Looking to book: The Hardware Club or Funghi e Tartufo?

The restaurants

Both on busy Hardware Lane, long considered something of a tourist trap, modern Northern Italian trattoria The Hardware Club and plant-based diner Funghi e Tartufo are part of a new wave of restaurants who are making Hardware Lane a worthy contender for one of Melbourne’s best eat streets.

To compare them, Communications Manager Riana Das and Editor Tania Cammarano went to both. Riana shared her thoughts on Tartufo, while Tania tells you what’s great about Hardware. At the end there’s a verdict, so TLDR, you can just skip to that!

Riana says:

Which restaurant?

Funghi e Tartufo, 60 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

Why did you choose this restaurant?

Funghi e Tartufo caught my attention as it features delicious Italian dishes – but not as they’re typically known. If you’re looking for the rich Mediterranean flavours that this cuisine is famous for, you’ll find them here but with a plant-based twist – which is right down my alley, because I’m a non-dairy vegetarian.

The restaurant’s name, Funghi e Tartufo, means mushrooms and truffles, and it references the restaurant’s (may I say exquisite!) signature dish, the pappardelle funghi e tartufo – oh lawd!

What I found super interesting was that the Chef, Alessandra D’Angelo, migrated to Australia from the Italian region of Sicily back in 2009 and since then has worked passionately to highlight her nation’s food in this fresh, new light. She took inspiration from her sister’s allergy to dairy and I’m so grateful she decided to do this as it is an absolute godsend to people like me.

The thing is you shouldn’t think this food is just for vegans or people who don’t eat meat. My colleague, Tania, who would eat just about anything, came with me, loved the flavours and the food just as much as I did [TC: This is absolutely true – I was amazed especially with the creaminess of the signature dish given it had no cream – it was delicious].

What did you like about it?

We ordered the funghi e tartufo arancini, eggplant caponata, funghi e tartufo pappardelle and lasagne. The stand outs were the signature mushroom and truffle dishes. The arancini were crispy on the outside, with the inside being surprisingly cheese-like, with lots of umami flavour. I could’ve had five more!

The eggplant caponata was tasty and smooth, with the olive oil coming through strongly which paired well with the crusty bread. I would’ve enjoyed a little more garlic, herbs and pepper in this dish, but that could just be me. Oh and in true me-style, more bread was needed. Always, more bread. I’m a sucker for it!

The lasagne was unlike anything I had tasted or made before. Lovely layers and layers of pasta in a predominantly tomato-forward sauce. I did miss the hearty meatiness that you’ll find in traditional lasagna which can also come from vegetables such as mushroom and eggplant and of course cheese or alternatively, plant-based ricotta or cheese made from nuts or sunflower seeds.

The pièce de résistance was the funghi e tartufo pappardelle which stole my heart and more! The pasta was super silky with an incredible mouth-feel that went for days as I pulled it from the luscious tangle on the plate. The sauce was creamy, bursting with umami goodness, courtesy of the mushroom, with the gentle creaminess complementing the distinct truffle aroma. The herbs were a refined and delicate touch that balanced the dish perfectly. Safe to say I dream of this dish regularly and it will be one I come back for, everytime I visit Melbourne. Tania and I loved it so much we made it one of Dish Cult’s must-try dishes.

Why should I go there?

Expand your horizons and your palate! Find out what it’s like to try dishes made of ingredients you may not have traditionally eaten or used – you’d be surprised!

I’d recommend this restaurant to the plant-based curious, vegans or vegetarians, anyone with a lactose allergy or just plain old lovers of great FLAVOUR. The menu has something everyone can enjoy, so, as the restaurant world is finally figuring out that they should cater to different diets that actually suit different bodies, this could be a great idea that leaves everyone satisfied and health-problem-free afterwards. I cannot wait to visit again and will be bringing my husband to taste.

Tania says:

Which restaurant?

The Hardware Club, 43 Hardware Lane Upstairs, Melbourne VIC 3000

Why did you choose this restaurant?

Confession time! I have been to The Hardware Club many times before and it is one of my favourite Italian restaurants. The first time, I didn’t really choose it – but it seemed to choose me. It was just after lockdown in 2020 and it was that weird time when people were trying to navigate the brave new world of eating out (little did we know that it wouldn’t last but we were naïve and hopeful back then).

Anyway, we had tried to go to another establishment on Hardware Lane just for a drink, but were told we needed a booking, despite the “walk-ins welcome” sign. Feeling rejected and floundering a bit at the foot of the stairs of The Hardware Club, a lovely waiter came out to talk to us. What do you need? A drink I said, we have a dinner booking elsewhere. Come in, come in, he said, and as we bonded in my broken Italian, I knew this was a place that understood hospitality.

One chinotto cocktail and mortadella skewer later, I regretfully left the window seat overlooking Hardware Lane and vowed to go back. And I have been, many times. I was excited to bring Riana with me, but always had that tiny worry that it wouldn’t be good this time. I needn’t have worried.

The food is best described as modern Northern Italian. These are traditional flavours delivered a bit differently or with a twist or two.

What did you like about it?

Let’s start with the food, because that’s what always matters the most to me. We had the cacio e pepe toastie, which is all the flavours of that traditional Roman pasta dish, in a deep fried jaffle and yes it is every bit as decadent and delicious as it sounds. Another of our must-try dishes!

This was followed by a parade of well executed dishes including two spaghettis – one with chilli crab, the other a “spaghetti assassina”, or assassin’s spaghetti. I am not usually the biggest fan of spice, being a bit of a wimp, but I thought both were just right and not too hot [RD: On the contrary, I love spice but this was verrry hot, even for me!]. Plus the latter had a beautiful mozzarella cheese to temper the assassin’s heat. The pork and fennel sausage wheel comes with braised silverbeet and it was this part of the dish that I really loved. Silverbeet is vastly underrated and I am always happy to see it on the menu. More silverbeet everywhere please!

Riana enjoyed some specially made dishes, including the casunzei ampezzani, which are little pasta parcels filled with beetroot, potato and lemon zest, sprinkled with poppy seeds. She reported back that she really enjoyed the flavours and the silkiness of the pasta. [RD: I was well catered for at Hardware, and did not feel like I was missing out on any of the good stuff – I mean give me housemade focaccia and silverbeet hummus any day]

All in all, this is hearty fare, but more elevated than your typical Italian trattoria.The space itself is relaxed and far from stuffy, but still fancy enough if you need to impress anyone. I particularly love that the walls are lined with home-made limoncello and other liqueurs happily fermenting away in big glass jars. When they’re ready, they make their way to a drinks trolley which will no doubt be offered to you at the end of the meal. Salute!

Why should I go there?

If you want excellent Italian flavours and killer limoncello [RD: The limoncello spritz is a summery, effervescent dream!], but with something a bit extra, a bit different, then Hardware Club is for you. They cater to vegans and people with allergies really well. The service is friendly and if you want to practise your Italian, this is perfect.

I wouldn’t bring my kids here, but I would bring a big group of friends or even a partner for an intimate dinner. Or maybe you could just drop in for an Italian-inspired cocktail and snack when everyone else in town rejects you…

Book it here

TLDR: The verdict

Both restaurants are very worthy of both your money and your time, and, in an ideal world, we reckon you should try both!

However, if it’s traditional Italian dishes you’re after, you will probably enjoy Funghi e Tartufi more, which might seem a strange recommendation since they use non-traditional ingredients to create what feels like a traditional plant-based cuisine

If you want a more modern interpretation of Italian food, or you have a thing for homemade limoncello (and let’s face it, who doesn’t) then book the Hardware Club.

Either way, you can’t go wrong. Buon appetito!