Cortez Chaos!!

       I recently (17 december 2007) took a V.I.P. party to Cortez,the tapas restaurant in Kendal having eaten there twice before,but what an embarrassment!We had booked,and the place was three quarters full.Our cold bread was taken from us 3 times,as it was the wrong type of bread,and returned,apparently the other bread  would take 10 minutes more (presumably to de-frost),and the arrogant owner,who was not apologetic,wanted to make sure everything was "right for us" !!The white rioja was delicious but then we were totally ignored for 45 minutes.When we asked the waiter to kindly check on our order,there were lots of comings and goings,it seemed to us the order had been lost and eventually the owner/manager was over to give us a lecture!Again,no apologies,no efforts to ask if we  would like some more wine,which was long since finished,or more bread maybe,just a lecture to tell us "we dont do fast food,its all fresh ingredients (I should hope so!!)" Totally charmless and argumentative.I have eaten in the finest,and not so fine tapas restaurants in Barcelona,Madrid,Murcia etc,but have never had such rude "service".We said we would wait five more minutes for some starters to come out,but nothing did.He said we had had our starters (cold bread and 10 olives,and this for five people!)Then a waitress came over and asked if we would like to see the desert menu!!!!!

    I said we had to go (to meet some other friends) and I would pay for the wine/bread,as we had been there an hour and that was all we had been given.I was asked to pay the total bill for the food we had ordered,but not received!!I refused of course,but what an insult!!After I paid for the wine we were further insulted "I hope you understand what its like to run a business"  (well I do actually)and my Mother and daughter were told,by the owner, "McDonalds is just down the road"The waiting staff were friendly but inexperienced,but the problems seem to be in the kitchen,and most definitely the owner!! AVOID!!!  unless you`re a fan of Fawlty Towers maybe........