A short walk from Osaka Station, on the edge of Ogimachi Park, is a petite cake shop called Patisserie Ravi,e Relier, which opened in 2009 and follows the royal maxim "let them eat cake" with an update: "Let them eat cake and drink water." This patisserie serves only cakes and water, but what a sweet line-up it is: these could be the supermodels of the cake world, except loaded with calories. After much deliberation — after all, half the fun (and frustration) is in the choosing — we went with a Pierre Temptacions, an avocado-like concoction, both in shape and color, and a Tolee Chocolat, an intense and dense slice of chocolate cake.
Just as with the name of the shop, I have no idea how much has been lost in translation or how much has been invented when it comes to the names and recipes of the cakes, but what we sampled was divine, especially the Pierre Temptacions pastry filled with bright green Sicilian pistachio cream and a sweet cherry jelly in the center.
The quiche on the counter above the array of cakes seemed like an afterthought in a shop where luxury dominates, but I suppose not everyone has a sweet tooth. More's the pity because Pattisserie Ravi,e Relier is full of delights.