Le Pirate - French******
Kotsubo (Shonan Coast)

Address - Kanagawa-ken. Zushi-shi, Kotsubo 2-22-12 Opening hours - 11:30 to 15:00 17:30 to 22:00. Closed on Mondays Map - Yes. See also directions Telephone - 0467-25010 Menu - In French and Japanese Credit Cards - No

Reviewing a place like Le Pirate is not only easy, but also a pleasure: I know exactly what I want to say. In short, it's a very cute (but not cutesy), pleasant, and friendly little place in Kotsubo that serves typical budget French dishes, but prepared very well, at a very reasonable price, and I just love it.Used to be called Jardin Vert because it's immersed in a dense thicket of flowers and trees, and was excellent already then. Then the owner decided he preferrend playing with stock to cooking and split, leaving behind a friend, who is the present owner. The place has lost nothing from his departure. For a year we thought the place had just closed down, but my better half recently found a review of its new incarnation somewhere on the Net: they seemed to like it a lot, and they mentioned that it had a site.

I was intrigued by Okubo-san's blog and, since Le Pirare is literally just a few hundred meters from my door, we decided to try it even though so far we hadn't had much luck with Western food along the Shonan coast.
Jardin Vert means Green Garden, and in fact to get to their door you have to walk across at least 20 m of the greenest green I've ever seen, a profusion of flowers and herbs that can't but prod you to go further.
When you finally get there, you are welcomed by simple decor, peace and friendly faces: more good news.

The menu is not very long, because Okubo san is alone in the kitche, but the food is gorgeous and even here, in Kotsubo, 2800 yen for a complete meal isn't much.
Service isn't terribly formal but polite and efficient, just the way I like it. Customers are mostly couples which come, eat and go discreetly, and it's so nice to be here, looking at the lights down in the valley out of the window, and the food is so good that I would come most weekends, were I not a bit ashamed to. Just as distant from Kamakura as it is from Zushi, Jardin Vert is absolutely worth the time it takes to get there. From Kamakura, take bus Number 40, get off in Kotsubo, go straight for about five minutes and turn right in front of the Sunkus convenience store: you will see JV's sign.