The greatest thing since sliced bread is when you take two of those slices, butter 'em up, and put them on a grill with some cheese between them. And there's a new food truck parking in Metro Vancouver that knows what's up: The Melt Shop is all about that ooey, gooey grilled cheese goodness.
The Melt Shop hangs out in a delightfully unexpected place most days of the week: At the BC Ferries Tsawwassen terminal. If anything could defray the tension of a two-sail wait it's a grilled cheese--maybe even one that's made with two classic grilled cheese sandwiches as the bread. That bad boy is called the Big Daddy.
The Melt Shop Truck (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
Named in joking honour of the Melt Shop's co-proprietor, chef Alex Tung, the Big Daddy is a behemoth grilled cheese that features a unique centre of "crunchy bits" that give this impressive double-size stack that little extra something.
Tung operates the truck with business partner Vincent Morlet. Both restaurant industry veterans, the duo have known each other for several years, with Tung having been part of Morlet's team when he owned Richmond's award-winning Tapenade Bistro.
The Big Daddy (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
The opportunity to have a food truck serving BC Ferries passengers in the boarding line-ups first cropped up about a year ago, and required a lot of red tape to be crossed. The concept had to fit in nicely with the current food service businesses at the terminal and on board, and the Melt Shop ended up being the first food truck licensed by the City of Delta.
Using shore power rather than a generator, the Melt Shop parks near the terminal's Tsawwassen Quay Market building typically five days a week (usually Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday), from about noon until 6 pm. Staffed by two to three Melt Shop employees, the griddles are fired up on the top-of-the-line truck that Morlet purchased from a seller on Vancouver Island, and the welcoming aroma of melting cheese and toasty bread takes the sting out of the exhaust and exhaustion of waiting to get on board the ferry.
Crossing the Med (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
Both Tung and Morlet believe in emphasizing hospitality and customer service, and their friendly staff's smiles make for a nice side to their wicked good sandwiches. The menu is pretty straightforward, offering a grilled cheese for just about any kind of appetite at approachable prices.
The Classic ($6.50) is good ol' American cheese made with "lots of nostalgia," and it's a pair of those classics that end up serving double duty in the Big Daddy ($11). Crossing the Med comes on a seeded bread with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano ($10) for something super creamy and tangy (and vegetarian), while meat eaters will appreciate the Melt Shop Porker ($9.50) sizzled up with their housemade bacon jam.
For something spicy, The Italian Job ($9.50) gets things fired up with sausage and Calabrian peppers, while for something sweet the Sweetie Pie ($9.50) stars cheddar and apple in their nod to the classic apple pie with a slice of cheese. The grilled cheese selection is rounded out with something a little more high-end, the Fancy Pants ($13), made with fontina, black truffle tapenade, and black truffle honey for a bit of ooh la la.
The Melt Shop Porker (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
The Melt Shop sources their ingredients thoughtfully, using a Richmond-based scratch baker to provide their bread, and Tung's role as executive chef for Vancouver's La Grotta del Formagio as a link to some premium Italian products, including the cheese.
In addition to the sammies, The Melt Shop can set you up with a tomato soup, ice cream bars, a Lester's deli pickle, or either of their signature dipping sauces--one creamy and one spicy. They sell pop by the can, bottled water, and Hardbite potato chips, too.
The operation is cashless, but the "bad puns and poor attempts at humour" are on the house courtesy the Grand Fromage (Morlet) and the Head Cheese (Tung), as noted on the menu. Right now the truck has plans to serve the Tsawwassen terminal until Thanksgiving, before packing up for the cooler months to focus on corporate and private gigs until heading back to their ferry line-up spot next May.
The Fancy Pants (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
Those private gigs are providing The Melt Shop's Tung and Morlet a great opportunity to connect with what they see as underserved communities south of the Fraser. The partners are both eager to get the word out that the truck is available for community events in Delta and Richmond, or even for things like birthday parties or weddings (how great does a late night grilled cheese from a fun food truck sound after a few hours of dancing and drinking at a wedding reception?). Unfortunately, you have to have a ticket for the ferry in order to access the truck at the terminal, so if you're not sailing soon, find them parked at an upcoming public event.
One special event that The Melt Shop has lined up is this summer's Honda Celebration of Light Fireworks in Vancouver. They'll be parked near English Bay, ready to get griddle-ing on as many sandwiches as need be; for a high-water mark, the truck served up over a thousand grilled cheese sandwiches on Canada Day at a community event in Richmond.
Though both Tung and Morlet have backgrounds in fine dining, The Melt Shop truck is a chance for them to be more playful and have some fun, all while making happy, hungry customers smile--and doing it in Delta and other communities that don't find creative, independent food businesses often in their part of Metro Vancouver.
Follow The Melt Shop truck on Instagram to find out the truck's location and hours.
