The Cook of Castamar

The plot keeps one entirely engaged. The setting is beautiful. The customs are historically accurate. The food scenes are to die for. The music is exquisite. The directing is very well conceived. The acting is perfect for this kind of historic melodrama. The behavior in the film is in keeping with the nature of this aristocratic world. Congratulations to all who made this possible to be seen on Netflix! A strong recommendation for those who appreciate quality historical melodramas. (Rating 9/10)

We thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries, the setting, the actors and the story were rocksolid. We felt like the ending was rushed and left many loose ends. This seems to be a pattern with Netflix. It would be worthwhile to spend the extra episode to end a series with high-quality.

Nice romantic story, it is a kind of a light version of Grand Hotel series (Spanish version), the production is superb, the acting is fantastic, all the characters fits in the role, excepting the main actor Don Diego which looks "too mature" in my opinion for this show, don't know if in the novel happens the same, I didn't feel the chemistry in both lovers, it was not a good match, even their kisses looks quite repulsive, he could be his father!. But anyway, Amelia actress robbed entirely the show, she produces that kind of love-hate feeling, she's a 10. Although it is a mild & light classic romance-drama, give it a chance.

If you like period pieces, this series is worth the watch. That said, keep in mind that unless you speak Spanish you will need to rely on English subtitles. Most of the characters are typical archetypes (villain, clueless do-gooder, envious maid, etc.). However, the series was quite engaging though also very predictable and drawn to an obvious conclusion. The biggest hurdle for me was the casting which was way off, and the main reason I gave the series 6 stars. Roberto Enríquez, who played the role of Diego Duke of Castamar is a good actor. However, he should NOT have been cast as the lead romantic role for the series. Even with make up, he looked closer in age to an older brother (or even possibly Clara's father). This makes sense since there is an 18-year age difference between Roberto Enríquez (the Duke) and Michelle Jenner (Clara Belmonte). A better option for the Duke's role would have been Maxi Iglesias, who sadly was relegated to playing Francisco Marlango. There were other casting mishaps too, though not quite as egregious as the main romantic leads. If you want to be entertained, and don't mind watching a May-December romance, then this series is well worth your time.

Addictive series with beautiful costumes and production value, a compelling central love story, generally strong acting, and food! The cooking scenes with the voiceovers are reminiscent of "Like Water For Chocolate."

I loved the main actress playing Clara. She's very good at the "slow simmer," the passionate woman beneath the serene surface. The romantic male lead is a little less impressive. He's a stalwart, honorable aristocrat with a soft side, but spends a little too much time looking pained and pensive. No matter, they have good chemistry.

There is a lot happening with intrigue and side characters, sometimes too much. The Duke's adoptive brother, Gabriel, is charming but his side plot with Amelia is not fully baked (sorry). The mother is superb and most of the servant characters are well played and endearing.

My biggest issue with the series is the ending. It is rushed and too much is left unexplained. It's not entirely unsatisfying, but it could have been so much better. It feels like they ran out of time and had to write/film it really quickly or something?

Anyway, worth watching. And it was fun practicing my Spanish.