I wandered along the street looking for a new place to sit and think about my stories. I have yet to establish a circle of friends in my new town and have not found a favourite cafe yet.
I went to one cafe in an old converted house filled with spindly furniture the parents of the 70s threw out to the tip. Old formica tops, off cuts of greyed timber and chairs with legs so spindly it was a big concern to sit on them and several tables with legs missing. I suspect they think it is de rigeuer, hip, cool and trendy. The food was okay and the service boppy, buzzy, and young. Over priced as these places tend to be however it did serve freshly squeezed juice and I do like fresh juice and the young people made me smile.
I wanted a pastie. Not a frozen food department pastie. Not an old fashioned Cornish Pastie with too much pastry and too chunky vegetables. An Aussie pastie. Neat little chunks of vegetable that includes turnip or swede, some nice juicy meat and a golden crust of pastry, not too thick, not too thin. Something like this...So I popped into a cafe that had a nice homely feel and everyone was super friendly including other patrons but the food was bland and tasteless and the waitress suggested, in a whispered aside as she served our table, that we go elsewhere for pasties. The place was clean and the staff helpful but the waitress was right about their pastie. Yuck.
I did tell the proud cook who made them that they were 'just like my mother used to make' which made him beam with pride and made my sister almost choke on her tea as she tried to keep her face straight and her laughter contained.
I went to the other establishment the waitress suggested and ordered their idea of a pastie. The slop I paid for was very very wet mince drowning in gravy inadequately wrapped in a half circle of puff pastry. It was revolting and leaked and was certainly not a pastie like any I have ever experienced. More like a meat pie with terrible depression. The staff were super friendly.
Does no one in this town know how to make a pastie?
I am missing the Clock Tower pasties - now there is a man who knows his pasties- I might have to stock up when I go for a visit.
ClockTower tea rooms. 123 Lava St, Warrnambool VIC 3280,
I found my way to the, anecdotally, most popular cafe in town. It was certainly busy with not a seat to be had inside by the fire. I was put outside in the cold with a tepid chocolate. Not an ideal place to encourage me to embrace it. Fortunately I had on, my thick coat and a scarf but the irritating doof doof music of choice reminded me of the drunken idiots of the 2am drive through which runs along the bedroom side of the house. Doof doof for breakfast equals curdled egg and I like my hot chocolate HOT!
I don't want doof doof on Sunday morning after limited sleep due to doof doof in the drive through. I lasted four and a half minutes and watched the small birds land on an uncovered plate and begin to eat the food off it while the missing patron's companion ignored the birds in favour of his phone.
Tick that place off my list even though the staff were super friendly.
I did eat in another place which might as well have been a school canteen, it too was packed and noisy and I don't even remember what I ate. At least I was with visitors that day.
I have tried two other places, neither memorable except that in every place the staff are super friendly.
I am running out of local options and may well have to go further afield.
Warrnambool people you are spoiled for choice.
On a much more positive note, I can have Chinese, Malay, Indian, fish and chips, parmigiana, pizza, pasta, schnitzel and kebabs delivered to my door. The supermarket across the road cooks roast vegetables, sweet roast pork and roast chicken in their deli department and the local shopping plaza has a Vietnamese 'street vendor'. All within ten minutes walking distance and of course there is a drive through next door and one across the road - if I want fast, fast food.
I think instead I will have poached eggs from the best restaurant in town - my kitchen.
Happy Sunday everyone.
and might have an iced coffee once or twice a year so it is very unusual for me to have coffee. Bright Bird Cafe in Warrnambool does make a delicious coffee and it was worth the wait. 
