The Doughnut Day: Special Feature by Alaina Dean
The Doughnut Day
By Alaina Dean (author of the future great Australian novel)
Alaina Dean (author of the future great Australian novel)
Melbourne. Early Spring. Intrepid adventurer Natalie Zazula sets out on a feat never attempted by a tourist: the Melbs CBD Doughnut Walk. Melbourne has been kind with the weather today, a slight breeze and warm sun encourage Natalie as she sets off down William Street in her ultra hip, forest green Doc Martens. She is joined by Maya Dodd, a Disney alumni from across the pond. Together they jaywalk across the tram tracks. They are feeling indestructible.
First stop is Short Stop, a little hole in the wall bakery down Sutherland St?. Its yellow facade is inviting, like a happy smiley face beaming at them from the laneway. Inside, the smell of sugar is heavy, and Maya and Natalie look at each other in awe. There is a glint in Natalie’s eye, but also a hint of panic. How can she choose just one?
Natalie, in her broad accent which immediately marks her as a US citizen, decides to buy a nutty caramel doughnut the name of which she promptly forgets. Maya, her accent slightly harder to distinguish from Australian, orders a Cruller (Australian honey and sea salt) doughnut. They devour the doughnuts in seconds.
Through construction work and up the cobbled laneway our fearless heroines venture. Guilford Lane is home to many a hidden gem of a cafe, but Rustica Canteen stands out with its foliage heavy decor. Inside, the cafe is buzzing and the barista is bearded but the doughnut selection is limited. Natalie and Maya both order white chocolate cronuts and they sit in the cafe and while away the afternoon writing and chatting.
Late afternoon draws them out of Rustica. The air is heavy with the sense of storm. The temperature has risen and the wind has picked up old winter leaves and hurtles them down the laneway. Back up to good old William St Natalie and Maya wander, their hearts and stomachs full but the Doughnut walk yet to be fulfilled.
At the William St x Bourke St tram stop sits the bakery called Doughboys, so called because boys make dough there. Usually the doughnut makers are tall attractive Australians, but unfortunately Natalie and Maya have arrived when the boys aren’t working. Not ones to be discouraged, Natalie and Maya buy banoffee pie doughnuts and devour them back in the apartment.
Stuffed to the brim with sugary sweetness, Natalie and Maya stretch out on the floor. Content with life they discuss which doughnuts were the most divine - Short Stop #crushed it, according to the eloquent NatZaz. They get an early night’s sleep to repeat the doughnut walk tomorrow, because in this city of laneways and coffee shops, you can never get enough of the doughnuts.
