MELBOURNE | I first discovered pastry chef April Yoonhee Bae’s tasty baked goods during lockdown 2020. The box of treats that I ordered was delicious, featuring an assortment of French cakes and pastries. Her business, The Flour, has been around in some form since 2017, but early this year, April took the next step, opening a patisserie and café in West Melbourne, just up the road from Queen Vic market in that pocket that’s becoming quite the exciting food and drink hotspot. I recent visited for What’s On Melbourne.
April started The Flour after being inspired by the canelés she discovered while traveling through France. At her West Melbourne spot you’ll find April’s brilliant canelés, along with other French treats like madeleines and dacquoise. There’s cakes and biscuits, and less commonly seen in Australia French treats to enjoy like crème d’Anjou. All made and baked fresh on site daily, using the best local ingredients.
There’s traditional European flavours, along with inspiration from seasonal Australian produce and native Australian ingredients. Occasional Asian flourishes also appear. Try the layered pistachio, green tea, and lime buttermilk cake; the spiced rum and vanilla canelé; and the strawberries and cream dacquoise. The latter is made with dehydrated strawberries, vanilla cream, and strawberry balsamic compote.
Beyond the sweets, The Flour also holds it’s own as one of the city’s top spots for coffee. Global award winning barista Harry Hyun-suk Go leads the coffee program, with a rotating selection of custom sourced and roasted single origin beans, brewed any way you like. The immersion pour over brew is brilliant. For something different, try the ‘Coffee Fizzy Sour’. It’s a Kenyan and Costa Rican filter blend with notes of blackcurrant, black honey, tartic acidity, and boozy notes. It’s lightly carbonated, with the addition of a squeeze of lime and dash of blackcurrant juice. It works beautifully.
The Flour
199 Victoria Street
West Melbourne
Victoria 3003
Australia
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Website
Open
Wed – Sun: 10:00am to 4:00pm