The Mote

Ahh… how disappointed I am to discover that I am not the first to praise The Mote on Unilocal!
We spent a lovely evening at this restaurant in August of 2011. We meandered along the hilly roads stopping at each of the handful of restaurants to take a look at the menus. The Mote appeared to have the best choices and the warmest, and most inviting look to it.
Service was excellent. It seemed that rather than having one server assigned to our table everyone who passed us checked to see how we were doing. It appeared to be a real team effort on the part of the staff to make sure that their guests were pleased.
I had the lobster and my boyfriend had the haike. Both were delicious and fresh. Desert was equally good.
After dinner there was some room on the patio (there’s only two tables out there), so we were moved at our request to these tables to have our coffee and enjoy the sound of the gentle waves.
The place was packed. I suggest you make reservations. It was a very romantic setting – great for couples. I’d agree with the previous reviewer that it is not a place that would be great for kids.

We visited The Mote in May 2010.
If you find yourself in Port Isaac, i’ll assume you’re familiar with the popular television show ‘Doc Martin’, and this is a defining factor in your decision to visit. Although Port Isaac has always been a popular tourist destination, the village has experienced huge growth, especially in the summer months, due to the success of the program.
Another claim to fame is the home-​grown band ‘Fishermans Friends’, who can be found singing on the platt on most Friday nights in the summer. They’ve released two albums through Amazon.
We didn’t see Martin Clunes when we were there, but we did see the band filming scenes for a BBC documentary. Neat-​O.
On to The Mote…
After arriving in P. I earlier that afternoon (Friday), we perused the shops, and watched the tide come in, while investigating a suitable spot to have dinner. The Mote had a group of extremely happy people lounging outside — I’m not sure if they actually were friends, or if they were forced to be cozy & comfortable because there’s only two tables on the patio. Either way it was this welcome site that made up our minds — this local gem was our feasting ground for the evening.
If I could paint a picture of this moment… Wow.
The sun was just beginning to set, a pink & orange glow cast over the white-​washed hillside of 18^th century houses, stacked on top of each other like little lego blocks. Further along the coastal ridge where the sun is attempting to hide, little cotton ball sheep are roaming on the thick green grass. The whole village seems to be descending on the water, shop-​keepers chattering, children running around excitedly, and the hearty laughs of happy fishermen, ring through the streets. There are crab boxes stacked along the slip-​way, and the smell of fresh fish and salt water fills the air with surprising sweetness. Seagulls are singing to each other overhead, and the high tide produces a delicious sound of water slopping against the walls of the slip-​way. I’d already been on vacation for nearly a week at this point — this moment is when I really felt myself wind down. Wow, again.
The Mote is three-​ish levels of perfect Cornish heaven. Wobbly white walls, and exposed beams, nooks in the stone walls that look like they’re right out of a pirate movie (see picture), local art all over the walls, and my (now) favourite artist; Newton Faulkner, swooning through the speakers.
I honestly can’t even remember what we ate & drank… certainly not because the meal wasn’t memorable. We all had the freshest seafood, and far too many real ales… The servers appeared to be local surfers & beach bums, relaxed, light-​hearted, funny, and knowledgeable. Our meals weren’t cheap, but nothing is in England these days!
A few notes:
1) I’m not sure if children are allowed…
2) Definitely call ahead to make sure they’re open/​/​have room. Reservations highly recommended.
3) If you’re in Port Isaac, you MUST visit The Mote :))
KLM

This restaurant was a gem, the crab sandwich I had was fresh and plenty of it and my partner had liver which was superb. The variety available made it very difficult to choose as every plate that came by smelt delicious. I would love to go back there.