Melbourne: Brunches of 2014 (Hardware Société)

Ever since I visited Melbourne 7 years ago, I have envied the lifestyle here.  Shopping and eating usually came tops but after NYC, I found that exploring the little lane ways that divides the city into small navigable plots was an even more enjoyable thing to do as a tourist as you never know what lies behind the next corner.   Putting likes aside, my most recent trip here is proof to why Melbourne is easily the brunch capital of Australia.  If you plan on visiting Melbourne, this 3-part breakfast/brunch post is WenY's verdict on the city's 3 hot spots!  With queues out of the door by 8 at most of them, you have been warned.  Go or not to go?  Your choice ;)!

Hardware Société at Hardware Ln, Melbourne CBD

My first stop at 7.30 in the morning was Melbourne’s top brunch spot, the Hardware Société.  I scanned the little eatery and found that it was no surprise that this place had hour long queues during weekends as it only seats 30-40 people.  However, solo dining in this “French” spot is a breeze at that time and I was immediately seated at the bar.

My breakfast was quick to arrive that morning and no it was not their famous baked eggs (too boring!). Instead I opted for a dish of crisp pork belly .  Damn it was good. For starters, the pork belly had the right seasoning and was soft through with its the skin crisp just right.  It did not have that bubbled crackling but a smooth crisp shard which had no intention of sticking between your teeth.  For presentation which I press hard at times, the eggs were picture perfect with its runny yolk trickling down ever so slowly onto the plate.  Damn it was a sight to behold. But ultimately, pinching bits of the plate and having them together was simply yums.

Pork belly, polenta hash, fried eggs, caramelised onions and aioli $18.

A delicious breakfast and a pot of tea was the right kick-start to my first morning.   But fancy apostrophe naming paired with gargantuan publicity also meant that by 8.20,  queues were out of the door.  As Melbourne’s favourite spot, was it all hype?  Definitely not.  But if I had to queue for a long time, I would rather not.

Looking for Brunch?  Check out my Melbourne Brunches in 2014

Operator 25, CBD

Hammer & Tong, Fitzroy

Seven Seeds, Carlton

LE MIEL et la lune, Carlton

Breakfast Thieves, Fitzroy

WenY

Bites: Francoforte Spaghetti Bar @ William St. Arcade, Northbridge

Before jetting off to Melbourne last Tuesday, I enjoyed a  meal of pasta with my sister at the Francoforte  Spaghetti Bar located just a doorstep across from Super Star Waffles in the arcade on 189 William St, Northbridge.  7PM always seem like a bad idea but thankfully on a weekday, the congestion in this little pasta place clears quickly and it took them no more than 10 minutes to get us seated.

After being seated, we placed our orders and were given a complimentary serve of bread, with olive oil and balsamic.

Kale Pesto

Kale and lemon pesto, pecorino, caciatorre sausage, spaghetti

Porco Rosso

Sugo, pork sausages, spaghetti

Guanciale Carbonara

Cured pigs cheek, parmesan, pecorino, penne

Having picked at various pastas around the table, I could not fault with the pasta served at Francoforte.   If was cooked right, served right and the taste was pretty decent.  Do not expect lashings of creamy and American style trickery to hide the pasta.  

Whilst I was not expecting the flavours to overpower the pasta, I was not exactly bowled over by the flavour combination and wanted more bang for my buck.  For example, the Carbonara had great saltiness from the generous slices of crisp pigs cheek which was a nice touch, but the over all finish to the dish was lacking.  It did not have the silkiness or an even salt distribution.  Without a slice of pig’s cheek, it was bland.  Similar comments would apply to both the Kale and Porco Rosso pastas.  The kale pesto one had a homemade feel that enveloped the strand of spaghetti very well but still did not bring me to that level of nirvana a normal basil pesto one does.  

Was Francoforte Spaghetti a bad eat?  Definitely not.  In fact, if I went to Italy, I would be looking for the homemade feel which I get from Francoforte.  Reading the comments of other, I quickly found the error.  If in Italy, the flavour of the sauce are meant to compliment the homemade pasta.  But in the case of using pre-made pasta, does it still work?  I have absolutely no idea whether the spaghetti was homemade or not.  One thing for sure though is that it did not have the same silkiness of the one I had at Marea or Rockpool.  Then again, the two restaurants I mentioned are heavily accredited by the folks at the Michelin Guide or Australia Good Food Guide.  

  

Francoforte despite being hard to fault, the pastas here were more of an OK than a “wow”.   In saying that, I would not feel obligated to even bother queuing on a busy day.  But on any other day, it could be an automatic walk-in meal.

Weny

Bites: Yum Cha @ Fortune Five Dim Sum, Northbridge

A sudden Yum Cha craving hit my sister over the weekends and when Monday struck, YH and I was at her office doorstep to get her a quick fix.  As per usual we went to our usual spot on James Street.  But if you have not noticed, Dragon Seafood has now become Fortune Five Dim Sum.  Thankfully, the dim sum here is now better than ever whilst the prices have stayed stagnant.   11.50pm and a full house filled with the Asian oldies and their counterparts was a clear testament to my statement.

First up were vegetables stuffed with fish paste and covered in a sticky black bean sauce.  Simply yummy!  The waitress claims it is a dish from HK but whilst in Malaysia, my mom does it with her eyes closed.  Confusion ~.~!

In the background is the bean curd roll and the prawn with coriander dumpling.  Not sure whether island life has made me desperate for Chinese food but the dim sum here tasted really good that day.

Another staple I ordered was the Siu Mai which was a little porky to YH, but for me it was a meaty little bugger.  I like my Siu Mai to be a little porky but not smelly if you get what I mean.  This hits my sweet spot.  Naturally, I had half the steamer as my sister does not really enjoy Siu Mai too.

YH’s ordered Salt Pepper Squid Legs which is his usual order.  I found the seasoning a little under but where Fortune Five does well is in ensuring that every piece of tentacle is coated nicely and cooked to perfection.  One too many times have I dined at Dragon Palace, Golden Century, Dim Sum Cafe, and other places that served me half-assed tentacles which were either only partially battered, or came out disgustingly oily.   

Last but not least were the egg tarts.  Who can walk away from a dim sum meal without a serve of these lovely tarts.  My dad would certainly have to give that person a lecture.  The tarts in Fortune Five comes in a serve of 3.  Crispy on the first bite, the custard was to my liking.  Firm enough with the right sweetness.  It could be eggier though.  I love my egg tarts after all :)!

Me bringing out the camera today was a little bit of a mistake.  For some odd reason I thought we were going to a new pasta place.  Thankfully it was of great use.   Fortune Five now has an appearance on this little blog of mine ;)!  Food at this new Yum Cha place has really got me wanting to come back.  The quality is there and the price is right.  I have not had the whole menu but from the food we ordered that day, Fortune Five Dim Sum really did well.  This is probably the best Yum Cha place in the Perth CBD area.  However, as I have mentioned in my previous Yum Cha posts, the quality of dim sum in Perth can be inconsistent, so if Fortune Five keeps up their good work, queues will definitely be out of the door!

WenY