Casing the Menu | Brunch – The Hardware Store Cafe & Eatery

Brunch, it’s basically morning tea on steroids and the perfect excuse to catch up with friends. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to share my top 5 places to brunch in Perth, north of the river (NOR). Next up I’ll be sharing my CBD worth casing finds and then who knows, as food reviews slowly make their way back on the blogging menu here.

The Hardware Store Cafe & Eatery Scarborough

When we first moved to Perth just over 5 years ago now, The Hardware Store on Brighten Road Scarborough was just that. A hardware store. A place I liked to frequent for good old-fashioned service not to mention the actual hardware side of things, having always shied away from the giant hardware chains. You know the ones, where you arrive with two things on your list and two days later you are making your way home with a rented trailer to fit all your purchases in.

With hubby travelling often and something guaranteed to require fixing while he was away, it was my go to hardware store. The kind of place where the staff knew their customers by name and no matter how busy the store was, they always had time for you with lots of helpful tips and a few subtle handyman suggestions as well.

These days it’s a cafe & eatery that pays homage not only to the great customer service that I was accustomed to but also the iconic Hardware Store it once was. The toolboxes containing cutlery, the exposed brick work and the rustic hardware decor all add to the cafe’s charm but you know what as great as all that is, these reviews are not about how photographic the venue or food is.

What I will say, the place is fairly popular with the locals, so you may end up having to squeeze in and take any available seat but even at its busiest the customer service is standout and your food is always delivered in a timely fashion.

The extensive breakfast menu runs till 11.30 am, making it the perfect place for brunch, with a number of breakfast dishes available all day. Just don’t arrive at 11.30 am expecting to order from the menu because they have a half hour break in between breakfast and lunch.

You can still order during this time, although it’s restricted to drinks and anything from the display cabinet, which has a variety of foods on offer. Everything from sweet to savoury including bliss balls, cheesecake, muffins, bagels, wraps, croissants, banana bread, slices, quiche and much more.

Prices are on par for Perth, although having said that I’m still accustoming myself to Perth prices and tend to be guided by the locals when it comes to these matters.

The kids menu, is on the slim side with just two choices. A small serving of pancakes ($10) or the tool box which includes eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrown ($12). The small serving of seasonal fruit salad with Greek yoghurt ($6) might also be another child friendly option or perhaps a kid’s milkshake ($5).

For the big kids, especially those that like their gourmet food, you might have trouble choosing, I know I always do. There is the grown up tool box ($24) with eggs your way, bacon, sausage, cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and a hashbrown that seems to be rather popular.

My personal favourites though and yes I have a few, starts with the smoked chorizo brekky board ($22). I seriously have dreams about this dish, it’s that tasty. Eggs poached in a soul warming broth consisting of tomato, red pepper, butter beans, jalepenos and spicy chorizo served on a board (for the record I don’t have issues with boards) with crispy tortilla bread together with guacamole and a mouth-watering tomato salsa.

Next on my favourites list is the egg white omelette ($18) served with field mushrooms, rocket, marinated feta and cherry tomatoes. I have a bit of a thing for egg white omelette, so I’ve cased a few in my time and this is definitely one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Herbed crumbed poached eggs ($22) would be next on my must case list. In a herbed nutshell poached eggs sprinkled with crumbled herbs served with a chive and potato rosti, prosciutto, pickled enoki mushroom and an impressive hollandaise sauce that will have you tempted to lick your plate clean.

They also do a couple of mean and green smoothies (that’s a good thing in my books). The brekky run (banana, mango, honey, oats, low-fat milk or Soy, Greek yoghurt, ice) and go go greens (kale, spinach, banana, mixed berries, almonds, coconut water). Both just $10 with cold pressed juices start from $7.

Also worth casing according to our mystery reviewers….

• Toasted tortilla – fried eggs, roasted peppers, refried beans, cheddar, avocado, fresh jalapenos ($21)
• Raspberry pancakes – white chocolate ganache, pistachio & almond praline ($21)
• Green balanced bowl – poached eggs, mixed greens, sautéed kale, asparagus, mushrooms with pepita, sesame, poppy, sunflower seeds & salsa verde ($21)

There’s plenty more to choose from the menu, as well as the display cabinet if you’re not wanting something substantial. You could also order a serving of toast (ciabatta, sourdough, multigrain or gluten-free – $6) or eggs your way on toast ($12) with sides or extras ranging from $2 to $4.

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The Hardware Store Cafe & Eatery also know a thing or two about coffee (not that I’m allowed to drink the stuff anymore – sob). Their lunch menu is also impressive and they have recently started opening for dinner. Now that might be worth casing.

Do you like to brunch? Why not enter our Brunch is on me GIVEAWAYS. Easy entry, closing soon and open Australia wide.

Not sponsored. No affiliate links. 100% my style! You can read about our extensive review process here.