Meet the mighty powder that’s turning the town green
Whether you like matcha lattes, matcha smoothies or matcha cakes, we’ve been busy exploring where to find the best matcha drinks and dishes in Dubai right now.
With its vivid natural colour (all the better for standing out on Insta), pleasantly grassy, slightly sweet, slightly savoury flavour and energy boosting yet mood calming properties, matcha was always destined for big things.
Dubai’s restaurants and cafés agree – all over the city chefs and baristas are whisking matcha into lattes, churning it into ice cream, blending it into smoothies and getting their matcha bake on. Here’s where to find the pick of the bunch.
Arrows & Sparrows
Arrows & Sparrows gets in on the matcha act by way of both a very good iced matcha latte and a matcha smoothie bursting with spinach, coconut milk, banana and high-quality matcha powder. For a super-healthy start to the day, you can’t argue with that.
Open daily 7am-10pm. Emaar Business Park, The Greens (04 558 8141).
NETTE
As you’d expect from a café housed within new boutique padel tennis venue MATCHA Club, the chefs at Franco-Japanese café NETTE know a thing or two about the green good stuff. Their matcha bowl is as tasty as it is pretty as it healthy (a winning trio if there ever was one), with a (deep breath): banana, kale, matcha, coconut yogurt and mango base topped with agave, gogi berries, chia seeds, banana, kiwi, coconut flakes and pomegranate for a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free breakfast win.
Open 8am-10pm daily. Al Quoz, instagram.com/nettedxb.
Secret Garden by L’eto
Rich, smooth, mint green and slightly sweet: Secret Garden’s emerald matcha latte might be on the pricier side coming in at Dhs39, but you know what? You’re worth it. Treat yourself to an oh-so-pretty cake, kick back amongst the stunning floral interiors and consider your morning made.
Dhs39. Sun-Wed 10am-11pm, Thu-Sat 10sm-12am, Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall and Open daily 10am-11pm. City Walk letocaffe.
The Kakao Guy
The best Basque cheesecake in the UAE meets on-trend matcha with glorious results. We’ll cut to the chase: The Kakao Guy’s beautifully burnished, light and fluffy, silky-smooth, subtly flavoured Matcha Burnt Cheesecake is an absolute stunner. It might have be made for sharing but hey, nobody said you had to.
From Dhs40. thekakaoguy.com (055 229 8823)
Scoopi
Naturally, ice cream masters Scoopi have a matcha flavour on their menu. And of course, it’s as awesome as you’d expect. Available at their Jumeirah location, this intensely flavoured, gloriously velvety frozen treat is ice cream goals and then some. If green-hued ice cream is your thing, the Pure Pistachio flavour served at Scoopi at the Time Out Market Dubai is dreamy.
Dhs40 per scoop. Open Sun-Wed 2pm-1.30am, Thu-Sat 3pm-2.30am. Jumeirah 3. @scoopicafe
Yakitate
Trends (mochi, matcha, adzuki beans) and cuisines (Japanese, classic English) meet in this fancy little tea time treat from one of the finest – and cutest – Japanese bakeries in the city. Yakitate’s matcha mochi adzuki roll cake sees a vibrantly coloured, super light and fluffy matcha-infused Swiss roll filled with adzuki bean paste and homemade mochi to ace effect.
Dhs18. Al Ghurair Centre, Al Rigga (04 259 5661) and Ibn Battuta Mall (04 294 4883), yakitate.co
Yamonate Atelier
A masterclass in matcha-based desserts awaits at Yamonate Atelier. The tiramisu is sensational (matcha mascarpone mousse, caramelised crispy rice, lady fingers and coffee syrup), the lava cake complete with molten centre and chocolate soft serve accompaniment is a stellar pick and the cream sauce-covered pancakes are also a good shout. Our top pick though is the delicious variation on the traditional vanilla and espresso dessert that is the yuzu matcha affogato. The matcha lattes served here are very good too (both iced and regular).
Dhs34. Various locations across Dubai. yamanoteatelier.com/?s=matcha
