This beautiful fresco of Provence by Liana Sofia Tumino
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Australia is a long way from anywhere. You don’t just pop across the border to another country on a Sunday drive. You can’t be anywhere else in an hour or two’s plane flight.
So when I feel like travelling, I visit places where the food and the atmosphere transport me.
One of my favourite haunts is a little place in New Farm, Brisbane, called Chouquette. It’s a French boulangerie patisserie with wonderful coffee and a tantalising range of pastries, cakes and breads.
Since my first trip to Europe in 2010 I have come to appreciate Chouquette even more. It really does does feel European, it is well supported by Brisbane’s French community, and I have often sat and listened to the melodic French hum of chatter around me and imagined myself to be in France.
Of course the other bonus is that it opens at 6.30am. Perfect for an early riser like me.
I like to take my journal or even my small laptop, grab a latte and a Chausson aux Pommes (puff pastry filled with apple), and do some writing. Cafe writing is another of my favourite things. Writing can be such a solitary pursuit, and when you write in cafes not only are you reconnected to the world – there is the added bonus of someone else doing the cooking, and the dishes!
You really need to see what’s inside this gorgeous creation. Nom, nom, nom, the things I do in the name of blogging…
There are many sweet treats to buy as gifts for friends, or bribes for myself. And their bread? Their bread deserves a post of its own! (And that’s a winner of an idea for me because I get to go back again. All for you, dear reader…).
There is something magical about a place that feels transported from another clime. I love to soak up the French atmosphere, and be reminded of my travels. The sense of being somewhere other than Australia also pervades my writing. I’ll sometimes go to Chouquette if I am thinking about certain characters or scenes because it seems to help get me into the right head-space. Some breakfast, some words on the page, a loaf or two of their fine bread for my basket as I am heading out the door and it’s always a wonderful start to my day. Au revoir ♥ xx
