If McDonald's was hell, Laurent would be Heaven.

This weekend I took a little trip to one of my favourite places in the world... Laurent. I really can't rave about this place enough. If McDonnell's was hell this place would be heaven. It personifies nearly everything I love about food and hospitality. So much care is put into the food and everything tastes amazing. The presentation is amazing and every time I go there I feel like I have stepped into Europe.

For a while when I was living in Camberwell, I made this place my second home. It's the perfect spot to sit on a Sunday morning, read the paper, drink some coffee, and eat pastries (It's also right across the road from boarders and an amazing second hand market). They sell cakes, macaroons, bread, pastries, ice cream and coffee. Everything is divine but you simply must must try the chocolate almond croissants. They are the best I have ever had (and believe me, I have eaten a lot of croissants.)

The food is a little bit expensive, but you wont even think about the prices when you are eating the food. Everything is baked fresh in the mornings and even the ice cream is house made.

I actually went here on my first real date many years ago when I first moved to Melbourne. We ate roasted vegetable baguettes and drank green tea. It was quite romantic. My love of the place outlasted my love of the boy by far, and I've never stopped going back. Whenever life gets a little too much, I make a trip there and just sit for hours. By the time I've left, things usually feel much better.

All I can really say is... you must go there yourself.

These Days I Only Have One Leg...

As some of you well know....I'm currently dealing with the end of a relationship. The best way to describe the feeling is that I've lost a limb. I have this strange sensation all the time that something is missing, even before I've realised what it is. Something aches but I can never quite locate the pain. Its like my arm fell off.......I can function without it ok, but I'm not sure why I have to. I miss my best friend with all my heart and somedays I just don't know what to do about it. In saying all that though, I'm actually starting to feel a bit stronger in myself. I'm starting to feel like maybe just maybe its going to be ok, and I'll come out the other side super strong and ready to take on the world. Just before we broke up my ex said to me "Cherry if you can learn to be single, I think you can do anything." And you know what? I think he is right.

So I push on. I have no 'game plan' on how to deal with all these emotions. I don't really drink that much these days. I quit smoking a while back. I've been through my rebound stage. So mainly I drink a lot of coffee and eat a lot of cake. I also amerce myself in cooking magazines and try to write as much as possible. Its not the best coping mechanism I know, but give me some time, and I'll sort it all out.

Over the past week my parents have been here and I've had the pleasure of being taken out to dinner a couple of times. Its been so lovely. I've been exploring Hardware Lane in Melbourne which is a really great place to eat. They often have life music at night and lots of deals (such as 2 courses for $30 or two drinks for the price of one.) Its really worth checking out. There is an amazing macaroon shop there which you 'simply must go to'. So very very very beautiful.

This week being easter and all I plan to make some festive treats. Hot cross buns are on the to do list. I'm really excited to make them. I'll post the recipe up for you once I've tested it out. Hope you had a really lovely Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your night.

Salmon Soup... (It's SO Good!)

I promised to put up the recipe for this soup. Its really yummy and simple. Hope you enjoy it.

Salmon Soup

You will need:

• One big piece of salmon
• one onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cobs of corn
• 2 carrots
• 500ml cream
• 4 washed potatoes
• vegetable stock
• one small tin of canned salmon
• Half a cup of cheese (Any you like really. You could just use tasty or parmesan, or maybe some brie?)
• 1 tsp of dried coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes

What to do:

1. Lightly fry your onion and garlic in a large pot.
2. Peel and dice all your vegetables and add to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring all the time so it doesn't stick
3. Add enough stock to cover all the vegetables and bring to the boil
4. Turn down to low heat, add the herbs, and simmer until vegetables are soft
5. Dice salmon
6. Add cream and tinned fish to soup
7. Turn the soup down very low and add salmon and cheese. Cook for another 2 minutes and then serve right away. Don't forget to taste it for seasoning... It will need some salt and pepper. (Also make sure the soup is down very low when you add the cheese, or it will go lumpy)

So thats what I had for lunch today guys... It's really yummy! I hope you enjoy it.

Girls Night In!

This week I was invited to a dinner party by a lovely lesbian girl that sometimes comes into my work. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it with all the moving and packing and what not. Actually this is a lie. All my unpacking is done. I'm on holidays and I have loads of free time. Its just that... well, I've been a little down lately about this whole 'single' thing and going out would require me actually getting out of bed and stop eating easter chocolate. I've been feeling very apathetic lately, and to be honest it's hard at times moving to a new city alone and having to turn up at parties where you know no one. In my state of singleness and self-loathing things were snowballing fast... I decided that I'd probably never meet a nice man. I'd probably never even leave the house for that matter except for school and work. I was being a huge wimp.

I have learnt in life that the most exciting and enriching things happen when you run after, instead of away from, your fears. So off I trotted to the train station with a bottle of very good merlot (I hate to turn up at people's houses empty handed.)

I had a lovely time! We drank wine, talked, and ate some really yummy food. It was nice having someone else cook for me for a change. The host made a whole roast chicken (I love it when people roast chickens. To me its like saying, "I love you enough that I would stick my hand up a bird's bum and put crumbs in it, and then worry about it for an hour and a half desperately hoping it doesn't dry out." True dedication to a meal.)

It was a really fun night. Here's the funny thing about it though... everyone there was gay. As in everyone. I felt so out of place in my sea-foam green silk dress when all the girls were in shorts, and tee's and vests. I was so glad I decided against heels that night. I think the boy sitting next to me was move likely to own a skirt than any of the girls there. (This is not a joke, as he did mention he owned a corset.) It was actually really nice though. I think I made some good friends there. (And I was worried about never leaving home and having a boring life!!!)

I woke up this morning with a killer hangover. It really has been a while since I've drunk that much red wine. I decided to officially have a bed day. I have been so good lately getting all my jobs done, but today it was time to just rest. I cooked up a huge breakfast, and got back in bed with a cup of tea and watched movies. It was lovely. Hope your having a really good saturday too.

The Vegie Bar

Last night I took a little trip down to Brunswick street to visit one of my favourites.....The Vegie Bar. I have so many fond memories of the place, so I was quite excited to go. I've had some wonderful and terrible dates at this place. This however is besides the point.

The whole place looks like a converted barn and its covered in posters and information about gigs and events. Its a really indie/arty scene and the people watching is great. The menu is perfect if your vegan as no meat is served and they also cater for people with gluten senstitivites.

I had the gado gado which was nice (if you like vegetables... which I do.) The peanut sauce was really yummy and the vegetables were all cooked well. I went with my mum and dad and they ate a pizza and a salad, which were average.

The drinks list is great as you can choose from a range of organic wines or juices. I had a merlot that was made just out of melbourne and it was delicious.

I really like the place, and I want to love it... but I just cant. As nice as the food is, its really lacking something. Its a bit like the scene there... very cool, but lacking a bit of substance. Considering the prices you do really get what you pay for as the serves are huge and the meals are cheap. It's good but not great. I recommend a visit there, just because its fun; but don't expect an amazing vegetarian meal. The place is continually packed, and I get the feeling that the chefs are just too busy to put much love into the food.

What to do about love and ice-cream making

Today is my first real day off I've had these holidays. Mainly I have been spending my week working, packing and moving houses, but today I had nothing I had to do. I've been so utterly worn out this week its good to have a rest. I feel so tired I find myself starring into my computer screen not knowing why, and avoiding all social events (you mean people want to meet up after 7pm? But what about bed?)

So I treated myself to a 'me' day. I went to the library, the vic markets, explored the city and now I'm out to lunch. I found a nice little cafe in Hardware lane where I could eat a huge place of chilli prawn linguini and have a good think.

Why am I so tired? (apart from moving to a new city, starting pastry school and working on top of that) I keep wondering? The truth is... love is wearing me out. Its exhausting. The constant "yes, no, on and off" of it all has worn me to a small wisp of a girl and I am learning that I am not a strong tower unmoved by storms. I too can get blown over by the wind and crushed by the hail. To some I'm sure this is very obvious, but to me it came as a surprise. Me in my naive youthfulness truly believed that I could date four (yes i said four) boys in the space of one term, end all those short relationships/flings/whatever they where (because I'm really not sure... still), neatly in time for holidays and not feel a thing! Well, I will just take a moment to tell you now... THIS WAS A VERY STUPID THING TO DO!

Your heart (I have learnt over the past 3 months) is like angeles sauce (the bace used to make ice cream).....very fragile. It needs time and warmth. Too much heat however and you will scramble the eggs in it. Not enough heat and it will never cook. I have scrambled the eggs (of my heart) and I'm now left with this yellow, lumpy, useless mess. So now I must start again from scratch, whisking my sugar and eggs, heating the milk, and this time only cooking it over slowly simmering water.

So for the next few days i will rest and cook and write, until I work out what is to be done about all this. I have some lovely fresh ingredients from the markets (this I must admit cheers me a lot.) I'm going to cook a big salmon and potato soup for dinner tonight. If it works I'll post the recipe up for you.

Tomorrow is Saturday (I'm sure your aware of this) so have a lovely weekend... and be gentle with your hearts!

Starting Fresh... again... and again.

Day one of being completely single...again. I woke with that sad heavy hearted feeling of knowing something is wrong but not remembering what. Slowly it filtered back through my consciousness that there was a reason for the dull pain in my heart, and on top of that I had to move houses today. I hit snooze on my alarm three times and then realised I really did need to get up and get organised.

I started to pack up, my boxes, my heart, my thoughts, my ideas. So much beauty had taken place in this little room. I'd done some deep thinking here, worked on assignments for pastry school, started this very blog, spent a wonderfully beautiful week laughing and eating with a friend all hours of the night, and spent so many lovely mornings in bed reading the paper and drinking coffee.

It's always hard saying goodbye to another town. I had packed up all my food so I took a short walk into town to buy some coffee to brew and a few other ingredients. After a chocolate and raspberry sandwich life didn't feel so lonely. I was so thankful though when my parents arrived to help me move. They had come to stay at just the right time.

We moved all my things and then went out to a lovely little organic cafe for lunch. I had a big serve of salad and it was so so yummy! There seem to be a lot of these lovely little organic places all over the city where you can find really healthy food quite cheaply.

My new room is lovely. I can imagine me cooking some beautiful cakes in this kitchen. I cant wait to settle in and explore the new town. Hope your day is lovely.