Mostly, the food is nice and there aren't many good Chinese takeaways left in Runcorn, not ones that do real chips anyway. The Dolphin knows this and takes great advantage of the fact. They basically have too much custom on their hands to give a damn about even an above average level of customer service.
Try getting through on their phone line on a weekend... it isn't happening. They have one person who can answer the phone, who is unbelievably jaded - I mean, she works very hard, but she is very, very miserable and surly. They have a system where she enables an engaged tone when she is too busy to answer or just can't be bothered, which it's normally one or the other and barely ever answers.
It would be easier and less stressful to go and wrestle your own wild boar in Runcorn Hills with your bare hands and turn it into Char Siu.
If there is a Canto/Chinese cooking family reading this, there is a fantastic opportunity in Runcorn for a decent takeaway; if you could produce great food with real chippy chips (very important, frozen chips just don't cut it in this town) and give the customer service the Dolphin don't, you could win a lot of custom from them.
If anyone from the Dolphin is reading this, your food might currently be the best in Runcorn, but only by default. It doesn't even begin to compare to the food from the Regent Street chippy family who owned it in the '80s and '90s... and they were a lovely family and very friendly, I really miss them. It also doesn't compare to the food from Si and his lovely family who used to own the chippy by the arches in Dukesfield... he was an EXCELLENT chef his food had the wok hay and clean flavours yours never will.
The Chinese takeaway situation in Runcorn is on its ar5e and needs some new blood to shake the Dolphin's arrogant monopoly up.
To sum up, their food is decent, but do they deserve your custom? No, not really. Next best is Langsdale Road I guess, or EJ's in Frodsham if you can travel... just goes to show how bad the situation is in Runcorn when you'd consider travelling 5 miles for Chinese food. :-( read more
