EAT Magazine May_June 2014_Victoria_48_Layout 1 4/28/14 9:03 AM Page 16
REPORTER Wheelies Motorcycle Café 2620 Rock Bay Ave. | 250-995-9359 | wheeliesmotorcycles.ca
Rebecca Wellman
Wheelies Motorcycle Cafe puts a whole new spin on the concept of the biker bar. The bright, brand-new venue celebrates ‘60s and ‘70s motorcycle culture with biker flick posters, a hard-rock soundtrack and a continuous loop of silent motorcycle film clips on a big-screen TV. A scene from Easy Rider was playing when we visited a couple of weeks after Wheelies opened in mid-March. Out front, there’s off-street parking in a lot left over from the location’s 66-year history as an auto repair shop and beside the café, a garage door that leads to a small shop where Wheelies’ three mechanics work on vintage motorcycles. They were working on an old Triumph, a vintage BMW and several old Harleys when I peeked in recently. The crew spent six months building the cafe “floor to ceiling all by ourselves, everything from recycled materials,” chef Kai Musseau told me as he put together sandwiches in his 80-square foot, open kitchen. My buddy and I are hunched over the five-seat bar overlooking the kitchen, our sandwiches served on recycled, wooden plates. “This bar, the bar at the front and the big table in the centre were all made from a 40-foot piece of laminated wood we salvaged. This space was a garage, and there was a car hoist where that big table is in the centre of the room. One of the guys made those bar stools from the repair shop’s old window security bars and upholstered them—just like making bike seats in the shop.” A repair shop specializing in vintage motorcycles and a gourmet eatery—it’s a funny combination. Yet it works because the bushybearded young chef makes everything on his minimalist menu in-house except the ciabatta, which comes from Frye’s Bakery in Vic West. And I do mean everything, including the pickled vegetables and the ice cream sandwiches. His soup, salad and sandwich menu features local ingredients and changes regularly. “I’m going with the seasons, doing lots of experimenting and making things fun,” Musseau explained as he puts together my pork sandwich and Southwest Salad. Raised in West Kelowna and a veteran of The Superior’s kitchen, Musseau’s root-beer-braised pulled pork sandwich was deliciously juicy. The chewy, warm ciabatta soaked up his chimichurri sauce, and pickled carrot and daikon subtly flavoured the salt-cured, slow-braised pork. I had a side salad too. Friends had raved about Wheelies’ kale salad, but it had been replaced by chef’s Southwest Salad—arugula, millet, corn and black beans lightly tossed with smoked chili lime vinaigrette. Delicious. I tried my buddy’s vegetarian sandwich (roasted tomatoes, olive maple tapenade, goat cheese and arugula on Frye’s ciabatta) and then got talked into one of Wheelies’ homemade ice cream desserts too. Rich chocolate brownies sandwiching Musseau’s espresso ice cream patty trimmed with candied pecans. It was devastating. The entire meal was wonderful. The café offers coffee drinks made from neighbouring Bows & Arrows Coffee Roasters, Silk Road teas and Broylan sodas. They also sell a range of helmets and motorcycle T-shirts. Wheelies is open 106 Monday-Friday, 11-5 Saturday and Sunday. E BY JOSEPH BLAKE
top left: Root beer braised local pork belly sandwich with pickled carrot and daikon, chimichurri on ciabatta. Side dish: millet salad. bottom right: Wheelies owners Jay Pincombe & Joel Harrison.
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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2014