Flour Child Tuesday Masterclasses

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Posted 2021-05-05 by Nadine Cresswell-Myatt ⇒ follow

Entering Flour Child at the beach end corner of Acland Street St Kilda is like walking into an Aladdin's Cave of colourful jewels. First, a climb up the red-lit stairs as this restaurant/bar is on the first floor. Then the surprise. Most bars keep their bottles on display behind the bar.

Flour Child also does this but also keep them everywhere else as well. For every bottle they possess, some 5,500 are on display. It's like a library of liquor that covers every wall from floor to ceiling. They are behind glass and backlit like jewels - the brilliant blue of Blue Curacao, the orange of Aperol, the bright red of Campari, the rich golden brown hues of aged whisky, and the vibrant yellows and greens of Chartreuse.

It's a breathtaking sight. And a great start to the night.

I've come for their sparkling wine class but this is just one of the special sessions they run on Tuesday evening at 6 pm that revolves around giving people knowledge on great food and beverages. But while educational, there's no pressure to perform, and they are really about having a whole lot of educational fun.

And at $49 a head, these sessions offer unprecedented value.

After gaping at the walls - some are monochrome, such as all red - I perch on one of the golden wire stools.

The set up is a series of small round high tables - so that groups can remain separated if they choose. After asking a couple of people who couldn't make it, I'm here on my own. So I'm happy when a couple of strangers join me. Not strangers for long. Flour Child is set up to be a sociable kind of place.

The session starts with Croser Rose - Croser NV Rose Sparkling from Petaluma Wines in the Central Adelaide Hills with fruit sourced from the Picadilly Valley. A sublime sparkling rosé where hints of pomegranate, wild strawberry and cherry aromas burst from the glass and tickle the palate with bubbles.

No, I don't know much about wine. But I'm here to learn. And there is a representative from Accolade Wines who gives us an excellent run down. This creamy stylish, drop is the base for the cocktails we make. The idea of using sparkling wine in cocktails is to introduce participants to lighter style and low alcoholic drinks, which have been growing in popularity.

While I knew we were having an antipasto platter, I had no idea it would be so elaborate. It's perched on a metal stand like me on my gold stool, but this dish is in pride of place in the middle of the table.

Flour Child is famous for its "Salumi and Cheese". Salumi is cured meats. And here, they pair their cheeses with their wines. They even have rules for it"If it grows together, it goes together."

Balance by pairing items with similar or equal weight

Acidic/salty cheese prefers an acidic wine.

Our platter had incredible cheeses and salumi that complement our sparkling and this amazing bread warm Pinsa Romana breadsticks. These are like long triangles of pita chips but made from Flour Child's pizza dough, so it's totally crispy with the slight tang of rock salt. There is also fruit paste and dried muscatels and a massive slice of chocolate bark.

Each of the tables is called up in turn to the bar so we can make our various cocktails. The emphasis is on why various flavours work together. And of having the whole bartender experience and using the equipment.

We start with a seductive Maverick Martini using Croser Rose, passionfruit pulp, peach puree, vodka, and drops of vanilla extract and dashes of aromatic bitters. With some hints on how to shake it. I'm starting to feel like Tom Cruise in Cocktail and see how bartenders probably don't need a work out at the gym to get their biceps.

Then we have a host of options for decorating our drinks, such as berries and freeze-dried slices of citrus, rosemary and glace cherries.

I must have missed the next call over to the bar as I was busy chatting. But the instructor mixed and brought over our next drinks anyway. This cocktail is a Spritz Royale, again using Croser Rose, but this time Aperol for the colour, Luxardo Maraschino, Grenadine, dashes of bitters and a splash of soda water.

This one had been decorated for us, so it looked a lot more professional.

When the two delightful wags at my table discovered the flowers were edible, they decided to try them as well. While I picked at the petals, they dared each other to down the whole flower.

Finally, we make a La Soiree with Croser Rose, orange juice, elderflower liqueur, Dry Vermouth and a dash of bitters.

Luckily those shelves are so full of every liquor imaginable as we certainly used them.

Masterclasses

The Masterclasses change their focus but are available on Tuesday nights. They are generally $49. So using the class I went to as an example, they are amazing value as there were three cocktails, a bit of free-flowing Croser Rose and the amazing platter.

There are other regular masterclasses on the art of measuring, proving, resting, stretching and baking authentic "Pinsa Romana" pizza.

Their recent masterclasses was called Italians Down Under, an evening in collaboration with Pikes Wines, which has been growing Italian grape varieties in Australia since 1993.

They also have sessions hosted by their expert salumeria and cheese specialists. These can be paired with wine, so you learn about wine matching as well. Review here.

To keep up with what's on follow their Eduction page link.

Stay for Dinner

As the masterclasses start at 6 pm for 6.30 and finish at around 7.30, the timing is perfect for staying on for dinner.

The famous dish here is the "Pinsa Romana", an Australian first in pizza making. They use a combination of Soy Flour, Rice Flour, 00 Wheat Flour and Dry Yeast. The other difference is the kneading process, which takes 48 hours of dough proving. This creates a base that is delightfully crunchy on the outside but soft inside.

I plan to go back to try pizzas like:

MORTADELLA PIZZA Burrata cream, mortadella with pistacho, conit tomatoes, black garlic cream.

VEGAN PATATE PIZZA Petal potatoes, slow-roasted pumpkin, rosemary pesto, Persian cashew feta.

FABULOUS FIG PIZZA Fior di latte, figs, prosciutto di parma doc, foamy pecorino, toasted pine nuts.

Tip: Flour Child offers unlimited pizza every Wednesday and thick-cut chips, from 6 pm onwards!

Tip and Bonus: Pinsa pizza contains 80% hydration which is higher than any other pizza in the world! High levels of hydration allow for digestibility and reduces the bloating feeling that all other pizzas cause.

Vibe

Definitely cool and sophisticated. Lots of nooks and crannies for tete-a-tete or tables for large groups. And no need to perch on a bar stool as there are some comfy looking velvety lounge chairs and plenty of tables for all sizes of groups.

Best Times to Go

Definitely, at sunset, as there are massive wall-to-wall windows that look out towards the beach and Luna Park. Bag a seat near the window.

Not only is the bar, but the restaurant is also open until 2 am or 3 am (depending on the night), so you can go in for late-night feeds when you are out.

While more of a nightspot later on with a DJ, dinner time when I was there it was nice and quiet, and there were lots of women more my age eating out in small groups and couples there for a quiet meal together.