I've been on a quest to find a Dubai chocolate bar in the UK for some time now, but to no avail. If you're an avid social media user, you've likely come across this Middle Eastern-inspired chocolate trend.
For those unfamiliar, it's a chocolate bar filled with kadayif (a type of shredded filo pastry) and pistachio cream.
In the UK, Dubai chocolate is currently the top trending food and drink hashtag on TikTok, with online searches skyrocketing by 80%. I had the chance to try it once while travelling, but since then, it's remained elusive.
So, when I heard that Marks and Spencer were launching their own version, I was eager to give it a go.
Back in 2024, , a peanut and caramel-filled chocolate bar, was touted as the UK's answer to the viral Dubai chocolate. Now, they've released a version that's even closer to the original - the Big Daddy Pistachio bar.
With a £8.50 price tag, the Big Daddy 2.0 isn't a far cry away from what most retailers are charging for their own Dubai chocolate bars. But of course, this is still quite a bit to fork out on a bar of chocolate, so was it worth it?
Firslty, it's worth noting that it isn't a traditional Dubai chocolate bar. Originally created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai, UAE, the treat made with milk chocolate, pistachio cream and kadayif, it was then popularised by TikTok.
While the Big Daddy Pistachio has a "subtly sweet fine biscuit crumb", it doesn't have kadayif. But this bar is so good I didn't even mind - and I was actually left impressed they hadn't just copied the recipe from every other retailer.
With thick, creamy milk chocolate, gooey sweet and salty caramel, crunchy, fine biscuit crumb, coupled with a pistachio layer made with roasted pistachios, pistachio crème and white chocolate - I was left gobsmacked.
Firstly, I was shocked by the size and weight of it. Weighing 280g, it's not your average chocolate bar, and it felt incredibly heavy and dense in my hands.
After cutting it open, I was immediately excited after seeing the layer of oozy caramel, along with a thick and generous layer of pistachio filling.
I was a bit worried it would be too heavy - but because all the flavours were perfectly balanced, it didn't feel like it. The bar didn't taste sickly, as the salty flavours from the caramel and nuts complimented the sweet flavours.
The pistachio layer almost tasted like nougat. In the best way possible, think of an incredibly fancy Mars bar with pistachio flavour.
It could have done with a bit more crunch to it, either from more biscuits or more pistachio, but overall it was so much better than I thought it would be.
I was expecting to wish it tasted more like the Dubai-style chocolate I'd had on holiday. But this is its own thing.
After just one bite I was left wanting more - and luckily there's plenty to go round. However, I fear if I had kept on going I would have eventually started to regret it because of the rich flavours.
That being said, I was blown away by the twist, and was left feeling it was worth it. I will definitely be buying it again!
Dubai chocolate has boomed in popularity over the last couple of years - even in the UK. Some retailers, such as Lindt and Lidl, have created their own versions with the core ingredients.
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