The Hardware Société - CBD

So Wednesdays are basically my fat days.. well hopefully today will be the last because I should really cut down on eating out. I have a two hour break between classes on Wednesdays from 12:30-2:30 so it's always a good time to grab lunch. Today P and I were deciding between Sushi Hotaru which I haven't tried yet or a brunch place. I decided to take P to The Hardware Société since P hasn't been there yet and it's not that far from school. 

We got there just before 1pm and it was full and luckily just one other group waiting outside. Lucky us when we were waiting for our names to be written down at least another 3 or 4 couples showed up and lined up after us. We probably got seated around 10 minutes after arriving. Hardware has always been one of my favourite brunch spots since it was probably the first brunch place I went to and the first time I tried baked eggs, the last time I went was probably over a year ago so I was quite excited. 

We got seated on the communal table in the right corner and the waitress immediately asked as what drinks we would like. Homemade iced teas for the both of us ($5.50ea). The iced tea had a nice black tea flavour and was very refreshing. I don't quite like paper straws as it becomes so soggy. 

P ordered the pork belly with fried eggs ($22?) and I ordered the confit salmon with beetroot puree, confit fennels, chorizo crumb and extra poached eggs ($25). The pork belly flavour was quite nice and the crackling was so good, P cleaned her plate basically. Just probably a bit too much fat on there though. I enjoyed the salmon however I didn't really like the skin that was left on the salmon as it wasn't cooked further to become crispy. I would have just preferred it without the skin, it had a slimy texture to it and just made the plate looked like it had raw fish on top. The flesh however was perfect and melted in the mouth. The chorizo crumb was nice and salty and the beetroot puree went well with every thing. I guess because I'm still recovering from jaw surgery so I couldn't exactly break down the fennel and it was quite hard for me to chew on but the flavours were nice. 

Pork belly and fried eggs

Confit salmon and homemade ice teas

The portions at Hardware are quite large compared to many other cafes and it left us feeling satisfied and full. Overall it's a place I enjoy and every time I come back I always like to get a different dish. It always seems quite busy and I do hope they expand to some where less cramped. 

Service: 8/10
Taste: 8/10
Presentation: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10

FOMO Thai - CBD

By the time 1:30pm rolled around, I was starving because I had to endure an early 8:30am lecture and then a tutorial right after that. The 5 of us initially wanted to try Hakata Gensuke but it was really busy and the staff did not even bother to acknowledge us as we lined up outside in the cold (#rude). We ended up going to FOMO Thai which was a short walk away.

The napkins were just so adorable!! 

All the dishes sounded pretty good and I got to sample a few pieces here and there. S ordered the OMG! Crispy Pork, Homemade Sweet Soy Sauce with Rice ($14), Mingang ordered the Pad Thai ($13) and they shared the Lightly Battered Prawns with Sweet Chilli Mayo ($12). I ordered the Slow Cooked Beef, Massaman Curry and Puff Bowl with Rice ($14).

S and Mingang's Meal

Slow Cooked Beef, Massaman Curry and Puff Bowl with Rice

I enjoyed my meal as I have been craving curry for a while. The cashews complemented the sweet curry. They gave me 4 generous chunks of slow cooked beef but they were split in terms of quality. 2 pieces were melt-in-the-mouth tender and the other two were a little dry and tough. Luckily, 2 chunks was plenty in filling me up. The puff pastry added a textural element but i would've preferred some roti instead just to soak up the flavours. Another thing was that the dish came out lukewarm and quickly became cold as I was eating it.

FOMO Thai Lunch Menu

Overall, FOMO Thai was an enjoyable experience. Us girls were satisfied with our dishes, both in the quality and quantity but the 2 boys did mention that the serving size wasn't enough for them. The service was good but the waitress wasn't aware of their Thaiger Burger promotion that I enquired about after seeing it on Instagram. If I was feeling like Thai food on a budget, I would definitely come back. 

Service: 8/10
Taste: 8/10
Presentation: 9/10 (Rowdy Plates)
Value for Money: 8.5/10

The Little Ox - Brighton

We decided to take advantage of being in the area and after treading through Urbanspoon, we decided to go to The Little Ox in Brighton. I ordered the Poached Eggs with Pulled Pork, Crackling and Harissa Hollandaise on Multigrain ($19) and Q had scrambled eggs on multigrain with added smoked salmon, avocado and mushrooms. The milkshakes looked amazing but I opted for an orange and watermelon juice ($7) because I wanted something fresh to cut through all my creamy components and Q ordered a Chai milkshake, which was to her liking.

Poached Eggs with Pulled Pork, Crackling, Harissa Hollandaise on Multigrain

My dish was really nice and generous. They gave me 3 poached eggs (which is basically unheard of for me) and I gladly gave one to Q. The pulled pork was tender and the harissa hollandaise was nice and creamy. My biggest critique was the so called 'crackling' as it was soggy and just tasted like flaky fat. I was looking forward to the crunchy texture which would have lifted the dish to amazing. It also would've helped if there were a few more greens on the plate.    

Scrambled Eggs on Multigrain with Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Mushrooms

Q enjoyed her dish. The portions were all very generous, especially the mushrooms. She had recently come out of jaw surgery so the texture of "mushy stuff" suited her fine.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at The Little Ox. When we first sat down, service was a little lacking because we had to request menus and cups after they only put the water bottle down. Since we are from Melbourne's West, it is a little far to go again but if we are ever in the area again, I don't mind coming back just to try their caramel milkshakes. 

Service: 7/10

Taste: 8/10

Presentation: 8/10

Value for Money: 8/10

 

  

Proud Mary - Collingwood

We went to Proud Mary in Collingwood on Saturday afternoon with our cousin, C.N. We got there around 1pm and the cafe was quite busy but luckily we didn't have to wait in the rain (unlike some unlucky souls). It was a 20 minute wait until we were seated but we had a great view of the baristas doing their thing.

We were seated at the corner of the communal table and since they were quite busy, the waiter asked us straight off the bat if we wanted to order drinks. I ordered an iced chocolate ($6.50), my sister ordered a hot chocolate ($4) and C.N wanted a latte ($3.80), after hearing rave reviews about the quality of coffee here.

Hot Chocolate, Iced Chocolate and Latte

The iced chocolate could've been better because it was a little powdery even after mixing the ice cream through. Q thought the hot chocolate had a real homemade feel to it and the marshmallows were a nice touch. C.N loved her coffee and said the hype was well deserved.

There wasn't that much variety on the menu, especially since we are fans of savoury dishes. After much debate I ended up ordering the Potato Hash with charred kale, double smoked bacon, organic poached egg and bagna cauda ($19). Q ordered the Avocado with house chilli ricotta, quinoa tabouleh and seed & sprout toast ($14) with a side of scrambled eggs ($5). C.N opted for the Cotechino which consisted of pork sausage, grilled leeks, lentils, poached eggs and zeally bay sourdough ($17).  

Foreground: Potato Hash

My Potato Hash dish was not that great. The hash reminded me of soggy ramen noodles and it was really salty on its own and then more-so with the bacon on top of it. The kale, poached egg and bagna cauda were enjoyable though, but I wouldn't order this dish again. 

Foreground: Avocado

Q's Avocado dish was under seasoned and her scrambled eggs were basically tasteless. C.N's Cotechino had a nice flavour to it but the dish as a whole was a bit boring in colour and overall taste.

Overall, we were a little disappointed with Proud Mary, after hearing so much hype for it. The service was attentive and friendly considering how busy it was. It was a close walk to Messina though which was a bonus.


Service: 8/10
Taste: 6/10
Presentation: 7/10
Value for Money: 7/10

Obligatory Intro Post

Two sisters from Melbourne who love food: V and Q. We are in our early twenties and look nothing like each other.

We decided to set up this blog because we want to share our food experiences. V is a psychology undergrad student and usually eats around the CBD and Q is an avid home baker who is completing her patisserie course. We are lovers of brunch and aim to cross off a new place whenever we can. Photos are all taken from our phones and we are absolutely hopeless at taking aesthetic aerial shots.