We all know and love chewy sourdough pizzas. US-style versions sold by the slice are also everywhere these days. And dirty Aussie pizzas with strings of processed ham will always hold a special place in our food-loving hearts. But Flour Child in St Kilda has popularised another kind of pizza: pinsa romana. This Roman-style pizza's dough is made with a combination of soy, rice and wheat flour, and is left to prove for at least 48 hours. What you get is a healthier (sort of) dough that's a whole lot airier and crispier than your usual variety. Usually, you'd have to travel out to St Kilda to sample this Roman treat. But now, you can get it from Flour Child's new Richmond pizzeria and cocktail bar. Naples-born Executive Chef Alessandro Bellomunno is overseeing the site's pinsa romana-making, and is adding plenty of other contemporary Italian eats to the menu. The sip and snack crowd can get around the stacked antipasti menu, often served with plain pinsa romana bread, while the burrata bar sees the beloved cheese transformed into several different versions of itself. You can bite into a deep-fried and battered burrata ball, try it with a few different purees, have it atop a caponata tartare, or pair it with beef bresaola and confit cherry tomatoes. Gnocchi, porchetta, salads and meatballs round out the offerings at Flour Child Richmond, but the pizzas really are the stars of the show — with about 22 different flavour combos on the cards. The Flour Child Richmond team also considers the site to be a cocktail destination, with Bar Manager Lachlan Grant designing a stacked menu for spring and summer. It includes Italian favourites like negronis and americanos, plus a few signature sips which feature theatrics like bubblegum clouds and wonderfoam. Looking at the space lined with cabinets full of over 10,000 bottles of liquor, it should be no surprise that you can also sample stacks of digestifs and aperitifs. The spot also boasts a large terrace with a retractable roof, making Flour Child Richmond a pretty stellar spritz spot during the warmer months. Images: Arianna Leggiero.
