The Chocolate Gallery: While the savoury crêpes and sarnies get a lot of love, most people dropping into this trendy spot at the Fairmont hotel have a higher priority, and there’s a clue in the name. The spiced hot chocolates and the hand-dusted truffles are perennial favourites, but whatever you go for, make sure to cap the experience off with a stop by the open kitchen to press your nose up against the glass. How do those guys restrain themselves from dunking their heads into those vats of sticky chocolate goo? Maybe they’re robots.
Feeling really naughty?
Check out the chocolate fondue; a pot of molten dark or white chocolate served atop a miniature burner and served up with little portions of fruit, cake, biscuit and marshmallow.
Fairmont Bab Al Bahr (02 654 3238)
Galler Chocolat: Though it’s scaled back its almost worrying obsession with the brown stuff recently (chocolate penne pasta is now, sadly, a thing of the past), you’ll be glad to hear that this cosy café in Al Wahda and Marina malls is still offering some of the best chocolatey crêpes, pastries and cakes in town. The by-the-box offerings aren’t bad either, but for true cocoa aficionados, there’s something even better in store…
Feeling really naughty?
Try the trio of hot chocolates. Each of the three are made with a different recipe from a different century, with ingredients etched on to the cups so you can put your palate to the test while you slurp. The ultimate mid-shop pit-stop? We think so.
Al Wahda Mall (02 443 7147) and Marina Mall (02 681 8566)
Hotel Chocolat: The latest addition to the city’s cocoa-peddling portfolio, this classy chocolatier at Mushrif Mall will change the way you think about chocolate forever. You’ll find no dainty, delicate morsels here – think hefty gift hampers, decadent truffles and, for the purists among you, a range of 70, 80 and even 100 per cent cocoa bars.
Feeling really naughty?
Pick up one of their famous half-kilo rocky road slabs, comprising a 70:30 milk to dark chocolate ratio, with crispy bits and miniature chocolate cookies sunk in. Just don’t, whatever you do, look at the nutritional information sticker.
Mushrif Mall (02 690 4422)
Bord Eau: We’ll be honest, the last time we had one of this fine dining joint’s ‘chocolate extravaganza’ desserts, we found it all a little bit too much. Essentially a lump of chocolate mousse encased in a milk chocolate sphere with chocolate sauce poured over the top, within seconds of being served to us it resembled a chocolate football that had been left out in the sun a bit too long. This sticky, gooey mess is a lot to handle after a few courses of fine French food, however if you’re ballsy enough, sit down and demand to skip straight to pudding –you won’t regret it.
Feeling really naughty?
The dish comes in two sizes – small and large, which is designed for two to share. If you can keep a secret, so can we.
Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri (02 509 8888)
Sofra Bld: While there’s usually one or two chocolate fountains sploshing away on any given day of the week, it’s not until Friday brunch that Sofra whips out its big guns. How big? Try a trio of three-tiered, chocolate-spewing beasts: one white, one dark and one milk, surrounded by all manner of sugary treats for dunking.
Feeling really naughty?
Grab a scoop or two from the ice cream station then shove your bowl into the creamy cascades. You can always repent on your deathbed.
Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri (02 509 8555)
