Only the food is better than the decor at Pedal & Tap in Kimberley

Enjoy amazing food and drink in a unique atmosphere on Kimberley's Platzl

1 of 5Owners of the Pedal & Tap, from left to right: Cam Dodd, Nicole Leclair-Dodd, Pierre Garsonnin. — Lauren Davidson photo

2 of 5Local artisans created timber brackets for the hanging bike, as well as a custom steel fence interlaced with salvaged bikes. — Lauren Davidson photo

3 of 5Pedal & Tap has an authentic selection of craft beer, wine and spirits, not to mention an extensive scotch menu. — Lauren Davidson photo

4 of 5About 20 bikes were donated to the Pedal & Tap for its unusual decor. — Lauren Davidson photo

5 of 5Pedal & Tap has an authentic selection of craft beer, wine and spirits, not to mention an extensive scotch menu. — Lauren Davidson photo

‹ ›

…

When the Pedal & Tap restaurant and lounge opened its doors last August in Kimberley, B.C., residents celebrated the fact that something unique was happening in the city’s pedestrian-only outdoor mall, known as the Platzl.

Pedal & Tap came out of a communal need: a need for social interaction without distraction.  A need for quality food and drink sourced responsibly.

Pierre Garsonnin, Cam Dodd and Nicole Leclair-Dodd are the owners of this remarkable restaurant and their vision shines throughout the establishment. Bicycle parts and amazing artwork are a huge part of the interior design.

Nicole said the decor is definitely a huge draw for the restaurant. A focus on natural and minimalist building materials has provided a warm and intimate space in a big, open setting.  Two eight-by-ten-foot aluminum and glass overhead doors allow the warm summer evenings to spill in from the patio and the sounds of happy diners to fill the Platzl.

“The idea for the decor came out organically,” said Garsonnin, who also owns the Bean Tree cafe. “I have a collection of really old, almost useless bicycles because I like the way they look, and I’ve always wanted to build something with them. They are just so visually appealing.”

Garsonnin added that the functionality of Pedal & Tap came from his 20 years of experience in the industry, but the design was all Cam’s.

Garsonnin’s coffee roaster, Pat Rossi, is a welder and an artist and her husband had given her about 20 old bicycles for her birthday. Since she wasn’t using them, she gave them to the Pedal & Tap. The owners welded them into the patio fence, used the handlebars to decorate the washroom and used handlebars and bike pedals for the coat racks as well. Basically, they tried to incorporate bicycles into most aspects of the bar.

Locally sourced ingredients

While the decor offer a unique setting, the food and drink is the main reason to walk through Pedal & Tap’s doors.

“We use local products as much as we possibly can,” said Garsonnin. “Our beef is from Skookumchuk, we get our cheese from Creston, our veggies come from a plot at Fort Steele Farms and in regards to our beer, we focus mainly on B.C. breweries.”

Two of the Pedal & Tap’s taps are from the Crannog brewery. It is a B.C. brewery that actually grows all its beer’s ingredients at its own farm and then brews it in the same location.

The menu, which was just revamped on June 5, 2012, offers some titillating options. Garsonnin said one of their best selling items is the Spaghettiballs, which was Nicole’s idea. The Mucky Fries are also to die for. It is a new twist on poutine that features hand-cut fries from seasonal potatoes, a homemade chipotle sauce, green onion, mozzarella, aged cheddar and maple bacon. The menu also includes some unique appetizers, salads, sandwiches and special entrees including Curry Verde, Moroccan Tagine and Slipstream Salmon.

Filling a niche

Garsonnin and the Dodd husband-and-wife team definitely know what they’re doing. Garsonnin’s father was a chef, so he got his first job washing dishes when he was just 14 years old. Since then, Garsonnin has spent over 20 years in the industry, doing every job possible and working in major cities across Canada including Toronto, Victoria, Kamloops and Yellowknife.

“We wanted to open a place that provides good quality food at a reasonable price in an environment where you could both bring your kids for dinner and then come back and sample our scotch menu,” Garsonnin said. “In a big city we might not stand out as much, but where we are located geographically there are not a lot of places that provide the extensive liquor and beer list that focuses on quality organic and local items. We like to give people a taste of things they don’t usually find around here.”

Garsonnin, after moving around for most of his life, is now in love with the city he calls home.

“Kimberley is the first place I’ve actually felt really comfortable calling home and I think it has to do with the fact it’s a really tight community. People are always really friendly and they are always trying to help one another,” said Garsonnin. “It just has a really warm, small-town feel to it.”

While many residents share the same sentiment, it is a challenge running a business in the city’s Platzl, where many shops are closing or up for sale because of the downturn in the economy in the last few years.

“It’s a struggle running a business in Kimberley as a whole,” said Garsonnin. “Because we don’t have the same amount of traffic as Fernie and Invermere, I think we lose a lot of people because we’re so close to Cranbrook. A lot of people jump in their cars, drive the 20 minutes and go do everything they need to do in Cranbrook and then come home.”

But Garsonnin said the Pedal & Tap has proven that if you can provide a good quality and friendly atmosphere, people will want to stay around and spend their money locally.

“I like that the Pedal & Tap is in the Platzl, in the heart of Kimberley, and I like that it brings people into the Platzl, which has been a really hard thing to do for the past 10 years,” said Garsonnin. “Above all, it makes me really happy that on a summer night you can hear the patio and hear people in the restaurant from either end of the Platzl.”

If you pedal your own wheels to the Pedal & Tap, they provide you with a free bike lock. Since so many people ride the trails around the city, Garsonnin and the Dodds decided to give people something a little extra.

Their decor, food, attitude and ethics all add up to a place where locals and tourists alike can sit back, eat, drink and celebrate the East Kootenay lifestyle.