Bite-size Stories

120 Hardware Street, Melbourne This little cafe is like a pocket guide to Paris, complete with teeny-tiny counter seats, Croque Madame, Cassoulet Et Eggs and excellent service. I tried the superb confit duck with chestnut puree and potato gratin ($22.00) with a glass of Abellio Alberino ($8.50). One of the 'it' places in Melbourne for quite a while now, eating out at Hardware Societe is more like a cultural event, complete with walking through the Melbourne lane ways and queuing out front. You will need to be ready to forgo your weight loss program, but who wants to be on a diet, when you can have a fried brioche with lemon curd instead! Confit duck with chestnut puree and potato gratin Mon to Fri 7:30 am - 3:00 pm Sat to Sun 8:30 am - 2:00 pm

Going out for breakfast is one of those luxurious things I can only afford when life is not spinning out of control. When Monday does not bump into Friday, and a briefing session in March does not turn into the morning meeting in July. I stretch my hand out to get the coffee. Slowly, the aroma fills me with such happiness. Life is best lived in adagio. Carlisle Street in recent years has picked up the vibe from its neighbours along St Kilda beach, offering a whole bunch of places where breakfast, lunch or dinner is a treat. Where you want to take your time and savour the food. We are at the Grindhouse. A small courtyard covered with grapevines. Corn and herb pancakes, beetroot and lime–cured salmon with avocado. Spanish scrambled eggs with chorizo. And coffee. The aroma still lingers in my mind. Breakfast in adagio always smells like coffee.