GASTRONOMY REVIEW: The Neptune Fish Bar And Restaurant - Runcorn.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Requiring some sort of sustenance before an evening theatre visit, and with this being my first visit to the centre of Runcorn, I was shocked to find that the centre had a distinct lack of restaurants. Seemingly the town boasts cafes a-plenty, all of which seem to close either at 3pm or 4pm, and then the only options available to the weary and hungry traveller is a Wetherspoons and precious little else. The only other food available come in the form of fast food takeaways, most opening early evening, and Runcorn seems to have more than it's fair share of these. I counted 7 pizza takeaways, 6 fish and chip shops, and goodness knows how many others of varying food choices, all within the space of a square mile or so! The only one however which had any inside seating - advertising itself as a 'restaurant' was The Neptune Fish Bar.

On the plus side, the establishment was clean; however, my positivity for this place must end there sadly. Myself and my companion ordered our food to eat in along with tea-for-two. The service was sluggish at best, and when the plates of food arrived I was disappointed to say the least! Having already paid for the meal at the counter, it was difficult to complain, and so we suffered in silence and left.

I had ordered scampi and chips, whilst my companion had the traditional fish and chips. When the plates arrived the portions were small (thank goodness, since it was basically inedible), and completely without any garnishing. No sprig of parsley, no slice of lemon, no tartare sauce, absolutely nothing. Salt and vinegar were already on the table. The scampi was undercooked and very hot, whilst the chips were practically cold and were some of the worst-tasting chip-shop chips I've ever tasted. My companion was of the same opinion. 

If we ever find ourselves in Runcorn again, then we shall avoid this establishment like the plague, especially since there is a plethora of others in direct competition with them. However, it would be nice to be able to find a couple of restaurants in Runcorn next time...obviously though we shall have to travel out of the centre for those sadly!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall