted almond aroma. Once eaten, the goats cheese just melts in your mouth, it's a similar texture and Taste to a soft chevre but has a more earthy flavour to it and I'm assured it's Spanish not french


One of the nice little touches with the free bread was the truffle butter it came with ,we actually had finely grated chunks of truffle spun through the rich butter.It's little things like this that make this place special.



Next was served was theLovely quail($7)it was in two parts the leg and the delicate juicy breast it was cooked in a soy glaze and served with caramelised spring onion and some asparagus.It was cooked perfectly so juicy and tender and not the least bit dry. The spring onion gives the dish a little of sweetness and the sauce was delightful it wasn't a stock standard soy glaze it had huge flavour.I could eat this again and again when quail is done right its always "yeah that was decent" but this really did go above beyond for me and re establish my love for quail.





Next up was the scallops(Japanese jumbo scallop,crispy Spanish ham,foie gras,black truffle and artichoke foam $15 for 2 units) pan seared(i presume) and slightly caramelised but once again not overcooked just perfect . The dish had great texture and a real balancing act of flavours which work so well(scallops and pork are just meant to be) when you bite into the crispiness of the ham is then struck with the earthiness of the fresh truffle then the slight creaminess of the foie and once you reach the scallop its still soft with the slightly caramelised edge and then soft smooth center its like foodie wanker heaven.


Then we had my favourite piece of meat The pork belly(cripsy pork belly served with apple to chef taste and perigordini sauce $14 for a decent serve too) Now i just have to say i am biased when it comes to pork belly and think all pork belly is amazing. Having said that this baby is a stand out from the rest its good simple flavours and isnt over spiced,herbed or anything that could make it bad for that matter. The dish the meat just speaks for itself its juicy and creamy fat and just melts in your mouth and the crackling is to die for its that crispy sharp crunch that you long for in a crackling its over salted,soft and oily its just perfect clean tasting crunchy crackling.Also might point out this dish was also accompied by a cider i have never had or seen before and it just packed a punch full of flavour and was utterly moreish with each sip.


When then followed this all off with some jamón ibérico($20) served with crispy bread that was rubbed in with tomato and garlic but i also kept putting truffle butter on it too,come to think of it i think i just put the truffle butter on everything i had just for the hell of it.

All and all this is a great place with a amazing chef that has created a gem in a otherwise boring little strips of places i wouldnt normally visit. I cant highly recomend this place enough it really is a star. P.s if this is all a little wack looking im sorry i did this on my iphone my laptop is being a piece of shit and if i did this on my ps3 it would take forever.