Les Gouters (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Nishi-ku (西区), one of 24 wards in Osaka, is one which has the youngest population in the city (according to wiki). To me, it has always been more of a residential district with the occasional commercial buildings here and there. So, naturally I wasn't expecting much good food especially desserts around the area. But my experience on this trip has proven that I've been wrong all this time. In fact, they have some of the best cake shops in the city and many of which are just within the proximity of our hotel.

My morning started brightly in Higobashi where I worked my way south towards Utsubo Park (靭公園). I knew a number of the dessert spots won't be open so early (around 10AM) but Les Gouters (レ・グーテ) definitely will!



This is a very colorful pastry shop that specializes in modern French pastries with a bit of Japanese twist. Award-winning owner-chef Shiro Sawai (澤井 志朗) has won numerous competitions in both the national and international stage. He knows all about using the freshest seasonal ingredients and making them an integral part of his work.



There were a couple of customers in front of me so I got all the time in the world to check these out one by one.



They also got some miniature version of their cakes displayed on the other side of the shop. Very cute!



I was going to get myself 2 pieces for breakfast but then.....



Tiramisu (￥450) - The sponge cake was completely filled with silky smooth mascarpone cream cheese and topped with a nice expresso jelly. It was finished with coffee flavored cream and chocolate over the top.

This is almost like a deconstructed tiramisu. The presentation didn't catch me by surprise but the flavors did. Everything seemed to match perfectly together. The mascarpone wasn't too cheesy; it was spot on and so was the expresso, not too bitter. And I swear there was some liquor in there somewhere (Okay, I could be wrong.). Very nice.



Pech (￥450) - This is a signature item by the chef that comes in 4 different flavors. Sangria, pistachio and chocolate are all pretty interesting options but I was (heavily) leaning towards this one that features the in-season Japanese white peach.



There were at least 5 or 6 layers in there, each with a different flavor and texture. On top of everything was peach jelly that was sitting on a layer of delicate peach mousse flavored with sparkling wine. Then some peach compote, pistachio dacquoise in there and we've got ourselves an excellent piece of dessert.



I didn't jot down the name of this one so I would just assume it's meant to be a pistachio Saint-Honoré. But I had an accident on my way back so it ended up looking more like a "Leaning tower of Pisa".



On top of their cakes, they also offer homemade jams in different flavors.



.....along with all kinds of mignardises.

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 1-14-28 Kyomachibori, 550-0003 Osaka, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Higobashi
Tel: +81 (0)6-6147-2721
Website: www.les-gouters.com