Time for something sweet? Here are the UAE’s most ‘Instagrammable’ desserts

‘Tis the month of love… the love of dessert, we say.

Yes, yes. It’s February. Valentine’s Day has come and gone. But the month also marks ‘Madly in Love with Me Day’, ‘World Nutella Day’, ‘Chocolate Fondue Day’ and ‘Eat Ice-cream for Breakfast Day’. So, it would be a disservice to chefs across the region to not celebrate all of this with a bit of sweet stuff? Right? Right?

We knew you didn’t need much convincing.

Whether you’re taking a loved one out, or treating yourself, it goes without saying that Instagram-worthy creations are now a thing. After all, if a picture is not on social media, then it didn’t really happen, did it? Joking aside, thousands of restaurants across the world have benefitted from having beautifully-curated pictures of their desserts on Instagram.

In fact, according to research released last year by the UK-based restaurant chain Zizzi, 18-35-year-olds spend five whole days a year browsing food images on Instagram, with 30 per cent admitting they would avoid a restaurant if their Instagram presence was weak. Basically, if you like the way something looks, you’ll most likely go out and try it.

We’ve scoured the country to find some of the most Instagrammable desserts. Where will you be visiting next?

1. PUBLIQUE DUBAI

Behold the Brownie Decadence (AED 69/$18) – a glorious tower of brownie bits, ice-cream and other good stuff. This one is definitely to share.

2. VASCO’s ABU DHABI

You know when a dish is too pretty you don’t want to ruin it by eating it? This applies to Vasco’s beautiful Chocolate Soufflé (AED 55/$15) that’s made up of cocoa baked for 15 minutes and served with a ‘forest’ of fresh fruit, berry coulis and vanilla ice cream.

3. CATCH DUBAI

According to the people behind Catch Dubai, the restaurant is home to one of the most Instagrammed desserts in the world, reaching 64.3m viewers on BuzzFeed Food (it’s also available in Los Angeles and New York).

The ‘Hit Me’ dessert (AED 84/$23) is a three-tier dish featuring a chocolate brownie, chocolate cake, roasted white ice-cream and a choc-ice. Give the tower a quick tap, and you’ll experience a lava-like river of sweet cream.

4. HOME BAKERY

You might be wondering why we’re including plain cookies on this list. But. Hear. Us. Out.

We stumbled upon these Chewy Melt cookies (from AED 40/$11) at the Youth Hub in Emirates Towers, and only picked them up after a recommendation by a friend. The box, in our opinion, does them no justice, because well, you can’t see them.

But open the packaging and you’re greeted by a line-up of the most perfect cookie creations we have ever laid our eyes on. As for the taste: they’re melt-in-the-mouth little nuggets of chocolate heaven. Try them at your own risk – you’ll get hooked instantly.

5. BLACK TAP DUBAI

And finally, if you haven’t had a Black Tap milkshake, then you haven’t had a milkshake, full stop.

With venues at Jumeirah Al Naseem and Rixos Premium JBR, this NYC brand serves up the most ridiculously over-the-top shakes imagined. Want a slice of cake with it? No problem. Want it to come with candy floss or peanut butter cups? Sure, they do that do.

This one is ‘The Cake Shake’ (AED 69/$19), available in a limited quantity per day, which consists of a vanilla-frosted rim with rainbow sprinkles topped with a ‘funfetti’ cake slice, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry. Needless to say, this is one to share.