New Brisbane

West End has gone mad. Seems like West End is the place to be these days, and more and more businesses are taking notice. Sure not all survive, (case in point : Zomba having shut its doors for one reason or another) but that doesnt seem to matter as more and more restaurants and bars are opening up everywhere.

The latest? Lock ‘n’ Load Restaurant/Bar/Cafe has opened up in West End with what appears to be a very decent reception. West Enders have welcomed Lock ‘n’ Load and having driven past it a few times in the last few months, we finally decided it was time to make our way and review West End’s newest venue.

Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro
142 Boundary St
West End, 4101
Tel: [07] 3844 0142

I have to admit, I am really not a fan of the name, Lock ‘n’ Load? I mean we already have the Gun Shop cafe, surely they can come up with something slightly more creative? But there is only so much in a name, from what I hear the name is derived from the owners own name, Lachlan, but still!

From the outside, Lock n Load seems a little odd, there is an auro of relaxation that beams out which makes the place seems like you can go there for a nap. Its quite, its dark and its relaxed, but don’t let that fool you because its by no means empty! As we walked in and informed the staff of our booking and name, we were taken to a table outside as requested. Why outside? Well, why not, it goes on the same principle that I use for 3 monkeys, you really need to sit outside, the inclosed space doesn’t do the venues justice.

Nevertheless, unlike the 3 Monkeys were columbian ‘rice’ bags cover the walls and the seats are about as comfortable as a gymnast’s balance beam, Lock ‘n’ Load gives a far better atmosphere. I wish I had some interior photos to show you, but unfortunately I don’t think the other patrons appriciated the few photos that I did take so I won’t post them for now.

My suggestion, sit outside, its nice, its relaxed and the massive trees covering the backyard makes it feel like your sitting out the back of your mates place. So as we sat down in the corner on the bottom half of the venue, we noticed a few things that could do with improvement. Firstly, and probably most importantly, we couldn’t read the menu! A candle was our only source of light and as romantic as it felt, being able to know what you are actually going to eat is an essential part of the dining experience. 20 seconds later and the phones and beaming lights broke the darkness and we starred at the menu.

The mains are not too expensive, you can get a good steak for $18 which is very reasonable. Some interesting choices included char-grilled eggplant ($15) which was tempting, but the steak and the sausages gave way. We decided to a get side dish of beans to go with the Sausages and I have to say at $6 for about 50g of beans, it is probably the most I’ve ever paid for beans in my life.

Essentially, the most important factors of the dining experience, peace and exclusitivity, was ruined by some little 4 year old kid who was destroying the gardens behind us and then dancing around like a little retard! You know, I shouldn’t get too upset about these things, but sometimes, children are either best left at home with a baby sitter of if your going to bring them out to a restaurant make sure they are not annoying the crap out of other patrons.

Admitedly, the staff were trying to get the kid to come out and go back to his parents, which he did, for all of 1.58 seconds. Putting that aside, the food was great, not fantastic, but great. My steak was beautiful but my girlfriends Sausages.. well… they could be better.

All in all, to be honest, if i was going out for dinner, there are better choices in West End. However if you have already been everywhere and like a change of scenary, I would suggest you check out Lock n Load and make sure you book for a seat outside. Oh and I put my word on this, they make the best Chai tea in Brisbane!