Review: Hammer & Tong 412

Currently a top favourite on Melbourne's Urbanspoon, Hammer & Tongs was my first choice for post-exam brunching. Although the food was amazing and interior design lovely (I love my classic white), I must point out one big criticism, their service was quite sub-standard. I hate to write bad things but not only did the staff greet us and then walk away to serve other people before telling us we had to wait 5 minutes for a table when there were plenty of empty tables, he also forgot to bring us the bill at the end and we just paid at the cash register ourselves. Maybe it was an off day but all the staff that served us seemed quite absent-minded and distracted from their job. But onto a cheerier note, here is a review of their excellent food!

Mocha - $3.50
Classic mocha, not the best I've had but still good and worth the price.

Soft Shell Crab Burger with side of Mushrooms - $12 + $4
Unfortunately not a dish I ordered, but it is very popular and
I will definitely be back to try it.

Lavender yoghurt custard, strawberry & pineapple gel, berries, lychee with basil cress - $14
On the menu it is priced as $16 but for some reason we were only charged
$14 for it, lucky I guess :) Either way it was delicious, a bit pricey for yoghurt, I guess
and also not very filling for me (and I'm a small person), but it did taste amazing.
The yoghurt had a lovely subtle lavender flavour while the strawberry and raspberry gel
added the perfect amount of sweetness, I loved the lychee balls, they were made of some sort of pastry
that reminded me spun sugar, but definitely had a dry base to it. The tall biscuit looking pastries were also
a delight, with a slight mango flavour. I think the craftsmanship that goes into this dessert is just amazing,
and I would love to be learn how to make it!

Breakfast Ramen - $16
62oC egg with bacon, oyster mushrooms and bacon dashi, topped with herbs.
Starting with the best, the dashi was superb, I could drink litres of it all day.
The smokey ham flavour was just the right balance of sweet and savoury and will not
leave you needed to skull a bottle of water.
The ramen was cooked perfectly, and the egg was slight runny, just the way I like it.
I actually believe the bacon is smoked ham, and I prefer that to bacon, less fat, softer meat
and nicer flavour.