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