What better way to start the day...

than with pastry, cream, chocolate - that delightful holy trinity of dessert foods and, as you'll soon come to realise, breakfast ingredients!

It all started when my lovely friend Maiken came to town in July 2011, in an attempt to escape the dastardly Wellington winter.  It's safe to say we indulged mightily in the gastric delights of the island. And the reason was, it was winter.  Well, in Wellington, at least. And sadly, the Kingdom failed to pull out the golden rays, so it was a pretty average week of weather.  And we needed to get our winter layers of blubber on. Stat.

One night, we dined out at Waterfront Restaurant.  A visit to Waterfront (Hala Vuna/Vuna Rd) is a must if you are living in Tonga and want to take visitors to an eatery with modern (ok, modern for Tonga) interiors, lovely friendly staff, and fantastic italian inspired food. It has quirky modern art on the walls, and some luscious,  to-die-for Gauguin inspired prints displayed.   It's not cheap, which sadly makes it out of reach for the average Tongan living on local wages - unless for an extra special treat - as mains start from about TOP $25-$28.  Waterfront also has a number of great hotel rooms on the second floor, so if you ever need a bed (albeit at TOP$200+/per night) you should definitely take a look.

But back to the food.  I tend to be a repeat-offender when it comes to restaurant/cafe eating. That is, once I find something I love at a restaurant, I can't go past it when I return. Time and time again. At Waterfront, if we're talking entrees, its the french onion soup.  Mains, its gotta be the mushroom steak with mash and veges.Every.Single.Time.  (except one, and I won't make the same mistake twice).  And for dessert, I look no further than the fat and fluffly, creamy centred, dripping in chocolate, trample-your-child-to-get-to-them profiteroles. The tiramisu isn't bad either. But back to the 'roles.

The thing is, if you have a starter and a main, there is no way you are fitting in dessert. Period. But that doesn't matter.  Order the profiteroles. Order them. Do it. DO IT.  Have a couple, you can do it - just squeeze them in - and take the rest home. Which is what Maiken and I did. 

Now I've heard many explanations for the term 'morning glory' some of them er...a bit hard to swallow. But the true glory of the morning is waking up, and realising that you had a fit of brilliance the night before to ignore the protests of your bulging waist line, and order profiteroles to go.   

Now.  Here's the best way to proceed:

- grind some coffee beans and make a fresh brew.  Make sure the beans are Tongan (sorry, L'affare!) Tupu'anga is my favourite, but Kingdom Koffee or the Friends blend will do just as nicely.
- take the profiteroles out of the refridgerator and get them to room temperature (warning: this will be where the biggest temptation lies- you're hungry, they're oh so juicy and creamy, but you gotta wait for the coffee - it's worth it I promise)
- set the table. I mean it. Set the table. Make sure it's in a spot where the morning sun is on you. And use some Tongan inspired placemats and food trays . It makes all the difference.
- Now for the eating. Pour the coffee. Use your fingers.  Reach for the profiterole.  Take a bite, take a sip of coffee.  And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Until you feel your insides smiling, you're hearing the angels chorus (or maybe that's the church singing from down the way) and you want to call a friend and tell them how lucky you are to be alive. 

Now that's what I call morning glory.  Thanks Maiken (and Jen, and Matt and Jess (even though you couldn't keep your eyes open), for sharing it with me!

Cxx