Hardware Societé

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Slowly but steadily, I intend to revive this long-neglected blog and continue to share my gastronomic experiences, little as they may be, to interested readers out there.

Let's start off with Hardware Societé. This place is always bustling with people, it is really difficult to get a seat here without a half hour queue. And by that, I meant the minimum wait is 30 minutes, especially during the weekends. It is advisable to get in early so that you can avoid waiting that long. But for people who really want that extra few hours of sleep during the weekend, waiting time could vary between 20 minutes, up to 45 minutes, depending on your luck. It is a pity that they do not take reservations. They have a really small interior, with a few outdoor seating. The friendly staff takes your name and patrons willingly wait squatting at the Korean grocery place just opposite the little café, waiting earnestly for their name to be called so that they could quickly pacify their growling stomachs.

It is really not difficult to guess why this place is so popular. Eggs and more eggs dominate their menu, but the way they serve them, and the accompaniments - be it bread, cheese, crab meat etc - makes the whole meal to-die-for. You will not feel disappointed having dined there!

This was a customised menu I believe, according to my friend's cravings - A mixture of Croquette Madame, but not quite a croquette but a baguette. Fried eggs changed to scrambled. A little variation here and there, but still tasted so damn good!

Crab and egg cocotte.
There are no words to describe but I shall offer you one non-English word: Parfait.

Their coffee was pretty good as well. Surprisingly there have not been highly rated in many coffee review books around in Melbourne (or they just did not put their little place up for assessments). I did not expect a lot from their coffee, but they managed to surprise me. True, they were not the finest beans I have ever tasted, but they have managed to make an ordinary coffee bean turn into a smooth and silky cuppa that seeks to challenge all the big shot cafés out there.

Not just a pretty 'sur'face. The underneath is what you dig for with every sip. Unforgettable.

Taken while squatting directly opposite the little café.

The details
Hardware Societé
120 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9078 5992

Hours
Mon-Fri: 7.30am-3pm
Sat & Sun: 8.30am-2pm

Verdict (30 points)
Service - ****
Food/Taste: ****1/2
Coffee/Drink: ****1/2
Ambience: ****
Convenience: *****
Price: ****1/2
TOTAL: 26.5/30

Labels: Breakfast, Brunch, Cafe, Coffee, Eggs

Posted by Chubzzy at 6:55 AM

Giorgios

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Giorgios

1235 High Street

Armadale, VIC 3143

(61) 03 98224558

Long time no update... And finally I have something to share with my (slightly) more frequent place for a (familiar) culinary experience - Giorgios - located just at the corner of High Street and Glenferrie Road. It is a very convenient restaurant/cafe, and a place with a name so sound that everyone in the vicinity know about it, and even those who are not from the area have also heard about the place. Shows how popular the place is.

Giorgios has a pretty wide variety of food from their menu to choose from, ranging from pastas, pizza, different kinds of salad, starters, soup, bagels & sandwiches, mains, desserts and so on. They also have a breakfast menu, which I will probably never get to try, given the times I get to pass by the place (needless to say, to patron) is always after breakfast hours. On top of that, they also have a wide variety of wines, beers, cocktails, shooters, tea and coffee. From the point of enterance you see the coffee bar. Further on, it is connected with the 'desserts' bar, where different yummy cakes are displayed before your very eyes.

The ambience there makes you feel like the place is pretty classy, however, the place is almost always bustling. The service there will defeat their slight classy feel because even though their service staff are friendly, but they are all fast-paced and informal. Food is served at large portions, but their price is not very cheap either. You must admit that the place is a good gathering place, especially if your activity area is around the Armadale/Toorak/Malvern/Glen Iris/Prahran (you get the gist) area.

Oh, and they are open til late too! You can sit til 12AM and they will not kick you out.

Really fresh natural oysters

Eggplant dip served with wood fire sesame bread

Smoked salmon croquette crumbed with potato & spring onions, served with mayonnaise.

Minestrone soup with side serve of bread

Caesar salad with grilled chicken

Prawn gyoza with a sesame and soy dipping sauce

The taste of this wasn't too bad, however it was only a miserable FOUR pieces of gyoza, costing $10.90! Too expensive!!

Nicoise salad

A mixture of tuna, potato, cherry tomatoes, peas, spinach, boiled egg, anchovies with a seeded mustard dressing and extra virgin olive oil.

A pretty good tasting salad.

Chicken and corn soup

Wait til I get a better quality photo of this - Chef platter with a mixture of spring rolls, calamari rings, croquette, pita bread with dipping sauces.

Very unhealthy assortment of food, and too big (or too much fried stuff) for one person, so it's recommended to share even though it's a 'mini platter'.

Another bad quality photo awaiting a better quality one if there's a chance - Apple crumble

Giorgios has pretty good apple crumbles. They don't have it all the time though.

Creme brulee - brown sugar, mascapone cheese served with vanilla ice-cream.

Very sinful, sweet, yet very nice. I like the sugary crust on top best!

Toblerone cheese cake

Very sweet and rich. It is probably even recommend that 3-4 people share this slice of cake, unless, of course, you have a very sweet tooth.

Cocktail #1 - Passionfruit addiction - vodka, creme de cacao, passionfruit pulp, grapefruit juice. Nice blend, and not too strong.

Cocktail #2 - Lemon Meringue - vodka, cointreau, lemon juice. Moderate strength (to me, at least). Lemon was refreshing. Vodka and cointreau makes you happy, but not drunk. I'll say it's a good drink after a hard day at work.

Cocktail #3 - Cryptonite Blazer - wild turkey bourbon, creme de cacao, orange rind and lemon juice.

Pretty strong drink. Every sip seems like a full shot. First sip might be a shock, however, it is a satisfying drink for people who loves their shooters and/or an 'amateur' alcoholic.

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: ***1/2 Fragrance: ***1/2 Appearance: ****
They serve pretty decent food in all aspects of taste, fragrance and appearance. Definitely worth its popularity. But then of course, if you want to compare it to some other places, they are probably still a notch behind. You won't be disappointed nonetheless.

Service: **1/2
Service staff were reasonably friendly, but a little more attention to customers will probably do the trick. Furthermore, stacking up tables and chairs after last orders is a big NO-NO because customers are still sitting there, eating.

Price: ***
For a place like Armadale, it definitely makes sense to cost this much - i.e. not cheap. Each person can easily fork out $50 for one meal. Whilst most of their food are pretty big portioned and costing over $20 for a dish, some of them (e.g. the prawn gyoza) are too expensive for their little quantity.

Ambience: ****

Looks like a pretty 'formal' dining area if only it's not always bustling. It's busy, but it doesn't make the place any less uncomfortable to be in anyway. Choice of indoor or outdoor dining. Upbeat but not overlooked in terms of service.

Accessibility: ****

This is pretty subjective because it depends on where you are coming from. I will say it is very accessible as long as you are willing to hop onto a tram and travel probably 20 minutes minimum from the city into Armadale. The place is very easy to find since it's at the crossroads of High street and Glenferrie Road, opposite Malvern Town Hall, and 2 really big, obscure looking 'monuments'. You definitely can't miss it. Tram number 6 runs from the city and down High Street is probably the best way you can get there. Another alternative will be tram number 16, and it will eventually run down Glenferrie Road via St. Kilda. It is a much longer route and will probably take about 30-45 minutes to get there from the city.

Posted by Chubzzy at 8:27 AM

Red Pepper

Monday, July 26, 2010

Red Pepper
14 Bourke St
Melbourne VIC 3000
(61) 03 96545714

Red and green pepper side by side (sisters restaurants they are), but it seems like only Red Pepper was open on a fine Saturday afternoon we decided to drop by to have lunch, whereas Green Pepper was dark, seemingly empty, and definitely closed.

Upon entering, you feel that you have entered a restaurant situated in... India. Of course, majority of their patrons are Indians (general classification), plus their service staff (other than one other non-Indian service staff). The restaurant has a pretty quaint look, not very big, but there's a upstairs.

Service in the restaurant is really slow. To start, I went with my friend's toddler, who needs a high chair. It took them almost 15 minutes to give us a high chair. There was no table service either. All customers order at the counter, which you will have to pay the bill after you've finished ordering. We asked for water for our table, which took them another 10 minutes. And our food took another 15 minutes to come out. I must say it was at least 30 minutes after we sat down that we actually had food on our tables. More time was then needed afterwards to question each other what each dish possibly could be since there was no introduction when the dish was served. Basic service was indeed lacking.

The food there was not too bad though, even though I am no Indian food expert. The mango lassi drink that I've ordered tasted fine surprisingly, given that I am no fan of yoghurt. The different types of naans we've ordered tasted good, and I must say, overall, I've enjoyed the meal.

Outside of Red Pepper.

The dining area downstairs

Aloo Palak with 2 pieces of naan (Indian flat bread) - potatoes in spiced spinach.
It looks like curry with thick layer of oil, spicy which psychologically tells you it tastes like spinach. There are potato chunks in it too.

Chicken Tikka with cheese kulcha, salad and chutney.
The chicken was well baked, and the cheese kulcha (another type of flat bread) was good. The chutney was good too.
Not a salad fan though, but I picture it to be good for salad lovers.

Aloo/Gobi/Mooli/Onion Parantha with Dahi. Menu said there are 2 pieces. However I think we got 3 pieces.
Parantha is another kind of Indian flat bread. This one is served with home-made butter and stuffed with potato/cauliflower/radish/onion mix.

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: **** Fragrance: **** Appearance: ****
Having tried a few Indian places before (however inexperienced), this place serves pretty decent food.

Service: *
Really slow service. You want to eat there, you have to have time.
Staff do not give you a friendly feel, though they are not unpleasant. Seems like there's a discrepancy between the ambience the place gives, and the service quality.
Customers will really appreciate if staff members can at least tell them what each dish is when they serve each individual meal. Not everyone knows Indian food well enough to differentiate which delicacy is which. Customers do not like the 'go-figure-yourself' game.

Price: ****
Lower-end prices ranging from $3.50 to $12.00. Pretty reasonable and affordable, since it's in Melbourne City itself.

Ambience: ***
Pretty old place, but still tidy and reasonably comfortable. Bustling, but you can still chit-chat whilst enjoying your meal. Music is almost inaudible though (unless it's covered by the noise).

Accessibility: ****1/2
Located near Parliament Station and tram stops for tram 96 and 86 on Bourke Street, it is indeed a place accessible to most people, if they are in/near the city. Just a few steps up will be the Parliament House. Easy to spot, and impossible to miss.

Posted by Chubzzy at 10:03 PM

Old Town Kopitiam Mamak

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Old Town Kopitiam Mamak
QV foyer, 222 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne 3000
(61) 03 96542682

The first Old Town was opened about 2 years ago in the heart of Chinatown in Melbourne, featuring Malaysian food. Initially, I thought this brand belongs the Old Town Kopitiam in Malaysia. However, though unproven, I have heard that the branches in Melbourne do not have any relationship with those in Malaysia.

Quite recently, QV (short for 'Queen Victoria', a departmental store in Melbourne) opened up an Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, on the top foyer, just beside 3 degrees (a pub) and opposite Max Brenner and Grill'd. Excellent, and impossible-to-miss location, which probably explains why the place is always pretty crowded. What is 'Mamak', you may ask? 'Mamak' is a term used to describe the Tamil Muslim community and culture (Wikipedia; Wordnik.com), and 'Mamak food' traditionally refers to the food sold in road-side food stalls that are cheap and good. However, in modern day times, mamak stalls have refurbished the look of tradtional food stalls into a cafe/restaurant-like ambience, just like the one in QV.

Interior-wise, it has a pretty modern look, with an open-style kitchen where customers can see for themselves how satays and roti pratas were being made. Marble tables in there represents a modern-day kopitiam, with a bona-fide touch of old times kopitiam. Definitely a great place to enjoy a simple meal or a cup of kopi-O.

To start off with, I chose the roti (bread) telor (egg) bawang (onions). Taste good with the curry that accompanies it, as well as the chilli, which wasn't too spicy, but has its own special flavour.

Their meal combo consist of your choice of rice and two or three other dishes. We were delighted that the cheapest option was $8.00, thinking it's going to be a big portion enough for two. However, we were disappointed that the portion was so tiny, it was actually meant more for one person.
The eggplant dish that we have chosen was good. The curry chicken was not too bad as well. Seems like the dish always comes with a big piece of cracker (there is a malay name for that which I will need to check up on).

Ice Longan.
This ice longan drink wasn't the best that I've tasted though. The sugar syrup tastes pretty diluted.

They have pretty nice settings in the restaurant that gives us a feel of reminiscence.

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: **** Fragrance: *** Appearance: ****
Pretty authentic, but I shall say need a little more effort to make it all more perfect.

Service: **1/2
Service staff were reasonably friendly, but a little more attention to customers will probably do the trick. Furthermore, stacking up tables and chairs after last orders is a big NO-NO because customers are still sitting there, eating.

Price: ****
Reasonable prices for a place in QV. However, the portion that goes with the price eats up a star.

Ambience: ****
I must say I liked the ambience.

Accessibility: *****
Very conveniently located in the foyer of QV, which is in the heart of Melbourne City. Hard to miss, especially if you have ever been to the popular Max Brenner, or if you have ever made your way up or down the building via the escalators, you will definitely see it.

(This is a post made based on a first visit. However, I will definitely go back a next time for further reviews)

Posted by Chubzzy at 9:30 AM

Sozai Japanese Restaurant

Friday, May 7, 2010

Sozai Japanese Restaurant
1221 High Street, Armadale, VIC 3143
Australia
(61) 03 98248200

I am not biased towards this place just because I work there. However, this place seriously does serve really fresh sushi and sashimi, plus delicious hot food. Everything is served simply, but the taste is much more than you can see with your naked eye.

Sozai, which means 'ingredients' in Japanese, has a pretty concise menu, which to some people, there are not many options to choose from. However, the advantage of a concise menu is that it displays all the things available at one glance, and it is easier to make a decision as the restaurant has what are the most popular and the most recommended dishes. The only setback I have found is the lack of choices for noodle dishes. Sozai serves only udon. Too bad for ramen/soba eaters.

At Sozai, you can try their genmaicha, which is Japanese green tea, combined with roasted brown rice. Very fragrant. Of course, there is also a wine list for you to choose from if you are after alcohol. Japanese beers include Asahi, Sapporo and Yebisu all Malt (*Note: No Kirin). Sakes include their house sake (ozeki), Iwanoi (dry sake with a clean finish) and Kikusui (between dry and sweet - a well-rounded taste).

Some popular dishes that I have photos of:

Gyu Tataki
Sliced raw tender beef with a tangy citrus sauce

Gyoza
Pan-fried home-made dumplings filled with pork and vegetables.

Agedashi Tofu
Crispy fried tofu bathed in a soy-based light soup.

Ebi Tempura Udon Soup
Prawn tempura on undon noodles with a soy-based soup.

Kaki No Sachi
Fresh oysters topped with salmon roe (ikura)

Sashimi (Main - 24 slices; Entree - 12 slices)
Fresh raw slices of tuna and salmon (white fish is also available upon request).

Spicy maki (available in tuna, salmon, prawn, vegetables)
Nigiri sushi - selection of raw fish and seafood laid over a mound of sushi rice

Sozai's most ordered nigiri sushi - Nasu nigiri (eggplant sushi)
Also my personal favorite. This sushi makes my mouth water.

You can either order a fixed set of sushi and sashimi platter, or you can design your own like that - Spicy maki, nasu nigiri, unagi (eel) nigiri and sashimi entree size.
Of course you pay for each individual item as it is, but it will be served on one plate, and it seems more 'personalized' this way.

Sozai's website is still under construction, therefore I will post the link up when it is completed. Hopefully I can make another post about Sozai with other food pictures!

Opening hours:
Lunch: 12PM - 2 or 2.30PM (depending on the crowd)
Dinner: 5.30PM - 10PM (last order at 9.30PM)

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: ***** Fragrance: **** Appearance: ****
Simple, yet fresh and delicious.

Service: ***1/2
Service can be better, but staffs are usually attentive and friendly. Service is quick, however, the speed may be affected during really busy hours.

Price: *** 1/2
Average-high. Location wise, it is located on rich and lavish High Street in Armadale, and thus the price.

Ambience: ****
Always a busy place, but it is a good place to catch up with friends.

Accessibility: ***
Sozai is located in the middle of Armadale and Malvern. However, it is not near either train stations. You can take a train to either stations and take a 10-15minutes walk down. OR, you can travel by tram from the city (or from the stations). Tram 6 runs on High Street, passing Armadale Station, whereas tram 16 runs on Glenferrie Road, passing Malvern Station.

Posted by Chubzzy at 5:02 PM

Cafe Giraffe

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Cafe Giraffe
302 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
VIC 3000. Australia
(61) 03 96400889

No one can not love this quaint and lovely little cafe/restaurant, located on Little Lonsdale Street, between Elizabeth and Queen Street, in the heart of Melbourne City.

I found this place from a friend's Facebook page, and thought that the name sounded cute. For one, I have this thing for giraffes - they are huge creatures, but adorable. Then from pictures I've seen, the interior of this place looks comfortable too! So I decided to give it a try.

It was an extremely cute little place with pretty decorations. There is a little corner where customers can relax on a couch and surf the internet, or play some games that they provide. Right across is another 'private' corner with a long table for 4 or 5, where you can have your own quiet corner, or have a little party with friends. In the center stands a nicely decorated 'leaf-less' tree, and a short giraffe made of twigs (possibly). It is definitely an environment that you can sit down and relax, as long as you order one item per person.

Their menu offers pastas, some Japanese dishes, desserts and drinks such as smoothies and coffee. Their coffee was very good. So are their frappe, smoothies and other drinks. Pasta was perfect. Plus, their portions aren't as big as the typical Aussie portions, and it is just nice and filling for a regular person (or Asians). The price is also considerably cheaper as well.

It is a place to be, if you are feeling stressed out from school/work, or if you want to chill out with friends and have a good chat. Or if you want to catch up on some work (or assignments), Cafe Giraffe is definitely a place I will strongly recommend.

The only thing about this cafe that makes people feel 'restricted' is the number of rules they have. If you are in a group of 10, for example, everyone HAS to order something - referring back to my forementioned 'one item per person'. After 5pm, you have to order something that is more than $4, which is actually not very difficult for a drink will cost you $4. Also, you cannot bring in your own cake to celebrate a birthday there unless you pay extra $2 per person, and they will provide you with plates and fork. However, I do understand their rules in a way: their sitting capacity is very little, therefore it will be unfair if you hold up a seat just because you like the place but you are not ordering anything. In that way, you will deprive someone who would actually want something but have no where to sit down...

Spaghetti bolognaise

Penne with mushroom sauce
And a mango smoothie

Mushroom risotto
And a perfect latte

Top left: DIY Mocha Affogato - you can mix and match however you like it, and drink however you like it.
Top right: Vanilla Frappe - very smooth and creamy frappe... Worth a try!
Bottom left: A seriously strong latte - a very good dose for coffee lovers since many parts of Melbourne do not sell good coffees, least to say, good STRONG coffee...

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: ***** Fragrance: **** Appearance: *****
Portion is not big, and the taste is undeniable.

Service: ****
Staff are friendly, and quick.

Price: *****
Cheap, affordable prices for reasonable portions that will fill you up nicely.

Ambience: *****
Nicely decorated, comfortable, relaxing.

Accessibility: ****
Cafe Giraffe is not very noticeable, so unless someone points out to you that there is a cafe right there, one can easily walk past it.
However location wise, it is just behind the back exit of Melbourne Central station, from which a 5 minute walk is all that is required.

Posted by Chubzzy at 3:38 PM

Oriental Spoon

Sunday, January 31, 2010

First REAL foodies post for 2010, and are you not surprised... on a KOREAN restaurant.

For people who do not know me, I am a real fan of Korean food. Plus, I have a group of friends who are either Korean/loves Korean food as much as I do. However be rest assured that this blog will not be filled with only Korean delicacies. I am not that boring.... :)

I shall start off with a place I've just been to a few days ago:

Oriental Spoon
254 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
VIC 3000, Australia

Located just next to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre and train station, and just less than 5 minutes walk from RMIT University, Oriental Spoon is no doubt conveniently located. Korean food wise, Oriental Spoon serves pretty decent Korean food, though not the best you can find in Melbourne. However, credits go to their good location and a pretty nice ambience (kudos to their newly renovated/decorated interior, with a whiff of fresh paint still evident). Food is served in big portions, so it is good to order a few dishes to be shared amongst a group of friends, or an entree and a main dish to share amongst two adults (unless you are obviously a big eater).

Their pork bulgogi was really good though. It was the best dish amongst those we have ordered.

Dumplings (진만두)

Sweet and sour chicken (탕수육)

Potato Noodles (잡재)
Texture was right, though tasting slightly more oily than some of the rest I have tasted.

Mixed rice in a stone pot (literally - 돌솥비빔밥)

Seafood pancake (해물파전)
A bit too much batter, even though there was a decent amount of seafood in it

Pork Bulgogi (돼지불고기)
A decent portion with good taste that shows that it is well-marinated, and it is not overly spicy. Served on a sizzling plate.

Korea's very own Ginseng tea... for the health-conscious people. (인삼차)

Chicken Bulgogi (닭 불고기)
Tasty chicken mixed rice in a stone pot

Beef Bulgogi (소고기 불고기)
Tasty beef mixed rice in a stone pot

Kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥)
Served with a side of salad.

Overall (out of 5 stars per category):

Food: Taste: *** Fragrance: *** Appearance: ****
Decent food, worth a try.

Service: ***
Friendly staff, but they did not seem to be able to differentiate when to give attention to you and when not to.

Price: ***
Average pricing considering its location - Ranges from about $20 to $30 per person for a meal shared with friends

Ambience: ****
Good ambience even when it was bustling.

Accessibility: *****
As described above, the location is perfect. Unless you live out in the country then probably not.

Hardware Societé