Posted by Phew! It’s hot out and you know what that means! No one wants to cook, including us! Bring on the Nanaimo takeout! (Check out our previous takeout features here, too.)
Rhythm Chinese Restaurant
Heard of it before? Neither had we. Rhythm Chinese is tucked into Harewood Mall *ahem* University Village right beside the awful Buy Low Foods. Normally we like to explore house specials and unusual items but on this particular occasion we actually felt like the usual Chinese-Canadian stuff.
Ups
Rhythm has a decently varied menu with a few interesting selections. There are a handful of house specials, including one of our go-tos: pork buns. If those are handmade in-house then that’s something we’d want to try another time. The kitchen has has long hours and provides a delivery option as well as pick up. There’s no dine in area to speak of though.
Downs
Food taste was frankly mediocre and we wondered about some of the ingredients. Like, what was up with that chicken cut into fine strips in the chow mein? The chop suey was a touch too slimy. Overall the food was fine.
Conclusion
Rhythm was fine. If you’re in walking distance, this place will work. It’s not winning any awards though. At $43 we thought the value was on the good side of ok. The search for exceptional Chinese takeout in Nanaimo continues…
Popeye’s Chicken
We can’t resist it when a well-known American fast food joint first comes to town. Gotta test that chicken!
Ups
Well it’s fried chicken! It’s pretty hard to screw up. We’re not sure what makes Popeye’s’ chicken “New Orleans-style” but assume it’s the Cajun spices you can sort of taste. The food is good but not terribly different from the other obvious fried chicken options out there. The price was decent. All this food you see cost us about $25.
Downs
Like any fast food outfit, you’re dealing with a bunch of disinterested kids when you order so a service standard is basically non-existent. Not everyone cares about that when takeout is concerned so YMMV.
Conclusion
What can we say? It’s another fried chicken joint. This guy was probably thrilled. We found the food fine and the price good, so there you go. Still, we’d rather have chicken from Lee’s, Mary Brown’s, or the excellent Nanda downtown.
My Hubby’s Bagels
Good grief the hype for this place has been at a fever pitch since they first opened up shop a couple years ago. Either they have a killer social media team, or they have great food. Or both. They’ve now moved into their own dedicated shop right in the OCQ and we’ve been… many times.
Ups
Wow! Is My Hubby’s Bagels ever a great place to stop in to grab some chow! The shop is small in size but big in feel. Every inch of it oozes comfort and good vibes. The staff across our numerous visits have been friendly and appear to be having a good time doing their jobs. There are plenty of bagels and treats to choose from and they can be made into a number of sandwiches and other options.
The food quality is excellent too. We particularly like the rosemary parm bagel, and at one point they had an in-house hot pepper cream cheese that made the cheddar bagel absolutely top tier. Love it. Just a word of warning – if you’re expecting a chewy NYC-style bagel, this ain’t that. MHB’s bagels are crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside, almost like little bagel-cakes. We think they are awesome on their own merits.
Downs
Empty your piggy banks because My Hubby’s Bagels is NOT CHEAP. A buttered bagel and and small coffee will set you back over $7. The sandwiches range from $10 to $15. You could conceivably hit $40 for two small lunches here. Oof.
Conclusion
We love it. Yes it’s pretty expensive, relegating it to treat territory, but we just keep on coming back for more. Taste is of course king and they have that covered, but it’s also just such a pleasant experience to visit. We think My Hubby’s Bagels is the best thing to happen to the OCQ since La Stella opened its doors. The hype is real.