Hardware Societe

To cap-off a week's worth of birthday celebrations, a friend took me out for breakfast on a nice Thursday morning. Hardware Societe is one of those places that I kept on hearing about and had intended to visit a few weeks ago. Unfortunately they had gone on a winter hiatus, but the cafe was open and cheerfully inviting this time around.

Hardware Societe

Offering a varied menu of pastries and quite a few egg-based dishes, this cafe seems quite popular with the CBD business crowd. There was a constant stream of people coming and going, with regulars being greeted with friendly enthusiasm. Also impressive, the fact that their coffees/teas/hot chocolates all came with a tiny cinnamon donut. Not particularly delicious, but a sweet gesture all the.

It was hard to choose from all the tasty sounding options on the menu, but ultimately, I decided on an omelette with mushrooms, goat's cheese and truffle oil.

Omelette with Mushrooms, Goat's Cheese and Truffle Oil

The omelette was amazingly light and fluffy, the mushrooms were juicy, the goat's cheese was a blissful indulgent, and the truffle oil really brought the dish to a new level. I wasn't particularly keen on the bread, but that's just a personal preference. Could this have been the best cafe breakfast I've ever had? Perhaps! I could have happily sat there and eaten an entire second serve, but perhaps that luxury should be saved for another occasion.

My friend ordered the coddled eggs accompanied by sourdough baguette soldiers with jamon and romesco, olive tapenade and trout ceviche.

Coddled Eggs and Soldiers 

The coddled eggs were adorable in their little glass cups, resembling desserts rather than breakfast. While the didn't look substantial when it came out, my friend was more than satisfied by the end of the meal, pronouncing it both delicious, and a fun novelty.

Both of us were sorely tempted by the pastries on offer, but after consulting our waistlines, decided that perhaps a return visit was warranted instead of gorging ourselves. Overall, the food was very good, the service was quick and friendly and the ambience was calming, even with all the swirling activity.

[Update: They've now expanded next door and the extra space is certainly welcome. It's bright and airy, and there are gourmet goods on sale as well!]

Hardware Societe
120 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 730am-3pm, Sat 830am-2pm