Best ice cream in Abu Dhabi

Try these frozen desserts and you’ll look like the cat that got the cream.

Ice cream has come a long way since the Persians poured grape juice over snow way back when.

Even though the Italians would like to be accredited for inventing the frozen dessert, it was the Chinese who were the first to create it. According to Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, author of A History of Food, the
Chinese designed the dish around 200BC by mixing snow, syrup, frozen milk, rice and potassium nitrate.

Europeans have the Italian merchant Marco Polo to thank for bringing the technique of making ice cream to Italy in the 1300s, but it wasn’t until 1718 that the first recipes were printed in Britain. It remained a treat for aristocrats until the advent of modern freezers.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, which is how the ice cream cone came about. In 1904, an ice cream vendor at the World Fair in St Louis, Missouri, ran out of cups – so he teamed up with a waffle vendor who rolled his waffles into cones.

Since then, ice cream has exploded in popularity around the world, with flavours ranging from cactus in Japan to lobster in Maine, USA.

But when it comes to wacky flavours, Abu Dhabi wins hands down.

So when ice cream, you scream, because you can move vanilla aside as we go in serach of the most unusual ice creams in the capital.

Vegan almond milk
With a texture somewhere between an ice cream and sorbet, this vegan-friendly treat has a strong almond milk flavour; it isn’t too sweet and doesn’t have a chalky aftertaste.
Dhs11.60. WhEAT, Le Royal Meridien, Al Markaziyah, www.leroyalmeridienabudhabi.com (02 674 2020).

Lemongrass
A refreshing sorbet, this has an appealing appearance as it’s dotted with pinpricks from the plant. It makes a great palate cleanser.
Dhs11.60. WhEAT, Le Royal Meridien, Al Markaziyah, www.leroyalmeridienabudhabi.com (02 674 2020).

Qashta
Also spelt kashta, this is the Lebanese name for a heavy cream created by simmering whole milk – resulting in a rich dessert similar to Cornish ice cream.
Dhs7. Mora, 10th Street, Al Zahiyah (opposite Abu Dhabi Mall, next to Subway), www.moracuisine.com (02 645 5532).

Arabian saffron
A little saffron goes a long way, and just a hint of the vibrant red spice gives an earthy flavour to your scoop.
Dhs15. Love Doughnuts, Guardian Towers, Muroor Road, Al Reyhan (02 446 6240).

Honey
The bitter dark chocolate velvet mousse at Aqua is complemented perfectly by the sweet honey ice cream that comes on the side. The chef uses blossom honey, so it has a subtle floral taste which works for all palates. Yum.
Dhs40. Aqua, Rosewood, Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island, www.rosewoodhotels.com (02 813 5550).

Olive oil
Light with just a hint of 2013 Catalan extra virgin olive oil, a touch of raw tomato and subtle artichoke taste, this apple-coloured ice cream is smooth without bits in and served with a pistachio biscuit, yoghurt foam and cardamom soup. An all-round winner of a dessert.
Dhs55. Catalan, Rosewood, Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island, www.rosewoodhotels.com (02 813 5550).

Spiked Mexican and Lime
If you want a naughty dessert without the calories, this one will give you a bit of a kick. The Beach House also serves blood orange and blackcurrant sorbets, among other flavours.
Dhs15. Beach House, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, www.abudhabi.park.hyatt.com (02 407 1234).

Spaghetti
Ice cream doesn’t get much more fun than this. Homemade vanilla ice cream is pressed through a potato ricer to make it look like spaghetti, while strawberry sauce with almond biscuit crumbs take the place of marinara sauce. A great option for kids.
Dhs35. Dolce café, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta’a, www.ritzcarlton.com (02 818 8888).

Marshmallow
Gooey pink and white marshmallow ice cream is served on top of whole fluffy marshmallows at Dolce café – that beats melting them on a campfire.
Dhs15. Dolce café, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta’a, www.ritzcarlton.com (02 818 8888).

Miska
This Middle Eastern dessert shop specialises in a single flavour of ice cream, miska. It is made from boiled milk, Syrian cream, salep starch from orchids and miska, an Arabic gum in the form of pale yellow crystals, which gives it an elastic texture. It is a Syrian speciality, flavoured with crushed pistcahios. You can watch it being made at the front of the shop; a man vigorously pounds it with a pestle and mortar.
Dhs25. Arabesq, shop G47, third floor, Abu Dhabi Mall, Al Zahuyah (02 644 2218).

Chai karak
A traditional Indian hot drink, chai karak is a blend of black tea, milk, sugar and cardamom. Try it in ice cream form, and add ginger or saffron for a creamy, fragrant dessert the colour of a digestive biscuit.
Dhs8. One Stop Center, Khalifa City A, near Géant supermarket (02 555 4779).

Nokcha
Nokcha, or Korean green tea, has a sweet, toasted taste and an earthy fragrance. This ice cream stays true to its roots, so expect it to be very sweet, but it’s also delicious. If you can bear hot and cold, have it with a cup of black tea.
Dhs12, Sura, Cristal Salam, Al Zahiyah, www.cristalhospitality.com (02 659 7666).

Birthday cake
When you made a cake when you were little, was licking the bowl the best bit? If so then the birthday cake capacitor is the one for you. It comes with cake batter, chocolate, waffle cone pieces, sprinkles and caramel sauce. You can choose a low fat option, but why would you? Liquid nitrogen is blasted on to the liquid base to create the ice cream.
From Dhs12. Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt, third floor, Abu Dhabi Mall, Al Zahiyah, www.thegourmet-co.com (02 644 1006).

Tiramisu
Creamy and luxurious, on a hot day this tiramisu ice cream beats a cappuccino anyday.
Dhs35. Emporio Armani Caffe, Level 1, The Galleria, Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island, www.thegalleria.ae (02 676 6995).

Teppanyaki
Save room for dessert at the Chill & Grill Friday brunch at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, because it has a teppanyaki ice cream station. Once you’ve chosen your flavour the ice cream will be scooped onto a cooling teppanyaki metal plate. The server then folds the ice cream several times on the plate to get more air into it, making it extra soft.
Dhs285 for brunch with soft drinks, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Corniche Road West, www.jumeirah.com (02 811 5555).

Ice cream cigars
Chocolate is spread on a teppanyaki metal plate, then cooled to 20° degrees until it slowly solidifies. Ice cream is smeared onto the chocolate which is then rolled into cigar shapes. The whole thing only takes a minute.
Dhs285 for brunch with soft drinks, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Corniche Road West, www.jumeirah.com (02 811 5555).

How to make ice cream

Want to have a go making it at home? This recipe makes 2 pints of classic vanilla

Ingredients
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
340g can evaporated milk
500ml heavy cream

Procedure
• Whisk egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt for 5 min until pale yellow and mixture falls off whisk in thick ribbons. Set aside

• Stirring constantly, simmer evaporated milk in pan

• Add the hot milk to the egg mix, whisking constantly

• Transfer mix back to pan and heat to 80°C, whisking until it becomes thick like custard. Do not overheat or the eggs will scramble

• Allow the mixture to cool, then chill

• Whisk half the cream until it doubles in volume. Add whipped cream to egg mix; fold until smooth. Pour mix into ice cube trays and freeze for 4 hr, or until solid

• Add frozen ice cream cubes and remaining cream in food processor and process for 30 seconds until smooth

• Transfer mix to a container and freeze for 4 hrs before serving