Menu items with added sparkle, from golden steak to 24 karat pasta
From gold-coated cheese to glittering ice cream, outrageously opulent burgers and breakfasts served with a side order of bling, it seems that edible gold is back in vogue. As the trend gathers momentum (again) here’s where to eat dishes made of gold in Dubai right now.
Charcoal ice cream with edible gold from Scoopi at the Time Out Market Dubai
Never ones to shy away from the extravagant (they were the people behind 2015’s Dhs2,999 Black Diamond Sundae, after all), the activated charcoal and edible gold ice cream dished up at Scoopi’s Time Out Market Dubai location is as delicious tasting as it is dramatic looking. Gleaming mounds of nitrogen-frozen, smooth-as-butter jet black ice cream are bedecked with a glittering gold leaf crown and served in charcoal waffle cone for the Insta-grid win.
Dhs99. Sat-Sun noon- 12am. Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, timeoutmarket.com/dubai.
Golden Burrata at Marea
Question: How do you make the incredibly rich, super smooth, milk-white sphere of cheese filled with oozing mozzarella and cream that is burrata even more indulgent? Answer: why you coat it entirely in a glittering cloak of edible gold leaf, of course. With their Golden Burrata appetiser the chefs at Italian restaurant Marea do just that, serving up the jewel-like cheese surrounded by top-quality Taggiasca olives, salsa verde and cherry tomatoes.
Dhs220. Open Sun-Thu noon-4pm, 7pm-1am, Fri-Sat noon-4pm, 6.30pm-3am. Gate Village 7, DIFC, www.marearestaurant.com/dubai (04 583 6366).
24 Karat Dubai
This place does what it says on the gold-plated tin. Every single dish on the menu here, from the seafood soup with crab gnocchi to the baby calamari fritters, to the black spaghetti with pink prawns can be finished with a sprinkling of edible gold, should your heart so desire (and your wallet allow).
Prices vary. Ground Floor, Marriott Al Jaddaf Hotel – Oud Metha Road, Al Jaddaf. www.24karatdubai.com (04 357 7733).
Gold Steak at Rhain
If you’re going for gold, you may as well devour a wagyu steak enveloped in the stuff. At Rhain, discover the signature Gold Steak, a premium 400g Australian wagyu striploin BMS 9+ 600-day grain fed beef steak wrapped in 24K edible gold.
Dhs1150.Open daily 7pm-2am. Conrad Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, rhainsteakhouse.com (04 718 1007)
24-Karat Gold Leaf Burger at the Hard Rock Café
Upping the ante somewhat and taking the gourmet burger idea to new heights, we have the Hard Rock Café’s 24-Karat Gold Leaf Burger. The dish was launched to commemorate the restaurant’s golden era and features a 227g fresh steak patty topped with all the usual burger fixings crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, red onion and slices of melting cheese – as well as a very generous scattering of edible gold leaf. Fries comes served on the side to complete the feast.
Dhs135. Locations include Concourse B, Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport and Dubai Festival City, www.hardrockcafe.com.
22 Karat Gold O’Vada Pav at O’Pao
The vada pav might have started out as a humble yet ever so tasty Indian street food snack, but at O’Pao it gets given the uber luxe treatment thanks to premium posh ingredients and an edible gold leaf finish. Here we see a freshly fried, crisp and golden vada filled with cheese and French truffle butter, covered with 22-karat gold leaves and deposited into a specially crafted, carved box which is presented to diners tableside, amidst plumes of liquid nitrogen.
Dhs99. Open daily 11am-midnight. Abdul Salaam Building, Behind Park Regis Hotel, Karama (04 349 6726).
24 Karat Chicken and Vegan Chicken at Dishtrict
This newly opened spot certainly isn’t afraid to mix things up and go slightly off piste with its menu options (inventive fusion items include the likes of baked mac ‘n’ cheese maki, tahini nachos and katsu biryani). If you fancy trying a no less experimental but slightly more upscale dish, their hot-off-the-robata grill marinated chicken wrapped in a 24-karat gold layer is the way to go. Vegans need not miss out, there’s also a fancy pants plant-based version.
Dhs198. Open daily noon-11pm. Wasl 51, Jumeirah, www.dishtrict.com (055 961 0966).
