Terraza Atalaya - BUN

Part of the Cosmo Hotel. Security is excellent, food is good (it isn't typical regional food, not that I don't like regional food) and service is very friendly.... read more Part of the Cosmo Hotel. Security is excellent, food is good (it isn't typical regional food, not that I don't like regional food) and service is very friendly. The views are great you have 2 one for the shipyard (if you like containers) and the other to the city. The city look much better at night.

This restaurant is on the 14 floor of a recently built hotel that aspires to be the best in Buenaventura and certainly charges as if it is the best in town. In... read more This restaurant is on the 14 floor of a recently built hotel that aspires to be the best in Buenaventura and certainly charges as if it is the best in town. In fairness it probably is but doesn't have to do much to take that title.The restaurant has a small bar alongside the pool and is alfresco with some windows that can close down one side against wind and rain. It has good views across the city and beyond over the river mouth and across the working harbour on the landward side.The staff are very keen to please, they are warm friendly and helpful. What is clear is that they are poorly led and management is not a well understood concept in this restaurant.The menu is a hotch potch of Colombian and Asian food as they are keen to use their tepanyaki hotplate and there is sushi. The menu on offer was lacking over four different dishes on the night I am writing about and it was the same four missing from the previous day suggesting that they do not have much planning capability in the provisioning area. Add to that a limited choice of beer from the drinks selection. I have been coming here for over a year now and at last they have started cooking on the same floor as opposed to 14 floors below so food is hotter than it was previously.Considering this is supposed to best in Buenaventura dining and they charge prices that would make a Bogotano wince quite why they cannot provide a chicken salad when they can provide pollo a la plancha with a side salad is beyond me. The speed with which the food arrives can only be described as tectonic much to the embarrassment of the wait staff who were clearly uncomfortable with this situation. There appears to be no planning or organisation in the kitchen when it takes over an hour to provide chicken and chips provided piping hot and fresh cook anywhere else in the country within 15 minutes. An hour later and a luke warm offering appears. This is the same kitchen that provided cold soup and dry and cod salmon all for premium prices. Sending stuff back is not really an option when so much time has been wasted. I have been visiting here for sometime now and it is noteworthy that the man who appears to be the head chef is keen on visiting the bar to chat with the management but not the clients, he really needs to spend more time in the kitchen making sure that what leaves his kitchen is worthy of the premium prices being charged and concentrate on the basics rather than a novelty tepanyaki bar.Discussing this with the lady who appeared to be the senior floor manager when she was not texting on her mobile elicited precisely no response or much in the way of any sort of apology. Exactly the sort of response form a complacent entity who don't feel they have to try too hard.You also need to be aware that there is back to back football on the television and the lighting scheme is better suited to a seedy night club and disco rather than what pretends to be a sophisticated and international restaurant.Until they address their fundamental arrogance in the kitchen this is unlikely to change and I feel genuinely sorry for the poor waiters and waitresses forced to apologise on behalf of the head chef and the management, they are the only redeeming feature.