Today was an incredibly beautiful winter day. The sky was clear and it was sunny. It really lifted my spirit tremendously. Maybe subconsciously it also helps knowing that this is a long weekend with Monday being the Queen’s Birthday. Eventhough I don’t get any public holidays, and I have already committed myself to going in to work, it must have still something made me feel more relaxed than usual. As a treat, I met up with some friends for brunch at a lovely new cafe not far from my place. Called the Auction Rooms, it has attracted a lot of press recently because of its decor and apparent great food. Well, the bread there is supposedly really nice, from a well known artisinal bakery in Melbourne. The food itself was not bad although the portions are a bit small. But the coffee was decidedly weak and not hot. The best thing was the ambiance of the place itself. It is nicely designed and fitted-out. With high ceilings and plenty of windows, it was the perfect day for that place.
To make the day even more special (and adding to the happiness that was starting to percolate through my veins) was the fact that I got myself an almond croissant from a nearby pâtisserie The French Quarter. Now this IS THE PLACE for cakes and pastries. I can speak for anything else that I have tasted there (they are delicious) except for the Almond Croissant. That pastry is my yardstick. Not only does this does not have almond essence, it is generously filled with rich almond meal (and I suspect, bound with egg white) and smothered with more almond meal and slivered almonds before being baked. The sweet, chewy and yet crunchy combination has to be one of the best I’ve tasted, including the many I sampled from Paris, UK and various parts of Europe.
After that, I dragged my reluctant body into work. Needless to say, I wasn’t overly successful but at least I got some work done and some new insight sparked just before I had to leave to go home for dinner. Drats! At least I will have a lead to follow tomorrow. Meanwhile, I might just hit the sack early tonight and fingers’ crossed, tomorrow will be a much more productive day. After all, the weatherman did promise Rain!
