Dubai's Coolest

DUBAI’S COOLEST From camel milk to fresh The diet killer: chilli, we’ve licked our way through litres of ice-cream doughnut ice-cream, gelato and sandwich at Jam Bar frozen yoghurt to find our This brand-new café, opened by Qbara’s former pastry chef Elizabeth favourites in the city. Stevenson-Hocks, specialises in handmade ‘artisan’ doughnuts, ice- Edited by Penelope Walsh cream and retro treats such as soda floats. The most outrageous item he naughtiest and nicest way to on the menu here is the ice-cream keep cool this summer, as the sandwich, which allows you to choose temperatures soar into the 40s any filled doughnut, which is then Tand beyond, is undoubtedly with a sliced in half and stuffed with any scoop (or more) of ice-cream. While Dubai flavour of ice-cream you choose. Opting has long had a roaring trade in big-name for a cinnamon-doused doughnut brands from across the globe, in recent (which is already filled with custard) months we’ve seen an invasion of and chocolate ice-cream, what we get gourmet gelato joints, as well as a new looks like a mini burger. Stuffed to the high-tech trend for à la minute, uber-fresh brim, it’s suffering from a doughnut- ice-cream made with liquid nitrogen. hernia, with custard bursting through We’ve eaten extravagant sundaes, camel the dough at the top. Eating this like milk concoctions, Iranian iced treats and a burger in its wrapper, the sensation even bargain basement cones at the is similarly messy, as the ice-cream world’s best-known burger chains. begins to melt and ooze out a little Whatever you need to survive the around the sides. The result is no summer, budget-friendly or grown-up and doubt a diet killer, but a surprisingly gourmet, we’ve found it, tasted it, and pleasant experience. Every time we rated it here. take a bite, there’s an explosion in the mouth of cinnamon and sugar from Chocolate cranachan sundae the dusting. The doughnut itself has at Fortnum & Mason a more dense and freshly prepared Show-stopping At Fortnum & Mason’s upstairs ice-cream quality than the average commercial parlour, the selection of sundaes are not doughnut, and the oodles of creamy cheap. Take the ‘ultimate white chocolate filling offset any sensation of dryness sundaes gold’ recipe (topped with sevruga caviar this might cause. and gold leaf) and it will set you back Dhs22. The Dubai Mall, Downtown Banana Royale at Morelli’s Gelato Dhs210. In other recipes, this London Dubai (04 330 8737). Scoops of caramel and vanilla gelato are brand channels some Scottish spirit with topped with fresh banana, caramel sauce, a chocolate sundae version of Scotland’s a flake and a maraschino cherry, but to famous cranachan dessert. Here, your that the signature sundae here comes make it really special, we recommend base of toasted oats comes mixed with piled high and smothered in extras. swapping the vanilla scoops for coconut. a little crushed meringue and chocolate Three scoops of vanilla Häagen-Dazs are, This gives it a fresh, tropical lift without popping candy, topped with plentiful honestly speaking, more than enough compromising all-important creaminess scoops of creamy chocolate ice-cream, for anybody, but at TCF they’re topped off and preventing it from becoming overly raspberry sorbet, fresh cream and fresh with approximately six inches of whipped rich. The super-silky gelato melts quickly, raspberries. It’s a combination that cream and almond pieces, and it comes so by the end you’ll be fishing pieces of goes perfectly, and an adult version of with a side dish of rich fudge sauce. banana from the soupy depths of the indulgence, but the prices here are truly Although the Dhs36 price tag is cheaper cavernous mocktail glass that the sundae eye-watering. than a comparable sundae at the nearby is served in. The little edible chocolate pot Rating: 3/5 Häagen-Dazs parlour, we still can’t help that holds the dulce de leche sauce is a Dhs120. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid but think that this is less of an indulgent definite highlight, but sadly, also the root Boulevard, Downtown Dubai treat than the many cheesecakes on offer of our only complaint: there is nowhere (04 388 2627). and suggest looking elsewhere for a pure near enough of it to cover the sundae. ice-cream fix. Rating: 4/5 Rating: 3/5 Dhs36. The Beach, JBR, Hot fudge sundae at Dhs36. The Cheesecake Factory, Chocolate cranachan sundae www.morellisgelato.com (04 427 9618). The Cheesecake Factory Mall of The Emirates, Al Barsha, at Fortnum & Mason Other location: The Dubai Mall Anyone who has eaten at The Cheesecake www.thecheesecakefactory.com (04 339 9053). Factory will not be surprised to learn (04 419 0497). 12 Time Out Dubai May 27 – June 2 2015 May 27 – June 2 2015 Time Out Dubai 13 La Fragola Coppa at The Time Out Sundae at Reform La Fragola Gelateria Social & Grill Does fruit cancel out ice-cream? This Exclusively made for us here at Time Out, sundae had equal amounts of both, so to celebrate the very issue you hold in we felt that finishing off this towering your hands, Reform Social & Grill’s Time creation must at least have been half- Out Sundae truly is something to behold healthy. La Fragola Coppa, served in a (see the picture on the cover) and taste wide, tall sundae glass was a riot of fresh (read on). Made bespoke in a frozen strawberries, pineapple, kiwi and mango, approximation of our ‘Time Out colours’, tucked into creamy scoops of ice-cream it’s a decadent mix of multi-textured – we detected strawberry and vanilla. The chocolate brownie ice-cream – the chunks whole thing was topped off with squirty within either chewy or crunchy, depending cream and rich strawberry sauce. Service on the mouthful – and beautifully sharp was slightly slow, but when we peeked cherry ice-cream that offsets the richness over the counter, the server was busily with a punch of tartness. Inlaid with cutting up the fruit especially for us, so we lashings of whipped cream and drizzles knew the whole thing was genuinely fresh, of deep cherry compote, it is, frankly, fruity and fantastic. an absolute treat – and the perfect Rating: 3/5 companion on a hot summer’s afternoon Dhs40 for sundae. La Fragola Gelateria, lazing by the pool. Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai Rating: 5/5 (04 4473628). Other location: Ground Dhs45. Available until June 10. Reform Level, Bay Avenue, Executive Towers Social & Grill, The Lakes, Emirates Hills, (04 422 8105). www.reformsocialgrill.ae (04 454 2638). Peanut Butter Indulgence at Marble Slab Creamery With no tables and chairs, the Mall of the Emirates branch of this American import is very much about getting a varied sundae on the go. With dozens of flavours and mix-in options (candies, sprinkles, Knickerbocker glory biscuits, nuts, fruits and chocolates), at Retro Feasts there are literally thousands of combos. Those expecting a traditional tall glass To keep things simple, we went for the bursting with ice-cream, syrup and ready-made Peanut Butter Indulgence. whipped cream with a cherry and wafer Eye-wateringly sweet but pleasingly creamy on top might be slightly disappointed by at the same time, all the ice-creams are the version served at Retro Feats. But freshly made on-site every at just Dhs20, it’s a steal. The vanilla day. A single helping could ice-cream is served in a small glass lined easily feed a family with tinned peaches and is topped with making this a good pre- fresh blueberries, strawberry syrup and or post-cinema treat. chopped mint. It’s a unique take on the Rating: 2/5 classic dessert and the fresh mint adds Dhs28. Marble Slab an unusually refreshing and cooling quality Creamery, Mall of – a great antidote to the summer heat. the Emirates, Rating: 3.5/5 Al Barsha, Dhs20. The Beach, JBR, www.thebeach. www.marbleslab.com retrofeasts.com (04 361 3596). (04 341 1182). WIN! Reform Social & Grill is giving away five WIN… exclusive Time Out A month’s supply of gelato at Scoopi Café for you and a friend. The café has just Sundaes. For a chance launched new summer flavours such as fig, watermelon and tropical fruit. You can win a month of free scoops by answering the question below. to get your hands on one, enter our competition at What does Scoopi Café use to freeze its ice-cream? www.timeoutdubai.com/ before competitions a Liquid nitrogen b A freezer c Snow June 3. Enter at www.timeoutdubai.com/competitions until Wednesday June 3. 14 Time Out Dubai May 27 – June 2 2015 Grown-up Mr Freeze Hokey Pokey at Burgerfuel European chocolate Burgerfuel pedals its ice-cream options as at Scoopi Café 100 percent natural, and the Hokey Pokey scoops Don’t be put off by the soft consistency It’s all in the liquid nitrogen: Scoopi flavour doesn’t necessarily disappoint. of the tasters offered at this new ice- Café demonstrates its ice-cream It’s rich, it’s smooth, it’s sweet and it’s cream parlour on Jumeirah Beach Road. freezing process creamy but other than that, it lacks any Belgian dark chocolate They are made fresh each day, and for defining wow-factor. If you’re passing the and vanilla at Godiva display purposes only, since your chosen drive-through or visiting for the burgers, it Godiva makes delicious fine Belgian scoop will then be made fresh before will definitely make a satisfying dessert chocolates, so when it comes to ice- your eyes using liquid nitrogen to freeze for the sweet-toothed among you, thanks cream, the company simply sticks to what it.

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