Alex: Quite possibly the most well-known and charming little cafe in Melbourne’s CBD is none other than ‘The Hardware Societe’. A rather unassuming little eatery in term’s of Melbourne’s standards, walking along Hardware Lane if you weren’t in the know you could easily walk on past – if it wasn’t for the throngs of people littering the streets waiting for a table, big tip-off. 
The French inspired cafe seats a number of people but the space is somewhat cramped, but we’ll just use the word quaint and move on! Lines can go down Hardware Lane which is ridiculous but luckily on this weekday myself, B, Madre, and Zoe had to wait maybe 10 minutes and got a cute little corner spot of the cafe.
I ordered a Skim Mocha $5, but I quite liked the idea of having a de-constructed mocha and I liked the fact you could put however much of the ‘hot chocolate’ you want into the coffee. It’s almost like having one mocha and one hot chocolate. Definitely good value for money.
I also ordered the ‘Baked Eggs with brie, slow roared tomato, and salsa verde’ $14. This is one of the best seller’s on the menu, and understandably so. The brie was strong but not overpowering, and left a subtle taste on the palate. This is a lighter take on the baked eggs with Chorizo that they also offer but is still a hearty meal and would be absolutely perfect on a cold Melbourne day. The sour-dough bread that accompanied was beautiful and paired well with the style of eggs that was presented.
Zoe ordered the ‘Baked Eggs with chorizo, sofrito, and manchego’ $15 This was also a winner on the table. It’s safe to say that both the baked eggs have strong subtle flavours from all of the ingredients that are on offer which makes both of them so unique. If I had to choose just one though, I would go the vegetarian version.
Bianca and Mum ordered similar things except Madre’s came with Salmon, so we’ll skip along and stick with B’s ‘Scrambled Eggs with persian feta, chervil’ $16. All of the servings are quite generous considering their pricing which I was quite happy with. Upon tasting Bianc’s scrambled eggs there were some nice flavours but overall it wasn’t as memorable or as flavoursome as the baked eggs. She was very ‘meh’ but let’s face it, unless it’s a hamburger these days she isn’t excited about anything.
If you’re going for the eggs, stick with the baked eggs but they also offer a killer sweet breakfast board that we were so eager to try.
All in all, a pleasant experience that thankfully it lived up to the hype. While I’d like to say that I’d visit again, Melbourne is just a bustling foodie atmosphere that I don’t think I’d have that opportunity, but only time will tell.
Until next time!
Alex
Mmm hardware! Their baked eggs are definitely a winner, don’t think I’ve come across one here in Sydney that I can quite compare to this as yet 🙂
yum those baked eggs look amazing but i reeeeally want that cheesecake in your baked goods shot!
That’s one of my favourite cafes in Melbourne! Great photos! 😀
Oooh…Baked eggs with chorizo sounds hearty! Want to try that sort-of-a-DIY mocha, too!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Your photos are fabulous, this place looks like it serves super generous dishes 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I adore baked eggs with brie, yummy.
Nothing like a fantastic breakfast especially when it’s in Melbourne.
As always guys a fantastic review with great photos.
I still haven’t been to this place, despite its huge popularity. Perhaps next time! Those eggs!
Well done on getting in! I have to admit, the few times that I’ve attempted it, I’ve given up as I’ve gotten too hungry and have settled for breakfast elsewhere!
Love this place so much! It was the first cafe I went to when I went to Melbourne and til now, it still has the crown for best baked eggs in my heart. I need to go back and try the other ones!!