Power hour at Flour Market

 9 September 2024

 

FLOUR MARKET

Corner of Hope and Roodehek Streets, Cape Town

 

We read about this place, referred to as “Truth bakery,” last week, popped in to take a quick gander and returned today to sample the wares.

 

Early adopters, us.

 

The building used to be a panel beating shop that’s been gutted and reshaped. Flour Market occupies the corner section but the rest of the building is either empty as yet or still under reconstruction.

 

There are a couple of wood and metal tables with bench seating just outside the front door and more of them inside in a quite large area that’s rather bare and austere. It really does look like a work canteen, with the polished terrazzo floor and spruced up industrial ambience. The kitchen and service counters, for sweet pastries, barista station and savoury pastries is on the far side of the space and there are display racks in an  L-shape to serve as a kind of barrier between the service and  dining areas, with a large array of flour, olive oil, deli jams, bagged Truth coffee and other deli items.

 

At this time, it’s take away focussed and, although one can sit down, you have to order and collect from the service counters.

 

The menu display boards are incredibly minimal. There are soup of the day, sausage roll, salmon bagel, overnight oats and flatbread, and a coffee and tea (builder’s tea) offering. Apparently they’ll be adding sandwiches later this week.  Other than that you can order savoury pastries if you don’t want only a sweet breakfast.

 

The bakery section offers fresh croissants and various breads.  

Th heavenly, enticing aroma of baking permeates the air.

 

The darling wife was intrigued by a delightful looking pastry with a cheese, ham and mushroom filling and ordered one. She could barely get it over her heart to share it with me, purely out of a deep and precious love, and immediately tasked me with getting another one, of which she ate 90%.

 

At first glance, the shape of it reminded me of a smaller, chunkier version of Turkish pide but it’s nothing like pide at all. It’s like a crisp, flaky croissant with an unctuous and deeply flavourful filling of melted cheese, slightly salty ham and mushrooms infused with a subtle hint of truffle. The wife said it was the best thing she’s had in ages, hence the immediate repeat.

 

Our main dishes were bagels with lox and cream cheese (R140,00)  and they were excellent too, with fresh, slightly gooey bagels, tons of gorgeous, succulent smoked salmon and premium cream cheese.

The coffee is by Truth and the wife’s flat white and my tea were good. Both were served in take away cups. At this point, it doesn’t seem that ceramics are an option.

 

The bill came to R478,00.

 

Flour Market is undoubtedly a work in progress; at this juncture they’ve only been trading for about 2 weeks.  Presumably, the menu will be expanded to include more substantial meals because, to be honest, it really is no more than a cafeteria at the moment, albeit one with premium products, where you grab a quick bite and coffee rather than the perfect spot for a hot brunch date.

 

The baked goods are of excellent quality and very tasty; so go pop in and give it a go!