Why you should get on your bike and ride Northside to Bicycle Thieves

Everyone loves surprises, particularly if there’s a new brunch haunt with braggable coffee and a decent feed close to home. If you live northside, get on your bike and visit this cafe.

Kara Irving

2 min read

February 8, 2019 - 3:00PM

If you’re heading northside, make sure you try the breakfast ramen at Bicycle Thieves in Northcote.

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Everyone loves (nice) surprises, particularly a new brunch haunt with braggable coffee and a decent feed a short stroll from home. It’s the inner-city dream.

So when Bicycle Thieves rolled into Northcote in October under a modern-looking High St apartment complex, local brunchgoers didn’t have to travel far to get their fix.

EAT YOUR WAY AROUND GEELONG

MELBOURNE’S FORGOTTEN MILK BARS

PRINCE A CHARMING REVAMP FOR ST KILDA

Chris Griffiths and Shri Bhagwandas, already behind Cremorne’s Sloane Ranger and Remy Cafe in Kew, are all about creating honest tucker with a twist, and now they’re doing it on new wheels northside after selling Hawthorn’s Bawa last year.

The duo named their cafe after the 1948 foreign film Bicycle Thieves as a homage to Northcote and Thornbury’s Italian roots.

However, the menu couldn’t be further from pizza, pasta and prosecco.

The breakfast ramen is a must-try at Bicycle Thieves. Picture: Supplied.

FOOD

There are hints of Japanese and German influence and the usual brunch fare on the all-day menu.

You can’t go past the breakfast ramen ($23, pictured). Thin noodles, swimming in a slurpable umami-porky broth with a hunk of smoky kaiserfleisch, shiitake, tofu, pangritata (poor man’s parmesan), topped with a soft egg.

A nice balance of flavours. The crumpets ($10) lathered in butter (both housemade), Vegemite and cheese are a simple pleasure but a refreshing change from the often rubbery, store-bought variety.

The crispy potato roesti, topped with beef pastrami, sauerkraut, two poached eggs and choron hollandaise ($21.50) is a delight, but was overshadowed by the previous two dishes.

DRINK

Bhagwandas (previously of Dukes Coffee Roasters) makes sure your caffeine fix is spectacular.

The blend is Dukes, of course. Find it in the signature two-toned iced coffee, which is neither bitter nor milky.

The dusting of chocolate on top brings back childhood memories of smashing an ice-cold Milo.

There’s also housemade lemonade that’s not overloaded with sugar, with hits of subtle lemongrass and kaffir lime.

Make sure you visit Bicycle Thieves with an empty belly. Picture: Supplied.

SERVICE

A big thumbs-up for the staff asking if we’d like to share our three mains — and serving each portion in a separate dish (a nice surprise). This saves the awkward passing and scraping of plates while trying not to make a mess. Herbivores will enjoy the flexibility of being able to change any meat-based dish into a vego one (another nice surprise).

X FACTOR

The food punches above your usual brunch suspects. Grab a spot on the long, concrete bench for a brew and people-watch out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

While there’s a funky industrial feel (thanks to the Pierce Widera design) with bursts of indoor greenery, the vibe could come across as sterile to some.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Mains hover around $20, so things add up quickly when ordering drinks and a few side dishes.

VERDICT

Bicycle Thieves is a well-oiled machine three months into service, packed full of delightful surprises. The team makes the seamless dining experience look as easy as, well, riding a bike.