My Strange Addiction

The first step in fighting an addiction is in identifying that you have it. The second step is rationalising that the addiction is bad for you. The third step is taking the plunge and doing something about it. This is my story about the development of my addiction!

In the early 1990's I spent some time in Paris. I played in a chess tournament and then stayed with one of the players in his apartment in Pigalle. I had a cool time there. I didn't have much money, but I busked in the side streets, juggling for cash. One day I even walked to the Seine from Pigalle. I explored the back streets of Montmartre and found myself for the first time of my life in the vicinity of 'cafe culture'. Coming from the pub culture of England, it was at first difficult to get to grips with, especially that my French was far from fluent. However, I became very comfortable in those cafe's, and even started conversations with people, mostly in French! In fact, one quick convo with some young guys led to me getting a couple of nights work juggling with their band in one of the venues on the Boulevarde de la Chapelle, Le Chat Noir.

During these Bohemian times, I found something that amazed my taste buds. I went into a Parisian cafe near Anvers (I have no idea what its name was, or even if it still exists) and tried an almond croissant. I had never had anything like it before, and immediately fell in love with the rich buttery taste which blended the nutty texture.

Anyway, as that was close to the end of my time in Paris, I only had one almond croissant before heading back to England. At the time I was living in Coventry in central England and I made a huge effort to find almond croissants. However, to my disappointment, it seemed that bakeries in Coventry (and nearby Birmingham) did not make almond croissants and as I didn't drive back in those days, it was difficult to travel to places where they may be found (ie London). So it was about 10 years before I had my second almond croissant, this time on a long weekend break in Salzburg with Caroline. We were looking for places to go to in Europe as quick breaks, and settled on the small Austrian city for 3 nights. If you ever go to Salzburg, among its many treasures is the cafe Tomaselli's, one of Europe's most famous cafe's and a place where once, allegedly, Mozart and Strauss frequented. It is like walking into a part of history when you enter Tomaselli's and the service and wares are fantastic. Here, I had the second almond croissant of my life, and this one was even better than the first.

Back in England I still couldn't find them, and it was a few more years before I had my third. In 2005 I emigrated to Melbourne, Australia little knowing that I was moving to a city steeped in European style cafe culture. I landed to blazing sunshine and a non stop summer (I didn't associate this with the 10 year drought suffered by Melburnians till much later) which encouraged outdoor living and beach culture. But it didn't take me long to start drinking coffee and finding cafe's to suit my taste. At the end of our first year, Caroline and I moved to the suburb of Elsternwick in Melbourne's inner south east and we have stayed here since. We are walking distance from the bay, and close to the city. It is convenient for my work, and Caroline has also found work not too far away in Richmond. It was in Elsternwick that I had my third almond croissant. I was walking down the main thoroughfare, Glenhuntly Road, and stopped in at a cafe called Rocley's. I'd already tried out others in the strip, but when I went in I saw a basket with French pastries, including almond croissants. Since then, I have been going back to Rocley's regularly for the past 6 years, and almost always have an almond croissant with a long black (making up for those lost years when I was denied them!).

Pastry Basket in Rocley's

What sparked me to write this blog post was an article I saw in Broadsheet Melbourne about French pastries. I was looking at the cafe's suggested in this article and realised I had been in a few of them: Chez Dre I have written about in this blog, Noisette I had a mediocre experience with a couple of years ago and haven't been back, and likewise with La Tropezienne, though I haven't been to the others. So when I think about it, I have actually had quite a few almond croissants, at quite a few different cafe's around Melbourne, and I think it's time to rate them. Here are the 3 best almond croissants I've had in Melbourne:

- the almond croissants at Rocley's are among the best. The filling is delicately flavoured, and the texture of the croissants is generally soft with a slight crispness to the outside. The best time to go into Rocley's is about 9.30 am, because the almond croissants will have just been made and they are excellent when fresh and warm. This is the big appeal to me of this cafe. They makes everything on the premises, pies, pastries, salads etc.

Today's almond croissant from Rocley's

- Chez Dre also make their own almond croissants and they are as good as Rocley's. Personally, I prefer the texture at Rocley's but the flavour of the Chez Dre croissant is unreal. Again, the filling is delicate but there is slightly less sugar coating which allows the croissant itself to retain something of its flavour.

- another cafe not mentioned in the Broadsheet article is Frou Frou in Malvern Road, Prahran. Again, the texture of the almond croissant was a little softer than Rocley's, but the filling was delicious with something other than almond essence, perhaps rum or vanilla, giving it a twist.

So those are my top 3 almond croissants in Melbourne (so far) and it's hard for me to pick an order as they are all so good. Of course, I am happy to have one in any of the Laurent Boulangerie's in Glenferrie, Brighton or the CBD, and am always happy to try a new one wherever I may find one.

Writing this post has helped me to identify that I have an addiction. However, I see nothing wrong with it and intend to keep searching for the ultimate almond croissant, making up for all those years when I desperately wanted one, but couldn't find them.

Spout

I have rather neglected this part of my blog recently. It isn't that I haven't had things to say, I just don't seem to have got round to writing things. So I'm going to make a big effort to post here once a week. So first on the issue of coffee, I have to admit to becoming pretty set in my ways. I have a number of cafes around Melbourne that it is always a joy to go to to have a coffee if I'm in the area: Artful Dodger in Elsternwick, Saloop in Gardenvale, Dundas Street Cafe in Albert Park, Old Paper Shop Deli in South Melbourne, Amsterdam Street Cafe in Richmond, Cafe Nova in Fitzroy, etc. But I'm always on the lookout for somewhere new. One suburb that has had a distinct lack of decent cafes since I've been living in Elsternwick is nearby Ripponlea, which is a big surprise as it is the home of the culinary delight, Attica. Apart from this, one of my favourite Indian restaurants, Bala da Dhaba, is also in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea. So it was with great hope that I went to the relatively newly opened Spout cafe in Ripponlea yesterday. Spout has only been open 3 months and is basic from a decor point of view. The walls are brick and the chairs and benches have little or no padding. There were no pictures or photos on the walls, and I didn't even see a menu jazzing the wall space. However, that didn't belittle the place, but actually made it feel quite intimate, and didn't detract fromt he coffee or food. It seems that more and more cafes are going for this basic look, and it has something to be said for it, in my opinion.

Now, because I'd just pigged out at my friend's, Nick and Zoe (thanks for the brekky), just before going out for this coffee I didn't order food, except for a biscuit with my coffee. Looking at food being served made my mouth water though, which is a good sign. I'll certainly be going back to try either the breakfast or lunch, which had a middle eastern flavour to it. Also the menu wasn't too big, which makes me believe that what is on it will be cooked to a good standard. I always tend to be a bit dubious when the menu is massive and has lots of different influences. The coffee was excellent. My long black had quite a strong acidic hit initially, but then rounded out to a fairly earthy and smooth flavour. It was full bodied and maintained texture throughout. I'd give the coffee an 8/10 and say it was the among best coffees I've had for quite a while. I suppose the main criteria for judging how good a cafe is, should be how comfortable you feel in there. Personally, I found the staff friendly and helpful without being pushy and didn't feel overcrowded or in too open a space. So, all in all, I really enjoyed the ambience and had a great cup of coffee! I also had a melt in the mouth piece of shortbread that will take a few kilometres of running to burn off!

Running

I definitely had a mid year lull to my running program. Earlier I had injured my knee which knocked the enthusiasm out of me. I then picked up a bit before the Puffing Billy Run, but it wasn't the greatest build up, and I didn't pick up my running program afterwards but made excuses to not run. About 3 weeks ago, I had a minor cold and was getting disgusted with myself finding reasons not to run. So I started again on a 3-4 day week running plan with the goal being a half marathon. My running program is not too stressful and I am not running to try to break records, but because I enjoy it! Of course, it is great to run faster, but I'm happy just to jog around and take in the sights as I go. Basically, my weekly plan is:

Saturday evening: long run 10-12km+
Monday morning: slow short recovery 5-6km
Tuesday evening: mid distance reasonably paced 7-9km
Thursday evening: mid distance steady 8-10km

Now my plan is to push these distances out a little. The Saturday run will hopefully get out to 20km. This week I did 15km for the first time and it hurt towards the end. The Monday run will stay where it is. I just jog to the bay which is a bit under 3km, take a break, and then jog back again. The Tuesday run will also probably stay the same as well, while I might try to push the Thursday run out to 10-12km as I get more used to the distances. Anyway, the aim is to run the Great Ocean Road half marathon next year so I will not only have to get used to the distance but I'll also have to get used to hills, as it is apparently a tough course. So there will be no excuses to stop me running. I have to go after work most days and if I'm feeling tired, then I'll just run less or slower. And the weather will be no deterrent. Today was a classic example!

Fog Shrouded Port Phillip Bay

First Coffee of the Year!

After an early start to the day, I waited for things to heat up before venturing out in search of the first coffee of 2012. And heat up they did, as Melbourne topped out at about 38C today, and we are all preparing ourselves for the 40C they are forecasting for tomorrow! The reason for leaving things late is that usually not much is open early on New Year's Day, and today was no exception as life began to come back at a leisurely midday.

Not all places open on New Year's Day, and I didn't want to travel very far so I went to the local shops at Glenhuntly Road in Elsternwick and looked for inspiration. In the end I chose the Goathouse which is located close to Elsternwick train station. It's a big building and restaurants have tried and failed in the location before. However, the Goathouse is part of the same group who own the very successful Brown Cow in Hampton and they are trying the same formula. Outside some decking has been laid allowing for outside alcoholic drinks, and al fresco eating. The place is a combination of cafe, restaurant and bar which is an eclectic mix lacking in Elsternwick. We have plenty of cafes, and no shortage of restaurants, and a few bars/pubs, but nothing which mixes the genre....until now.

I went in for a coffee and a light snack. The coffee was a little disappointing, not because it was bad but because they make it out to be so good. The coffee is better than average, but not special. It is smooth but a bit too gentle for my liking. It lacks the liquorice aftertaste and the acidity on the tongue doesn't quite make it. Saying that it is a perfectly acceptable cup of coffee, and if it was the worst I had this year (and it definitely won't be!) I would have had a good year. I'd give it 7/10.

For a light snack I had a fruit salad which was mainly melon but with a few strawberries and pineapple, sered with yoghurt. It was ok and there was plenty of it, but again it wasn't special. It was the sort of thing I'd do myself and I'd again probably expected a bit more. However, it was presented excellently on a serving board and was really just what I wanted.

I wish the owners of the Goathouse success, and it has a lot of good features. The decking area is excellent and will be a great place to hang out. Today the service was prompt and friendly and the menu has a bit of everything. The late alcohol license is a must and I know they had to wait a while for that to come when the place started getting together. The alcohol license gives the place more of a restaurant feel than a cafe, and that is probably where they will succeed. I am more of a cafe type, but I will still go to the Goathouse whichever way it decides to go. The presentation of food was excellent on plates and serving boards with pitchers of water brought promptly to tables.

The Goathouse was fairly packed today, and by the look of things they are getting their act together and turning the place into somewhere to be. Cafe's and restaurants have to be good to survive around here, so that will be the true test of the Goathouse. We'll know it's made the grade when I'm going in there for the first coffee of the year in 2022!

Apple Coleslaw

My lifestyle lends itself to grabbing coffees and snacks from cafes around Melbourne. The diversity is amazing, and after a while I've found places I like to go to regularly. That doesn't stop me trying new places out, and I've not been too disappointed very often. It seems that the quality of food and drink is generally quite good, at least at the affordable level where I'm looking at going. Today I went to my local cafe Rocleys, in Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick.

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I was in there for an early lunch today, and saw some coleslaw. Coleslaw might be simple but it's my favourite salad, so I had a chicken pie (the pastry on both sweets and savouries are to die for) and some coleslaw. The coleslaw had apple in it, and it really freshened the salad up. I'd never seen that before. I'd seen coleslaw with sultanas in, or various types of dried fruit, but never apple. I'm going to try it myself, and have seen loads of recipes on the internet.

I have to say that the most mouth watering one I've seen so far has been on this blog.