Londoners' desire for all things pistachio (and kunefe) based treats shows no signs of waning with literally everyone coming up with some take on the viral Dubai chocolate bar. Here's our pick of some fun takes on the viral treat currently to be found across London.
In biscuit form at Cutter and Squidge
Soho - 20 Brewer St, London W1F 0SJ
Soho bakery Cutter & Squidge have come up with a Dubai biskie as their contribution to the craze. It's a rich chocolate biskie (that's their half biscuit, half cake creation, if you haven't tried it before) which is then sandwiched with pistachio and kadayif ganache and then covered in chocolate buttercream. The whole thing is topped with green chocolate, gold crisp pearls and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios.
The XXL bar at Philippe Conticini
Camden, Islington, South Kensington and Finchley
You can rely on French patisserie chef Philippe to find a way to bring his trademark supersized take to a new trend and that's the case with Dubai chocolate. His version of the bar comes in two perfect normal sizes of 300g and 750g, along with a beast of a bar that weighs a hefty 4kg. It's milk chocolate and filled with a generous pistachio filling mixed with kadaif pastry. Be warned, though - if you're thinking of going for that XXL version, it does cost an equally hefty price of £150.
The milkshake version at Black Tap
Where: Soho & Westfield Stratford
Newish burger spot Black Tap already has quite the reputation for its Crazy Shakes, so they're expecting plenty of folk wanting to try their Dubai chocolate & pistachio version. It starts with an extra-thick vanilla shake, with sweet pistachio cream, to which they add loads of whipped cream, a slice of pistachio and chocolate mousse cake, followed by a chunk of Dubai Chocolate. That's finished off with chocolate drizzle and pistachio-kunafa crumb and the glass itself features a chocolate-dipped rim, rolled in toasted kunafa and crushed pistachios.
The Italian take at Il Gattopardo
Where: Mayfair - 27 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HZ
Served as part of their dessert menu, Il Gattopardo's Head Pastry Chef, Galileo Reposo has come up with a Dubai Tavoleta alongside its existing London tavoletta. The 70% dark chocolate bar features crunchy knafeh paste mixed with toasted Piedmont hazelnuts and sea salt and comes in a tray complete with a golden leopard design and a handy tool for dividing the bar up for sharing.
In crepe form at Saddle London
Where: Knightbridge - 7 Montpelier St, London SW7 1EX
Given that Saddle cafe originated in Dubai, it's not all that surprising that the Knightbridge spot (bang opposite Harrods) has a Dubai chocolate version of their crepes. It's filled with crispy kunafa, pistachio cream, and Nutella
ALL the nuts at Birley Chocolate
Where: Chelsea - 24 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU
Chelsea chocolate shop Birley has taken the Dubai chocolate theme and run with it. They've got six new bars as their take on the trend. Choose from either milk or dark chocolate, and three types of roasted nuts (pistachio, hazelnut and peanut). That's then topped with caramelised strands of kataifi pastry. You can buy them in-store or order delivery.
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