Cordoba is a lovely small town in Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. It has a very pleasant historic center with some nice sights to see and also some excellent restaurants. Some people will say that the meal is only part of an enjoyable evening at a restaurant. Where I fully agree with this, having a nice view can enhance the experience even more, as we found out when dining at Pairi Daeza in Cordoba, Spain.

The restaurant is part of the hotel Balcón de Córdoba. It has some tables on the ground floor of the hotel, but it also has a few tables on the roof top terrace. From the terrace you can enjoy a panoramic view of the historic city centre, including a sunset view of the famous cathedral. All tables on the terrace have these views, but book early or the terrace will be full.

A limited-looking menu still has just enough choice so everyone will find something to eat. However, when you notify them of allergies (or pregnancies) when making reservations, don’t be surprised of your reservation is cancelled. Just give them a call and discuss this with them and you’ll be fine. Where the starters are (by local standards) perhaps a little on the expensive side, the main courses are reasonably priced.

One of the starters is a lobster salad with avocado cream and a sauce of apple. To be honest, the best parts of the meal were the presentation and the view. Where it was by no means a bad dish, the lobster was stone cold and close to being over-cooked. The apple sauce was nice as it added some sweetness and acidity. The creaminess of the avocado was OK, but I would not have missed it. All this may sound like I did not enjoy it, but this isn’t true. It is just that it could have been better.

For main course, my choice was a local delicacy: Braised oxtail. This was a step up from the starter, but I would have preferred it to be served a bit warmer. The waiter may argue that the kitchen is three or four floors down, but that really should not affect the quality of the food in any way. The meat was very nice and juice in a beautiful rich and slightly sweet sauce/gravy. If it weren’t for the temperature, I couldn’t fault the dish. It is a simple-looking dish with great flavours. By the time main course was eaten, the sun is setting and we still have  a great view of the cathedral, which is nicely light.

Desserts are relatively simple dishes. One of them is a crumble with lemon ice cream with a crumble and a jelly of a liqueur, where another was rose of apple with some chocolate ice cream and crumble. The apple rose turned out to be a small apple pie, which was delicious. Not too sweet but packed with flavour. Like the apple, the ice cream was not too sweet and the sweetness really came from the crumble. Where the warm dishes were a little colder than I would have liked, I was expecting the ice cream to be half melted. Fortunately, no such issues here. What this dish lacked in presentation, it made up for in flavour. It was a perfect finish to a nice meal.

A meal at this place has a price tag of approx. EUR 50-60 including some drinks. Service is reasonable, but a better understanding of the English language would be helpful in an up-market restaurant in a good hotel. The restaurant is worth a visit, if only for the view. When you like to sit on the roof top terrace, make sure you book (well) in advance to avoid disappointment.

Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: http://balcondecordoba.com