Sydney’s hottest new neighbourhood café is a small, but perfectly formed operation run by some of southern Sydney’s brightest hospitality stars.

Owners Abbey Cadell and James Cameron (formerly business partners at cult Cronulla café Grind Espresso) lead a team that is slicker than the sour cream and maple glaze on their cinnamon scrolls.

The key local staffers include executive chef Josh Davidson (ex-Apollo and Margan), baker Nathan Martin (ex-Humble, Brasserie Bread, The Grounds and Sonoma) and pastry chefs Emily Demetriou and Patrik Svab (both ex-Flour & Stone).

It’s not just these collective credentials that impresses; it’s the attention to detail at the 40-seater café and dough room that makes Flour a neighbourhood café of the highest order. The ceiling is lined with acoustic batts. There’s filtered water on tap. Concertina windows that bring the outdoors in. And an assortment of perfectly placed earthy urns filled with flowers that divide the intimate space.

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The fact the café is housed in a former convenience store where both Abbey and James used to buy lollies as kids underlines the feeling of community ownership. As does the diverse crowd spilling out onto the footpath. There’s a couple of uniformed paramedics ordering coffees during a break in their shift. A mother and daughter enjoying croissants after clocking up 10,000 clicks on their Fitbits. And some local blokes shooting the breeze around the communal table.

Five Foot One was behind the design of the bakery-café and the brief was simple: look to the palette of raw baking ingredients for inspiration. The floor tiles look like they’ve been sprinkled with sesame seeds. Timber banquettes are the colour of biscuits. Tiles a buttery hue. And the interior wall finish is a specialty render designed to emulate icing.

Peep into the temperature-controlled glass-walled dough room and you’ll likely catch a glimpse of baker Nathan; he’s the one wearing the ‘They see me rollin’ ‘tee’. The slogan is emblematic of the fun vibe here. It’s like a modern-day corner store with an abundance of goodness on offer.

The menu changes thrice daily: from breakfast to brunch and lunch with a rotating roster of baked goods, pies and quiches, croissants, brioche and buns. We’re here for breakfast so prioritise coffee made with the chocolatey house blend and a vanilla and saffron bun, a delicate mix of caramelised pastry and creamy custard.

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We also snaffle a savoury spiral of spanakopita, crisp filo stuffed with spinach and feta, and a Vegemite and cheese scroll that has the right ratio of Vegemite to cheese. It’s a big call, but I’m going to declare the seeded white sourdough as Sydney’s new contender for Most Lovingly Made Loaf of Artisan sourdough bread.

The secret? According to Nathan, it’s the 36-hour proving time. In summary, Flour says what it does on the tin and then some.

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