Abu Dhabi residents with a sweet tooth now have direct access to the chocolate bar made in Dubai that has gone viral.
Fix Dessert Chocolatier, founded by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, creates chocolate bars with a Middle Eastern twist. One of its most popular products is the kunafa-filled chocolate named Can’t Get Knafeh of It. The chunky bar is made of shredded filo pastry and pistachio cream encased in milk chocolate, and it is hugely popular on social media. Other flavours include baklava, karak and Lotus Biscoff.
One TikTok video showing the kunafa-inspired chocolate bar has been viewed more than 90 million times, with many foodies and content creators from around the world uploading videos of themselves sampling it.
Fix Dessert Chocolatier has no physical store, website, social media sales or authorised resellers, but has been trying to expand its capacity. Its chocolate bars are exclusively sold on Deliveroo for Dh68.25 at two designated time slots, 2pm and 5pm.
At the peak of its social media success in Dubai, the company was reportedly fulfilling 100 orders per minute. “Our commitment has always been to expand our reach and Abu Dhabi was always our next stop,” says Hammouda.
Supermarket spin-offs
The popularity of the chocolate has spawned many spin-offs, including a limited-edition bar by chocolatier Lindt called Dubai Chocolate, available in parts of Europe.
Closer to home, versions of pistachio-filled chocolate have appeared in many shops and online retailers. At Carrefour, for example, the 100g Choco Zen Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate Bar costs Dh25.75, while the Lucca Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate retails at Lulu for Dh17 for a 135g bar. Just Fresh restaurant offers a Pistacho Kunafa Bar for Dh45 via Talabat, and dessert shop Casa Pons’ version retails for Dh78 on Amazon for “an extra-large size”.
The%20Roundup
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
