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Getting Lost With Bill!
I must say, I always get quite excited when I discover something new. It’s pretty cool when someone does something different. Of the many bars and pubs in Bunbury, I recently discovered a little gem. Come with me, let’s get lost together at Lost Bills!
You may have seen my previous blog on Market Eating Place. This little discovery was on the same night. Lisa and I had decided to get into town early to have a few drinks before going for our anniversary meal. We came across Lost Bills. Neither of us had been there before so in we went. We walked down the small ally way that had a few tables dotted here and there and people enjoying a few al fresco drinks. There was quite a Latin American feel to the place. It was fairly busy, the throng of conversation and a little background music met us as we walked in. The bar was quite hectic. We positioned ourselves at one end. I did my best to look like a thirsty patron in the hope that one of the bar staff would notice us, which they eventually did.
The array of spirits on display behind the bar was impressive to say the least. You would be hard pushed to find a drink that they didn’t sell.
We had already perused the large board that displayed the variety of beers on offer. Lisa opted for the Red Ale. This was a hoppy delight and very easy to drink. I was strangely drawn to a Milk Stout. For all you veteran Coronation Street fans, this was the favourite tipple of Ena Sharples, (google it). Just a quick bit of trivia for you. It’s called Milk Stout as it is sweetened with lactose the sugar found in milk. It is one of the only sugars that is not fermentable.
Anyway, enough of the science lesson. The drinks were served and we settled down to enjoy them. The Milk Stout I have to say was superb. A delicious creamy head and a balance of bitterness and sweetness that rolled around in the mouth. A sweeter less harsh version of Guinness.
It was whilst we were enjoying our beer that we witnessed a strange phenomenon. There we were, minding our own business, when a guy with an apron walked in carrying about three paper bags.
“Order for Smith” (name has been changed)
‘What the hell!” I exclaimed
A guy at table just behind us with about ten or so people sat at it raised his hand
“yeah, over here mate” he signalled to the apron adorned man.
My curiosity was well and truly aroused by now. What is going on? What could possibly be in the bags? I discovered the answer.
The clever owners of Lost Bills have come up with a great concept. We have all heard of BYO drinks at a restaurant. There are indeed many of these restaurants in and around Bunbury. That being said, I can honestly say I have never come across a BYO pub. When I say BYO Pub, I mean a pub where you buy your drinks but bring your own food. Lost Bills have obviously latched on to a great opportunity here. Just look at all the eating establishments along Victoria St. You can basically call, for arguments sake, Right on Burgers from the pub (look out for that blog coming soon) order your food, and they will bring the burgers over to you in Lost Bills. On further inspection. I realised that there were take away menus of local establishments dotted around the bar. What a great example of local business’s giving each other a helping hand. Lost Bills display the menus, and the food establishments agree to deliver it. Genius in my humble opinion.
I got talking to one of the bar staff. I was intrigued and wanted to know more.
“Is it just takeaway food you allow your customers to bring in?” I enquired
“Sweetheart, you could cook yourself a roast dinner at home and bring it in to eat if you wanted” was the reply.
So not only can you eat your takeaway in there, you can bring your own food from home if you wanted. My mind was spinning with the possibilities. I could arrange a huge night out with all my friends, we could all bring a different plate of food to share, and our only expense is the drink. We could even book three or four Townaround drivers to get us there and back so no designated driver needed.
We finished our drinks and off we went to Market eating place. My new favourite bar was still on my mind. When we were asked if we wanted desert, we declined…we had a better idea. We walked down to Right On Burgers and ordered some of their delicious gelato. Did we go and sit on a bench and eat it? No we didn’t! We sauntered across the road back into Lost Bills. It felt so strange taking food I had bought somewhere else into a bar, I was still expecting a tap on the shoulder, and some burly bouncer telling me “You can’t bring that in here mate!”
We decided the perfect thing to accompany our gelato, and a good way to finish our night would be a cocktail. We ordered the curiously named Winston Surf shirt. This was a rum based affair with a lime and ginger hit. It got the tastebuds fired up again that was for sure.
I still had room for one more drink whilst Lisa was finishing her cocktail so I went back to the bar and ordered a shot of Limeburner whiskey on the rocks…how very New York of me! I got talking to the bar staff again.
“So just out of curiosity, who is Bill and why is he lost?” I asked
“Bill can be anybody you want him to be” She replied with the faintest hint of a smile on her face.
Yep, I can say with all sincerity. Lost Bills is my new favourite bar in Bunbury. Give it a try!
