Diner’s Rendezvous

Been here twice and the last time I went I was sick the whole next day. This place unfortunately is an example of the mediocre food that Nanaimo residents put up with.
Service was poor, servers very unfriendly and the dishes are slathered with pasty sauces.
Save your money or go to Nest Bistro on Franklin Street.

Food is good service is not. I have gone there a few times and the server made it seem like we were an inconvenience. We are not a picky or demanding couple.

Such great food, service the first time I went was ok. The last time was better. It just takes a long time to get a drink! The seafood pot is amazing. My fav! And the oyster trio app is great as well! Kinda expensive but totally worth it. Could do with better washrooms though.

Staying overnight in Nanaimo one or two days each week, I decided to venture out to try some other restaurants in the neighborhood that aren’t part of my regular routine. My visit here was actually prompted by a prior poor review — I had to see the truth for myself. There are a lot of great businesses with hard-​working owners in this city and I enjoy experiencing all of them.
I ordered the NY Steak. The price of $ 24 wasn’t an issue for me as I live in a larger city and am accustomed to paying much more than that for good quality. The cut was quite large as well, was cooked to perfection, and provided good value overall. I imagine that the Keg’s prices would be similar for the same size cut. I did not find the demi-​glaze salty. I presume that to be a matter of personal taste though. The vegetables were not overly creative in composition or plating, however there was a good variety and they were cooked perfectly.
Service was absolutely excellent. The food was delivered promptly after ordering, and the server was continuously attentive and friendly.
This restaurant is in a beautiful space and has a tremendous amount of history in Nanaimo, which evokes a vibe that cannot be achieved in a chain restaurant. That alone makes it worth a visit.
The only negative to say is the fact that they have had an American Express sticker on their door for months but don’t accept AmEx. This will rub cult-​like AmEx cardholders (like me) the wrong way. Hopefully they’ll rectify that easily-​solvable problem quickly.

«New York Cut w/​Rice and Vegetables» — $ 25
I have never previously dined here before. I had no idea what to order, and the server highly recommended the New York Cut as one of their best dishes. In the mood for red meat, I decided to go with it.
When the food arrived, I was a bit disappointed in how little there was but nevertheless I was looking forward to trying the steak as I was getting hungry.
The vegetables were nice and fresh, but that’s about it. The steak’s texture was ok but the recipe totally ruined it. There was a thick layer of demi sauce on top of the meat which wasn’t very good, just salty. The meat lacked flavoring through out; in fact, it was really quite blend. It almost tastes like it was BOILED. The rice was a shame, it was plain white rice with no spices, and it was chunky. Probably from sitting in the rice cooker too long.
Overall, the service was average, the décor was fancy, but the food was just plain bad and amateurish almost. Certainly not what I expected from the so called «Award winning chef Ian Ter Veer». It was certainly no «fun dining». Appetizers were also on the expensive side, ~$ 12+.
So sorry for leaving such a negative review, but it pretty much ruined my evening. So much for «Fun Dining»