Culinary Porthleven: Where to Eat and Stay in Cornwall's Foodie Harbour
- Martin Hesp
- Jun 18, 2024
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 17
Imagine a small coastal town where you can have one of the best dinners in the entire region and know for a fact that you could carry on dining extremely well during a week-long stay if you were to visit other venues dotted around the local harbour.
I was fortunate enough not to have to imagine such a thing. I knew I had found a genuine foodie-hot-spot as I looked out of a restaurant window while dining out in Porthleven. For those who don’t know it, the old fishing village on the north-western shore of the Lizard Peninsula, has become a centre of culinary excellence.
Turning from the window, a quick glance down at the Kota Restaurant’s eight-course tasting menu was enough to remind me that I was having dinner somewhere very special indeed. I had eaten food cooked by head chef Ross Sloan before (and waxed lyrical about it in these pages) so I knew it would be innovative and first class.
But seeing the very first offering - a single large oyster served with homemade rhubarb vinegar and whey puree, alongside my wife’s oyster wrapped in a nest of deep friend potato noodles… Well, that was enough to get me very excited indeed.
Where to stay in Porthleven
One of the great advantages of making a food trip to Porthleven is that you don't necessarily have to drive home afterwards. I stayed in the rooms above Kota Restaurant, right on the harbour head, and would happily recommend them to anyone wanting to combine good food with a stay in the village.
The accommodation is particularly convenient if you're eating at Kota: you can have dinner downstairs and simply walk upstairs afterwards. There are three rooms, all with king-size beds and en-suite bathrooms, while the larger family room has views over the harbour. Kota is also within easy walking distance of Porthleven beach, the pubs, cafés and the South West Coast Path.
The smoked mackerel doughnuts with horseradish cream and herring roe which followed were equally sensational, as were the little beef-tartare tartlets dressed in an oyster emulsion with gochujang, capers and shallots which followed. These dishes were a wonderful introduction to a course of heritage tomatoes filled with Mylor crab, cucumber, lovage, and tomato ponzu dressing. Which in itself was a refreshing way of saying hello to the Cornish wild sea bass cooked over charcoal, brushed with lemon oil and served with fennel puree and shellfish coconut bisque and mild but delicious local elephant garlic scapes.
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I could go on. All this, and we were only halfway through the menu! Which, by the way, was very good value. Yes, I know that paying £75 for one person’s dinner might seem a lot given the number of food banks there are in the region, but in Copenhagen where I was last week you can pay over £400 a head at some restaurants, and I know a good many British venues where the tasting menu will be double Kota’s price. I also know that you can part with more than £30 for a simple plate of steak and chips - so 75 quid spent on all this skill and artistry seemed a bargain.
Why Porthleven has become a Cornish food destination
Months ago when I was first working on the new newspaper series I spotted Ross Sloan out foraging in a remote Cornish cove and, soon after that, was invited to stay at Kota which has comfortable visitor accommodation directly above the harbour-side restaurant. So I certainly wasn’t going to turn down the invite, although I had no idea just how good his latest cooking would be.
But there was another reason I wanted to spend some time with in Porthleven… I wanted to find out how and why it had become one of the premier foodie-hotspots of the region - and to do that I needed to speak to a man called Jude Kereama. He is the chef patron of Kota, and a larger restaurant called Kota Kai just 30 metres along the harbour-side.
A couple of decades ago no one would have dreamed of coming to this corner of Cornwall for the food. There was a fantastic chippie (its retired lorry-driver owner told me it was his lifetime’s ambition to cook and serve the best fish and chips in the land - and for a while he did just that), but there wasn’t really anything else to rock anyone’s fishing boat. Now it is one of the single locations west of the Tamar which has enough fine dining places to keep a discerning diner happy for a week and which is also close to wonderful beaches and fabulous walks.
It also has an annual food festival which has been getting bigger and better for the past 16 years - an event which was the brainchild of the charming and enthusiastic Mr Kereama and his late wife, Jane.
SEE OUR REVIEW OF THE POLURRIAN HOTEL CLOSE TO PORTHLEVEN
New Zealand born Jude honed his kitchen skills with one of NZ’s top chefs before coming to the UK where he met Jane. Searching for a restaurant in the UK, they settled in Porthleven and opened Kota in 2006, before launching Kota Kai in 2011. Kota (meaning ‘shellfish’ in Maori - Jude is half Maori, half Chinese-Malay) and Kota Kai have since become stalwarts of the Cornish food scene and bring together the eclectic flavours of Jude’s heritage, creating menus utilising the best local produce with a signature Asian twist.
He earned the Trencherman’s Award for 'Special Contribution' in 2020 and was named 'Chef Of The Year' in 2019. Kota is recognised by both the Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide with a prestigious Bib Gourmand Award and the AA (one of only five restaurants in Cornwall to have been awarded three Rosettes).
Jude, who has appeared in four series of the Great British Menu and has proved to be one of the most popular figures in the competition, admits that the Porthleven Food Festival has really helped to put the town on the map…
“It all started when some friends who had a local delicatessen were with us and we were commiserating on the lack of business on a quiet winter Saturday night,” he told me. “We were asking how we could drive some interest out of season. That’s where the idea for a food and music festival was born and we formed a small committee. There were eight of us running around like bananas trying to organise everything. That was 15 years ago and it’s going from strength to strength.
“I’d been an executive chef in charge of opening restaurants in London, so it was a bit odd that, in coming to Porthleven, I ignored everything I’d learned. The first thing you do is research the demographics - who is going to eat in your restaurant? But when it came to Porthleven we didn’t do our research very well. I tell the story about how some locals came to check out the new menu when we moved here, and they said: ‘What’s a jalapeno?’ There were loads of things on the menu they’d never heard of. However, we fell in love with the village - and what we loved about Porthleven is that there’s a huge heart to the community.”
A very local, Cornish community which nowadays plays host to one of the region’s finest food festivals in April when some of the top UK chefs turn up to share their knowledge and their cooking and join in the fun.
“The festival has highlighted what’s on offer here, which attracts visitors all year round - and we really do have some fabulous places to eat,” said Jude, generously plugging all the many competitor venues around town. “Fishing was at an all-time low when we arrived here 19 years ago - now it’s become a really foodie place and that of course helps the local fishing industry. People are coming here to stay for a long weekend or even a week, because they know they can eat out very well indeed.”
The upturn has helped local people who work within the catering industry - one of them being chef Ross Sloan who grew up nearby. “I worked in local hotels as a kid then went travelling, before coming back to Cornwall. By the age of 21 I was a head chef, but there wasn’t much competition around. I was a bit geeky, researching everything I could.
SEE OUR REVIEW OF THE HOTEL MEUDON JUST A 20 MINUTE DRIVE FROM PORTHLEVEN
“You need to fail to learn, and that’s what I’ve done,” says the overly modest Ross. “So I worked with Jude and eventually became head chef here at Kota about 10 years ago, but I went on to do other things. Like a lot of people I’ve had a scattered career. Now I’m enjoying being back at Kota - and what I never want to do is become one of those chefs who are just robots. I need to be creative - I enjoy the research, sitting down reading books, looking at pictures of food, getting ideas.”
Which is the reason why Ross is one of the most innovative and creative chefs in the region. He offered to take me foraging along the local seashore and I’ll be returning to Porthleven to do some cooking with the highly experience Jude on Kota Kai’s Josper grill - SEE THE ARTICLE HERE
In the meantime, I worked off my large dinner by going for a lengthy walk along the coast which gives these chefs and many others their inspiration…
PORTHLEVEN COAST WALK
While in town I discovered a wonderful corner of the Cornish coastline which I had not visited before. On a map, the littoral north of the town looks a little dull - you kind of get the idea that fields reach the cliff-edge, and that’s that. Unlike the hike south of the harbour which takes you to remarkable Loe Pool, the largest area of brackish water in the region,.
But walk from Porthleven up to a hamlet called Rinsey and you will discover one of the most interesting and scenic stretches of coastline in the region - where you can explore one or two of the area’s secret coves as well as an amazing area dominated by old mine chimneys and engine houses. I was told the National Trust owned section around Rinsey was used in the filming of the Poldark series, and I am not at all surprised.
PORTHLEVEN FOOD FESTIVAL
The town’s free, award-winning, three-day food festival is held every April and is designed to celebrate Cornwall’s leading food and drink producers, stimulate the local economy, and raise awareness of key issues relating to the environment, food culture and sustainable food production.
The festival offers a fantastic foodie experience for residents and visitors alike, offering a full weekend of entertainment including chef demos, live music, family-friendly activities, evening sessions and much more – in a whole town takeover.
Cornwall’s leading event production company Mission Code deliver the festival, which is overseen by a small committee of enthusiastic and committed volunteers from the local community.
Where to stay in Porthleven
If you are coming to Porthleven for a few days, rather than simply visiting for lunch or a walk, I would recommend staying at Kota Restaurant & Rooms, right on Harbour Head.
I know the owner, Jude Kereama, and having stayed in the rooms myself, I can see why this is such a good little place to base yourself. There are just three rooms, each with a king-size bed and en-suite bathroom, so it has a pleasantly intimate feel rather than that of a conventional hotel. The larger family room also has views across the harbour.
And then there is the obvious advantage: Kota restaurant is downstairs. You can have a very good dinner, enjoy a drink and then simply walk upstairs to bed. Kota Kai, Jude's other restaurant, is also nearby.
The location is hard to beat. You are right on the harbour, with Porthleven beach only a few minutes' walk away and the village's pubs, cafés and other restaurants all close at hand. It also makes an excellent base if you want to explore this stretch of the South West Coast Path.
Breakfast is available, too, so you can wake up in the heart of Porthleven, have something to eat and then set off along the coast.
For a couple wanting to combine a short break with some good food and coastal walking, I think Kota Restaurant & Rooms is one of the nicest places to stay in Porthleven. And because I have stayed there myself, this is one recommendation I am very happy to make.
Frequently Asked Questions About Staying in Porthleven
Where is the best place to stay in Porthleven?
For a food-focused break in Porthleven, I would recommend Kota Restaurant & Rooms, which occupies a prime position on Harbour Head. You are right in the heart of the village, close to the beach, harbour, pubs, cafés and restaurants.
Can you stay at Kota Restaurant in Porthleven?
Yes. Kota has three comfortable rooms above the restaurant, each with a king-size bed and en-suite bathroom. There is also a larger family room with views across the harbour.
Is Kota Restaurant & Rooms good for couples?
Yes. Its small size, harbour-front location and excellent restaurant make it particularly well suited to couples looking for a relaxing food and walking break in Porthleven.
How close is Kota Restaurant & Rooms to Porthleven beach?
The beach is only a few minutes' walk away. The harbour, South West Coast Path, shops, pubs, cafés and other restaurants are also within easy walking distance.
Is Kota Restaurant & Rooms a good base for walking?
Very much so. Porthleven is a good starting point for exploring this section of the Cornish coast, and staying at Kota means you can finish a day's walking and be back in the village without needing to drive.
Does Kota Restaurant & Rooms have a restaurant?
Yes. One of the great attractions is that Kota restaurant is downstairs, serving Jude Kereama's distinctive food. Kota Kai, his other restaurant, is also close by.
Does Kota Restaurant & Rooms serve breakfast?
Yes, breakfast is available for guests, making it easy to get something to eat before heading out to explore Porthleven and the surrounding coast.
Would you recommend staying at Kota Restaurant & Rooms?
Yes. I have stayed there myself and know the owner, Jude Kereama, so this is a recommendation based on personal experience. For anyone wanting to combine good food, a comfortable room and the pleasures of Porthleven's harbour and coastline, it is a particularly appealing little place to stay.
