Syrup at Jebel Jais: Dessert cafe opens on UAE's highest peak

Container-style venue is a spin-off by the creator of 1484 by Puro restaurant

Syrup is a pop-up restaurant at the top of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

Visitors arrive at Syrup

The pop-up is opposite the Jais Sledder

The pop-up offers majestic views of the Hajar mountainscape

Guests can find a simple menu

Doughnuts and pancakes are made by Saroj

Hot and cold drinks such as milkshakes are available

Soft serve

Blue marble mini doughnuts

Chocolate ganache waffle lollipop

The UAE's highest peak, Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, has become a literal sweet spot.

Syrup, a tiny container-style venue offering desserts, has opened on the mountain, offering majestic sights of the cloud-piercing Hajar mountains.

It's hard to miss, with its colour-blocked exteriors and branding. It is opposite the famous Jais Sledder, which at the time of writing is closed due to inclement weather. Syrup, however, is open for guests who are either in the area for some thrilling adventure, or simply looking for a unique pit stop.

The simple menu features doughnuts, waffles and pancakes, as well as a selection of hot and cold drinks, and soft-serve ice cream.

Visitors arrive at Syrup pop-up restaurant at the top of Jebel Jais. Chris Whiteoak / The National

It also includes wooden picnic tables scattered across the area, all set up for an Instagram-worthy photo shoot with the majestic mountainscape as the backdrop.

The spot is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 9pm, and will remain as a permanent location on Jebel Jais year round.

It's a spin-off by the creators of Puro, a Ras Al Khaimah-based dining company with four other food locations across the northern emirate.

Perhaps its most famous project is 1484 by Puro, also on Jebel Jais, billed as the highest restaurant in the UAE, sitting 1,484 metres above sea level. It's well known for its terrace overlooking the Hajar mountain range.

Other Puro locations include its flagship restaurant in Al Marjan Island, a pop-up on the Jebel Jais Viewing Deck called Puro Express, and The View by 1484, an outdoor lounge on top of the Jais Adventure Peak Centre.

The UAE has become more creative with its dining spots over the years, particularly outdoor desert pop-ups, which have become a winter staple.

An example of this is One Degree Cafe. The venue is nestled in a desert patch on the Dubai-Sharjah border, and is famous among those who enjoy both a road trip and sipping coffee under the stars.

Sharjah's Not a Space desert pop-up returns with galaxy theme — in pictures

Not a Space Al Faya desert pop-up in Sharjah has returned with a galaxy theme. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

The venue features live performers, including singers and fire dancers

The cafe's Al Faya location marks its third pop-up in the area

Picturesque mountains surround the laid-back venue

After dark, the venue glows in red, in keeping with the galactic theme

On the menu is a selection of hot and cold drinks, desserts and light bites

The dessert selection includes lava cake and ice cream

The pop-up is open daily from 4pm to 1am

A 4x4 is not required to reach the site, which is near Mysk Al Faya Retreat