When we planned to go to the city today, I went onto the internet and searched for the best lunch spot in Melbourne’s CBD (Central Business District) to see what would come up. There are just so many options in the centre of Melbourne, good options, that it is really difficult to chose. When the first handful of results all said the same thing – go to Hardware Society on Hardware Street – it seems our decision had been made.
We were seated by a very friendly waitress with a yellow and grey apron at a communal table that we shared with a series of other small groups that came and went during the hour or two we were sitting there. We started with lunch which was simply fantastic. I had pork belly with grilled peaches, smashed potatoes and a beautiful salad with beetroot. Rich had the salmon in a lemony broth. The whole spot had such a great vibe to it, between the bright colour scheme, the buzz coming from the surrounding tables to the interesting decorative elements throughout the space. I loved it and, as an excuse to stay longer and because our meal had been so good, we even indulged in dessert (a very large piece of raspberry pistachio cake with marinated cherries on the side, really delicious.)
We had such a great meal that we thought they must have a good hot chocolate. Sure enough there was one on the menu so I ordered it. Not surprisingly, it was as intriguing and interesting as everything else here had been so far. It came in a large mismatched colored mug. The mug itself was empty except for a dollop of chocolate fudge mousse and a spoonful of crème. Accompanying that was a small white ceramic pot filled with hot chocolate. As I poured the hot chocolate over the mousse and crème it all melted together wonderfully to create a light, chocolately and perfectly delicious little treat. I can’t compare this to any other hot chocolate because it tasted so different and was so unique. It was sweet and rich yet had all these layers to it. Plus it was very interactive and fun which is something that I love.
Verdict: Highly recommended, I’m guessing anything you have here will be delicious. Our meals and drinks certainly were. Hardware Society, 118 Hardware Street, Melbourne, Australia
