Shake Shack’s just released Dubai Chocolate Shake is the year’s junk-food superstar.
I found it shockingly good, despite my distaste for the endless hype around Dubai chocolate. It’s worth its $9.24 price tag and 1,080 calories.
I was ready to hate on the shake, which is inspired by the viral pistachio cream-and-pastry filled chocolate bars that were created by a Dubai chocolatier and have inspired countless imitations and iterations around the world.
But Danny Meyer’s kitchen elves made me a believer in the oil rich kingdom’s contribution to global cuisine.
They make the shake by coating a 16-ounce plastic cup with dark chocolate that dries to a hard shell and comes off in delightful little pieces as you consume the treat.
The main shake component is a luscious blend of honey, frozen vanilla custard, thick pistachio cream and soft bits of the shredded pastry dough knows as kataifi. The end result is nearly white in color, but, fear not, the dreaded white chocolate is in no way involved.
It’s all topped with crunchy pistachio pieces and crispier kataifi.
They offered me a straw, but you almost need a shovel for the thick pistachio layer on top.
However you consume it, it’s in a class of its own.
The familiar soda fountain elements merge happily with the middle eastern notes — namely the pistachios and kataifi — making for a pleasure parade of textures and flavors.
It’s a suave deconstruction of the viral trend that, unlike most solid-to-liquid stunts, is better than the original.
The shake is enough for two to share, although I watched one guy at the 630 Lexington Avenue Shake Shack down the whole cup by himself at 11 in the morning.
Hedonistic slob that I am, I’d love the “chocolate” shake even more with a shot of dark rum. I might bring my own next time, but be advised: they won’t say how long they’ll continue to carry the limited-edition Dubai drink at all.
Right now, it’s only available at ten Shake Shack locations in the city, which each have just 25 on offer each day. They often sell out before noon. But it’s more than worth seeking out and better than the Dubai Chocolate bars taking over NYC.
Keep shaking it, Danny!
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