Review: The Lock Keeper

 

CHESTER is a city that provides us with a variety of places to eat. Picking a restaurant can be a difficult decision with so many to choose from.

The newly refurbished ‘Lock Keeper’ restaurant is where I escaped to after a long morning Christmas shopping in the hectic city centre on Saturday. Located just outside the cities shopping area, a quick to 2 minute walk seemed perfect to get away from the mad rush of shoppers in town.

The establishment has recently undergone major refurbishment, decorated in a modern style with sophisticated booth seating and settees alongside soft wooden furniture and beams creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere when you arrive.

As it was only lunchtime I wasn't expecting to order a big meal but that soon changed when I started to read the enticing menu and the list of daily specials on the chalk board. I couldn't resist, I had to order a starter as well as a main meal.

[caption id="attachment_1028" align="alignright" width="300"] The lock keeper, situated over the stunning views of the canal (Pic: Lock Keeper)[/caption]

For starters I ordered the rack of ribs, this did not disappoint. The meat melted off the bone and the BBQ sauce complemented it so well. The description on the menu stated ‘half rack of ribs’, and still I did not expect the large portion I got. For a starter this portion was far too much for me to finish and didn't leave me with much room for my main.

My mum who ordered the ‘crispy crumb mushrooms’ was extremely pleased with her choice, the mushrooms were crispy and not at all greasy, which they can often be. The portion size was also just right.

My main dish was much more than I imagined. I ordered the ‘fish finger open sandwich.’ A couple of fish fingers placed between two slices of bread is what I had in mind, I was proved wrong. The fish fingers weren’t fish fingers at all, not like the ones a make at home anyway. I was presented with a small breaded fish on a bed of lettuce and tartar sauce placed between light fluffy bread. I thoroughly enjoyed it – highly recommended.

My mum was also very satisfied with her dish of ‘pan fried steak sandwich.’ Although she did mention that she would have liked it cooked a little longer as she likes her steak well-done but still managed to enjoy the food.

As appealing as the deserts looked, I was far too full after a very satisfying meal.

The lock keeper had more to offer than delicious food. It has the largest outside area in Chester city centre providing customers with raised decking and outside seating over- looking the stunning view of the canal. Due to the weather in the UK this time of year I was unable to experience this, but during the summer I couldn’t think of anywhere better to go.

The service they provided was excellent and the food quality was more than I expected for a lunch time meal. I will look forward to another visit to see what an evening meal has to offer.