In case your social media algorithm skews towards issues to eat, you’ve witnessed the Dubai chocolate bar.
You possibly can nearly style the pistachio cream and strips of crisped phyllo as a TikTok influencer cracks open one in every of these coveted bars and takes gradual bites. A buddy informed me they had been accessible at JinJu Patisserie in Portland. I instantly questioned if I may discover one right here in Clark County.
I hope-scrolled by Instagram and I got here throughout one thing that appeared like a chocolate-seeking hallucination: the brand new bakery and chocolatier, House Macaron (16209 S.E. McGillivray Blvd., Vancouver; 564- 227-0829) affords Dubai chocolate bars.
I quickly found that Battle Floor-based Whimsy Sweets affords the bars on the enterprise’s store at Mountain Timber Market (254 Hendrickson Drive, Suite 105, Kalama), as does Candy Contact (4804 N.E. Thurston Approach, Unit E; 360-896-6693) by Vancouver Mall.
The Dubai chocolate bar was invented by Sarah Hamouda at Repair Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai in 2021 to feed a being pregnant craving. She known as her creation Can’t Get Knafeh of It. Hamouda took a well-liked Center Japanese confection known as knafeh, modified it, and encased it in a chocolate bar. The result’s pistachio cream and crunchy shreds of phyllo known as kadayif coated in chocolate. Earlier than a single one in every of these particular treats landed in the USA, it grew to become a world obsession.
House Macaron was the primary place I visited. Natalia Serzhanina opened her macaron and chocolate store in mid-December. The stunning spot has locations to sit down and a glass case full of stunningly stunning macarons in flavors similar to tiramisu, raspberry, Biscoff and Snickers, in addition to an array of beautiful handmade goodies, however I used to be on a really particular mission. I wanted to strive her Dubai chocolate bar.
The Dubai chocolate bar right here is available in milk or darkish chocolate ($25), as a heart-shaped chocolate ($12) or mini-hearts ($5). I selected the milk chocolate bar made with House Macaron’s housemade pistachio cream and precut kadayif crisped in butter encased in Belgian Callebaut milk chocolate and embellished with coloured powdered cocoa to create a splatter paint impact.
It’s uncommon that meals fantasies manifest into actuality, however on this case this chocolate bar was pretty much as good as I imagined. The strings of crispy phyllo melded with the wealthy pistachio cream coated in wealthy milk chocolate. The pistachio cream on this bar was the creamiest of all of the bars I attempted and was a pleasant counterpoint to the crunchy strings of phyllo that had been suspended in it. This was the biggest and thinnest of all of the bars that I attempted. Eaten a sq. or two at a time with a cup of espresso, it lasted nearly every week. House Macaron additionally makes a Dubai chocolate impressed macaron that I have to strive quickly.
Candy Contact close to Vancouver Mall is well-known for beautiful pastries in addition to Japanese European dishes like pelmeni and borscht. The store affords small Dubai chocolate cheesecake bites ($9) in addition to Dubai chocolate bars ($12). Olga Mikhalets sourced prime quality Luker Chocolate and a pistachio paste from Switzerland to create this TikTok well-known confection for her companies, Candy Contact and Camas Market & Bakery (2940 N.E. Everett St., Camas; 360-834-4657). It took a few makes an attempt, however I lastly bought my fingers on one in every of her Dubai chocolate bars at Candy Contact. It was smaller and thicker than House Macaron’s model and half the value. The butter-crisped threads of kadayif utterly soaked up the pistachio cream leading to a agency, crunchy heart. The chocolate was prime quality as was the filling.
Trying to find this coveted confection for every week felt like a scavenger hunt. Generally Dubai chocolate bars are in inventory, generally not. House Macaron was the one place that had an excellent provide on my first go to. This was additionally my favourite bar. House Macaron’s housemade pistachio filling was creamier and lighter than the others, which had a thicker nut butter consistency. I additionally just like the flatter form of the bar. Nonetheless, Candy Contact’s model was glorious and half the value.
If you wish to get your fingers on a Dubai bar, have persistence and be persistent or mail order from Whimsy. Chasing a meals development isn’t a spectator sport.