The story
Kota Kai sits at Celtic House on Harbour Head in Porthleven, serving Asian fusion food that earned a Good Food Guide Local Gem for 2026. It is the sister restaurant to Kota, and its Asian-inspired menu runs from a first-floor room above the harbour.
Jude Kereama cooks here and at Kota, drawing on his half Maori and half Chinese Malay heritage. He won awards in Auckland and London before opening in Porthleven with his wife Jane. He has appeared on BBC Two's Great British Menu, reaching the banquet stage in 2021.
The Asian-inspired menu includes salt-and-pepper squid, tempura tofu and soft-shell crab bao, along with seafood laksa, vegetable ramen and chicken massaman. A few Western dishes sit alongside them, including feather-blade steak and fish and chips. Recent sample plates included pork belly bao with kimchi and apple hoisin, and panko hake with katsu sauce. Dessert is soft serve with mango lime salsa and macadamia granola. The bar makes an espresso martini with Reyka vodka and Mr Black coffee liqueur.
The long room has wide views across the inner harbour toward the Clock Tower, and diners often mention the view from every window. The kitchen also holds one AA Rosette for culinary excellence.
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Facing Jude Kereama’s acclaimed main restaurant, Kota, this second-string eatery is a first-floor space that feels a little like a loft apartment. A very long room offering good views over the harbour, it serves up an Asian-inspired menu of popular favourites – say salt-and-pepper squid, tempura tofu, soft-shell crab bao, seafood laksa, vegetable ramen or chicken massaman – with one or two western interlopers in the shape of mushroom arancini, feather-blade steak or fish and chips. Drink cocktails or wine from £25.
1 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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