Subject: Cortez, Kendal Author: Cecilia Campbell Date: 4/2/2009 Body: RATING Total 19 Great atmosphere 4 Home cooked fresh food 4 Plenty of flavour 3 Good value for money 4 Service with a smile 4 Telephone: 01539 723 123 www.cortezkendal.co.uk Original review: December 7, 2006 I had forty minutes to spare before going to watch Joshua, one of my sons, play drums in the United reformed Church in Kendal, almost opposite this church is the Spanish restaurant called Cortez. Feeling rather hungry I walked in and asked for a very quick meal for one. The restaurant is quite long and not very wide, it is well suited for a family and friends type of meal, all sitting down at one long table. Some of the seats were old church pews, with the comfortable addition of a thick cushion. There was a largeish group eating and a few couples further in. I liked the decor and images hung around the place, it doesn't quite give it an authentic feel, but you certainly get the idea. On each table is a bottle of virgin olive oil and a bottle of Balsamic vinegar, as well as small dishes with ground pepper and sea salt crystals, a good sign. I tried the Balsamic, I'm not sure it was a 12 year old as the bottle said, it was fairly thin, but quite acceptable.  The menu consists mainly of tapas, i e small, hopefully tasty dishes that you order a few of and share with your dining companions. Just in case this wasn't your style, there were larger versions and other main courses listed as well. I ordered three of the tapas sized dishes: potatoes bravas, fish cakes and chicken skewers. This was after receiving a large bottle of sparkling water served with loads of ice and a generous chunk of fresh lime. So far so good. The food arrived some twenty minutes later, the pause more normally taken up by bread and olives that were on offer, I perused the pictures instead. The potatoes were pretty good, with the sauce quite tasty but not as flavourful as I would have liked, the fish cakes with their dip and lime were by far the best, excellent and well presented, the chicken took third place. In fairness, we quite often cook tapas style meals from our Moro cookbooks, so my expectation is pretty high. Having said that, I would have no hesitation in going back to Cortez again to try more of their food. I would certainly go there with a large group, it would be really fun. The staff were all very friendly and the service was great. By Martin Campbell   Cancel