The Hardware Societe Cafe

The Hardware Societe Cafe

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Posted 2012-10-05 by Pearleen follow
The Hardware Societe is currently ranked number 1 on the best moderately priced restaurant in Melbourne on Urbanspoon. Located at Hardware Street where cafes are found aplenty, it is undeniably popular with a line quickly formed at lunchtime even on a rather gloomy and rainy weekday. I was lucky to have arrived just before the lunchtime crowd and was quickly ushered to a sharing bar top table where you could watch the chefs go about their business. A chirpy waitress who quickly explained the specials for the day, then served us. However, with the exception of the waitress who first served us, the other waiters were relatively cold and unfriendly.



The décor was simple but pleasant. Two stores had been combined into one – on one side an open kitchen concept meant that we could watch the chefs cook, and on the other quirky teapots and teacups hang on the wall as both display and to be used for real tea.



We ordered a mocha and their famous chai latte. The mocha was served separately so you had to pour the milk chocolate into the a coffee cup which was holding the coffee. The mocha was average at best.



We watched as the three chefs worked about tirelessly at their jobs right in front of us, which was quite the curious sight. It was also a dangerous location to be seated when you're hungry - you just want to eat everything up.



For our mains we had the recommended confit duck and pork belly. Although the duck leg confit was relatively average, the pork belly was very nicely done. The meat was roasted just enough so that the it wasn't too fatty or oily (which had happened in other cafes), but the skin was crisp, succulent and absolutely delicious. The juiciness of the prawns complemented the pork belly meat, complete with perfectly matched peas and aioli sauce. We gingerly finished the entire dish clean. The duck leg confit, on the other hand, did not stand out as a special dish.

All in all, I would say that The Hardware Societe is worth a try, but not worth the hype. I believe there are other places that could be much better than this, waiting for us to explore.

#brunch
#cafes
#cbd
#lunch
#restaurants
%wnmelbourne
209510 - 2023-06-16 06:20:09

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