flour drum newtown

flour drum newtown is a chic cafe serving all day breakfast, brunch, lunch and those late pick me up afternoon delights. it has an outside seating area and the cosy vibe continues throughout the front and back dining areas with a rustic charm and a relaxed atmosphere. some walls are dedicated as an exhibition area for local artists and all artwork is available for purchase. but wait till you see the 12 metre stunning mural in the main dining area, it’s quite a statement! 

the genuinely lovely staff made our lunch visit special, we kicked off with two equally good coffees, a flat white and long black.

my taste buds were tingling with excitement when my grilled chicken tenderloin burger arrive. fused with indian spices, topped with avocado, iceberg lettuce, spring onion, dripping chipotle mayo and beautifully presented between two soft and fluffy buns. the chips that came with the dish are crisp and golden on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. if you are into a bold and juicy chicken burger and best chips, this is for you. 

my mate's order was the house-made pappardelle pasta with an 8-hour slow braised lamb shank ragu. as we always do, we share whatever we order so we can compare notes. the marriage of the flat pasta and lamb shank ragu is a knock out, it’s lush, silky and packed full of flavour, the chilli infused olive oil added zing to the palate. for serious pasta lovers, this one is with a high note.  

dining at flour drum is not complete without trying one of their to die for cakes, yes, just check out their cake display stand! 

so next time when you find yourself shopping or wondering around king st. newtown, just look for the the sign, ‘flour drum newtown’ and check out this stylish cafe and treat yourself for a hearty meal or coffee and cake.

a cozy cafe with all-day breakfast menu, service is friendly. the back yard is a garden oasis. the wall is filled with fun quotes and art works for sale. the taste & presentation of the dishes are average.

i recently had the most epic dinner at flour drum in newtown. i went with some girlfriends and we were spoilt rotten by the 3 amazing owners. they kicked off the night with some bubbly and then brought out a feast. 8 dishes, 5 girls and we devoured it all. we had the following dishes from the grilled menu:

🍄mushroom medley with hazelnut & beetroot hummus dukha 🍄 this was amazing thanks to that hummus, oh my god the most intense flavours and perfect amount of spice!
🍢spiced lamb & beef kofta with tahini lime and sesame 🍢 the kofta were so big and packed full of flavour!
🦑hot & spicy baby squid 🦑 i didn’t actually try these as i’m not a squid fan however everyone said it was delicious and i did try the sauce and it was divine!
🍢charred chicken tikka with lime & mint 🍢 as an indian i love my tikka and these certainly did not disappoint. they were much lighter than a regular tikka but packed with flavour.

then we had the following dishes from the mains: . .

🥓chargrilled pork belly with poached sugar plums & seasonal greens 🥓 so we ate the whole dish thinking the sugar plums were rhubarbs and becoming obsessed with them to now realise they are sugar plums! but man, they were delicious!! what flavour and a unique addition to pork belly!

🍣grilled atlantic salmon with seasonal greens 🍣 the most perfect piece of salmon to exist. this restaurant seriously knocks it out of the park with their salmon!!

🥔 gnocchi with borlotti beans, kale, capers and fresh herbs. 🥔 this was one of the best plates of gnocchi i have ever had! also no clue how such a deliciously creamy dish is vegan but i’m impressed .

🍝 pappardelle lamb ragu 🍝 so i basically came for this dish because i had seen so many photo’s and heard great things and it completely met my high expectations! such a meaty, comforting plate of pasta
flour drum has managed to exceed even my highest of expectations and amaze me with their flavours, presentation and beyond everything their love. the three owners have so much passion and devotion that is reflected throughout the restaurant. they are humble & genuine and it is by far my favourite restaurant in sydney. thank you for the greatest night flour drum 💜

not sure what you are craving?? no matter what you choose off this menu, everything is pleasing to the eye and appealing to the senses!
what a little gem of a cafe! also open for dinner of a weekend! who’s in!?

over rated - the food is nice but just doesn't quite hit the mark! pastries look fab. it's good to try but there are better places in the area

more of a 3.5,service is accomodating and food came out at a reasonable time. love the wall art inside. food wise i did enjoy it but though the food is different from your average cafe it has a feeling of style over substance. the food looks pretty but taste wise it’s only above average. i guess i was expecting more! look out for the giant cookies that are actually pretty yummy.

the cafe is a little cramped but that's fine, this is newtown, real estate is at a premium, if you wanted wide open spaces you'd be elsewhere. it has a cool vibe and even a nice outdoor area full of plants, overall it's got a good feel to it.

i’ve wanted to eat at flour drum for some time, but had avoided it in view of the terrifying parking situation in newtown. i was finally able to bundle up the spoons to brave the king st parking situation this weekend, only to find that parking isn’t so bad on a sunday morning. we had a dish from their regular menu, and a dish from their spring inspired menu. allow me to discuss.

rainy sydney has been an incredibly welcome sight to everyone living here after seeing our land go up in flames in what has become the worst bush fire season the country has ever seen. anyone complaining about the rain quickly retracts their comment. it’s in the intense rain (honestly there were mini floods popping up!) that we ventured out to flour drum, a cozy cafe in newtown. we hoped for a lazy late afternoon lunch, but instead were met with a busy and bustling dining room filled with loads of dishes clanging and laughter. walking in you find yourself in a dimly lit dining space. the space is a bit deceptive - only once you’ve walked inside the cafe do you notice how large the actual eating area is.

flour drum has got to be one of my favourite brunch places in sydney. i love the buttermilk banofee pancakes, a favourite here! the pancakes are soft and fluffy, goes well with the glazed banana, and love the other toppings including the hard toffee, the meringue and the cookie crumbs.
also had the mushroom medley and it was flavourful and not bland at all. added bacon to it and it was super crispy!
another favourite is the cookie, but for $8 i wouldn’t say it’s the best but hey it’s great for photos!

i have been searching for a calm outdoor area where i could grab a good meal and drink while studying. flour drum has surpassed all expectations as just that kind of place. in terms of food their banoffee pancakes where fluffy and smothered in all sorts of toppings and extras creating a whimsical creation straight from a c.s. lewis novel. additionally the banana chai smoothie is a great contrast to the heavy sweetness of the pancakes with a nice mix of spices to calm anyone down.
from the atmosphere, to the friendly staff, to the rabbit and cat jumping between seats flour drum has without a doubt become a place i will visit regularly.

cafe has a stylistic interior with interesting wall art. dishes took a while to come out - salmon salad was okay and unmemorable in taste, beef ragu was done relatively well with nice al dente thick cut pasta and sauce, pancakes were good with a tasty side of torched banana

our experience was nothing like the other reviews. our food was absolutely shite. peanut butter on sourdough: rock hard cold toast, house-made peanut butter that was inedible, it tasted like it had miso in it which i’d be fine with if it tasted better than normal but it looked and tasted like a bad satay sauce. my pot of tea came out as we were ready to leave so i didn’t drink it. dining partner got the fritters they were sloppy and unimpressive. don’t understand everyone’s beautiful pictures of food in the other reviews, maybe we got a bad chef today but we won’t ever come back.

flour drum quickly became one of my favourite venues in sydney, and it's due to their focus on not just great food, but providing everything from a beautiful venue inside and it, friendly attentive staff, superb coffee and an abundance of baked goods! their breakfast/brunch menu has some of the usual things you'd expect to find, but it's their creativity and ability to create such a great balance of flavours in all the dishes they do wether it's fritters or the duck wontons! not to mention these guys also to dinner and stick to what they are great at; grills, pasta, dessert and wine! there are enough outstanding reviews here to that you'll be in for an enjoyable experience, highly recommended!

great food - i had the eggs with cured salmon with an interesting flavour. could have done with flat hash browns to hold the eggs instead of nugget-type ones. it was quite expensive - probably reasonable for this but there weren’t really any cheap options on the menu. the coffee’s priced at the low end of average though ($3.50) and is excellent - very rich and syrupy but also creamy.