Hardware Societe

Today I got to tick another restaurant off my wishlist - the Hardware Societe! For months I had been waiting for an excuse to come here for breakfast, and it became the ultimate Melbourne city experience as the skies turned a harsh grey and the heavens opened up to allow the first rain of the new season to fall upon us. Luckily for us, we found the cafe before we got too wet.








We took a seat outside, undercover, and were promptly waited on by a kind staff member.

Calmer Sutra soy chai latte

After a quick glance at the coffees, I decided it had been way too long since my last soy chai, and ordered one with the special request of making sure it was extra hot. I cannot drink lukewarm coffee or hot chocolate, ever.
The barista clearly received the message, and they most certainly delivered. Five minutes later, my chai arrived, the perfect temperature, served neatly with a cute little house-made donut. My only critque here - it would have been a stand out 10/10 if only the donut was warmed up! But taste wise, I could not have asked for a better start to my morning meal.

Baked eggs with chorizo, piquillo pimento sauce, crunchy almonds and goat's milk cheese

Following much deliberation, I had to resort to asking our waitress for the most popular item of the menu, and she suggested their signature dish, the baked eggs.
I love when cafes put the effort into making neat little rustic presentations like this. Hidden under a rich piquillo pimento sauce were my eggs and my thick slices of spicy chorizo, a perfect harmony of sweet and spicy flavours that were topped off perfectly with the crunchy texture of the almonds. The final element was the bread. Given my Polish roots, I had high expectations, and the crispy, lightly toasted fresh sourdough was simply put, heavenly - even my grandpa would agree. The perfect accompanient to my eggs.

The Continental: natural muesli, five:am vanilla yogurt, stewed rhubarb & strawberries, and a warm croissant

Natural muesli with five:am vanilla yogurt

 C ordered the continental breakfast - the other dish I had been deliberating over. How neat is this little jar that the muesli was served in?!


At $22 each, you'd expect to get a good filling - and that we most certainly did. At a cafe with a cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, and chic industrial with polished off interiors? It was the best start to a day of fashion show viewing and shopping any girl could ask for!

Hardware Societe,
118-120 Hardware St
Melbourne CBD, VIC 3000