The Hardware Sociéte - MELBOURNE

Address: 118-120 Hardware St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Cuisine: French fusion breakfast & bunch

Mushroom Ratings:

Food: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Ambiance: 8/10

This hidden gem in the heart of Melbourne's lane ways is the perfect place for breakfast, although they do a decent lunch as well. 

I've been here quite a few times now, but what draws me back here is the unique french fusion style that makes every dish taste as if you're miles far away. 

Here below is the Scrambled Eggs with mergz sausage, persian fetta, beetroot, sage. The fetta cheese goes really well with the egg. 

Another great tasting brekkie choice (right)- the Baked Eggs with chorizo sausage, cherry tomato & thyme salsa, crunchy almonds, pata de mulo ewes milk cheese. 

This was surprisingly filling, despite the size. The egg was wrapped in a mixture of ingredients that just worked perfectly together.

Here we have Scrambled eggs, with french earl grey tea cold smoked salmon, dill & horseradish creme fraiche, asparagus. 

On the left is a very interesting mix of Coddled Eggs, with chicken liver pate, cured meats, tea cured salmon and condiments.

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Nobu - MELBOURNE

Address: 8 Whiteman St, Southbank, Melbourne VIC 3006

Cuisine: Japanese

Mushroom Ratings: 

Food: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Here’s another place I’ve been thinking of going for a very long time. Unfortunately, I just came back from a trip to Japan, so my expectations were quite high, especially since the prices charged at Nobu are higher than average.

The first dish to come out was the Yellowtail sashimi with Jalapeño at $23. The jalapeño really added that extra flavour punch, especially if you enjoy a bit of spice. Each slice was cut with precision. My only criticism is that it wasn't the freshest sashimi. Most likely a few days old, as it didn't have a juiciness to it.

Next, we had the main Nobu Lunch Bento box - $50.

The bento box included the signature dish - Black Cod Miso. This on its on in the dinner menu was $49, so during lunch this was much better value, since it came within the bento box. The miso sauce really infuses the flavour into the black cod which is  soft and falls apart in your mouth.

Here is a close up of the Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing. The sauce had a tangy taste and was amazing.

The next bento box was the Nobu Deluxe Bento - $69. Again this one had the Black Miso Cod.

Close up of the King Crab Leg. Very small, but very tasty!

Sashimi salad with jalapeno dressing. 

The sashimi itself wasn't particularly different, nor was it extremely fresh, but the jalapeno dressing hit the flavour buds in my mouth with a punch. 

I wanted more of this. Much, much more.

Finally, we got to dessert, and chose the chef's tasting plate. They were all very well presented.

This was a donut of some sort, with chocolate oozing out

This was really nice - I think it was some kind of creme brule. 

Apple sorbet - a bit sour! 

This one below was by far the best dessert here - whisky cappuccino layered with crunchy coffee crumble, coffee creme, milk ice cream, and whisky foam. It comes in the full size at $14. If you are a coffee fan, then don't miss out!

Overall, I thought Nobu was pricey, given that the main dishes did not have a dramatic variation to standard japanese dishes. The sashimi itself wasn't the freshest, but I can still fully appreciate the Chef's expertise in the cutting style of the sashimi and artistic presentation. The dessert was much more satisfying in terms of the new and innovative flavours.

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