Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has issued a warning on social media against the consumption of Nestle’s infant formula, including NAN, ALFAMINO, S-26 GOLD, and S-26 ULTIMA).

There is, it says on X, potential contamination with cereulide toxin produced by Bacillus cereus bacteria. The authority also stresses that this is a voluntary precautionary recall.

Exposure to cereulide toxins can lead to symptoms such as nausea, frequent vomiting, and abdominal pain, it explained on its website. However, the authority confirmed that no reports of illnesses associated with these products have been received in Saudi Arabia to date.

In its warning, the authority called for customers to stop using the batches that were being recalled and asked them to dispose of the products instead. The government body said it has taken the necessary measures and is currently overseeing the withdrawal of these products from the market in direct coordination with the company

The SFDA affirmed its commitment to monitoring food safety and ensuring strict compliance with health regulations.

If you or someone you know find food-related violations in Saudi Arabia, report it via  the Unified Call Center (19999) or the “Saudi Vigilance” service.

The recall comes soon after Nestle global launched a worldwide recall of some products that were thought to be contaminated and could cause food poisoning in infants.  

Riyadh’s restaurant scene is evolving at rapid speed, but our tried-and-tested picks are a good place to start

Riyadh’s restaurant scene has never been hungrier for attention. What was once a city of simple shawarma joints and kabsa spots has reinvented itself into one of the most exciting culinary capitals in the Middle East — a playground for celebrity chefs, global fine-dining heavyweights and homegrown culinary trailblazers alike.

With the long-awaited metro system unlocking new pockets of the city, and Riyadh Season bringing dozens of exciting pop-ups, there’s never been a better time to eat out in the Saudi capital. Here are the best restaurants to check out in Riyadh in 2025.

apital. Here are the best restaurants to check out in Riyadh this year.

Al Mamlaka Social Dining

Struggling to pick between Riyadh’s restaurants? Al Mamlaka Social Dining solves that dilemma by bringing almost two dozen of the city’s best under one roof. Tucked beneath Olaya’s Kingdom Centre, this green-hued food hall – anchored by a bar shaking up non-alcoholic cocktails – is a smorgasbord of coffee shops, desert stops and street food spots, including scaled-down outposts of Easy Bakery (don’t miss those swirly chocolate croissant wheels), Nozomi, Overjar, Burger Boutique and Hanoverian. For something heavier, head to the sit-down spots: the first Middle East branch of El Ta’koy slings flavour-packed Hawaiian bowls and bao buns, while Assembly by Chef Tommy – of Beirut’s beloved Baron – elevates traditional Lebanese-Armenian shish skewers with contemporary twists (splurge $27 for a stick of meat and an hour of unlimited mezze). The queues can be long on weekends when the food hall is open until 3am, but it’s a feast that’s well worth waiting for.

Address: Kingdom Centre, Olaya St, Al Olaya

Al Orjouan

Forget everything you think you know about hotel buffets at The Ritz-Carlton’s Al Orjouan, which lays out a feast fit for a king in the grand halls of a former royal palace. The variety of dishes is dazzling, from mini cocottes of scrambled eggs with rich truffle oil at breakfast to authentic ful medames served throughout the day, plus a curated selection of dates including the finest local and international varieties. An Arabian-inspired beverage menu features the Desert Rose – combining pomegranate syrup, rose water and honey – and the Green 600, an inventive mix of green apple, cucumber, spinach juice and an olive syrup “ice cube” that celebrates the ancient olive tree in the hotel’s grand courtyard.

Address: The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, Al Hada

Attaché

In a former horse stable on the edge of Riyadh’s walled-in Diplomatic Quarter, this hush-hush member’s club from the team behind MDLBEAST sees foreign officials rubbing shoulders over a multicultural menu that’s equal parts style and substance. Dining reservations are open to all, with winning dishes like twice-baked Swiss comte souffle, locally caught sea bass and a glistening strawberry dome – revealed beneath a cloud of candy floss with a blowtorch – crowning the indoor-to-outdoor space. As the night rolls on, the party spills into Unstable, the restaurant’s clubby alter ego next door. Moody low ceilings and edgy beats keep the after-hours crowd going until late, although in keeping with the diplomatic theme, you’ll need to apply for a “visa” online first to get inside.

Address: Al Safarat

Barbar

What began as a humble Lebanese bakery has since expanded across the Middle East to Riyadh, where hot Arabic breads and generously sized shawarma platters are served from roaring ovens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The canteen-style dining room is unpretentious, putting the focus entirely on dishes like the akkawai cheese man’ousheh, chilli-spiced Beiruti hummus drizzled with tahini and sandwiches stuffed full of meat, fish or fried vegetables. It’s also one of the cheapest places to eat in the city — a chicken shawarma loaded with cucumber pickles, fries and garlic sauce will set you back just $2.67.

Address: Prince Muhammad Ibn Abd Al Aziz Street, Al Olaya

Café Bouloud

At Riyadh’s first cheese cave, maître fromager Philippe Caillouet works his magic, carving and spiralling wheels of gruyere, wedges of Fourme d’Ambert and his signature Paris Medina goat’s cheese, stuffed with fresh mint from Saudi’s second-holiest city. It’s a fittingly French amuse bouche for celebrated chef Daniel Boulud’s first Saudi restaurant, which delivers a roll call of continental classics flecked with local flavours in a mid-century dining room wrapped in hand-drawn murals of Arabian horses in Central Park. The Café Riyadh pot de crème, paired with saffron biscuits and wafer-thin curls of caramel, is a must-try, while the thyme-slicked Dover sole Grenobloise and lavender-honey glazed duck breast speak to the kitchen’s delicate hand. The restaurant’s non-alcoholic wine library – overseen by Caillouet when he’s not tending to the cheeses – is equally impressive, with bottles matched to dishes or folded into the cooking itself.

Address: Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre, Kingdom Centre, Olaya Street, Al Olaya

Carbone

Riyadh is the first global outpost for this New York celebrity favourite, where stars from David Beckham to Kim Kardashian come for cuisine that pays homage to the great Italian-American restaurants of the mid-20th century. The original in Greenwich Village is so popular with A-listers that George and Amal Clooney are said to have once failed to secure a last-minute reservation. While the lavish dark blue and red velvet interiors in Riyadh are far more elegant than in the low-key New York original, the menu remains full of classics. There’s an alcohol-free spin on the restaurant’s famous Spicy Rigatoni, direct from Mario Carbone’s family recipe book — plus the kitchen’s signature shell-shaped carrot cake with thick frosting that swirls around the plate.

Address: Mansard Riyadh, A Radisson Collection Hotel, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Road, Ar Rabi

Chi Spacca

American breadmaker-turned-chef Nancy Silverton’s temple to the art of butchery flaunts a West Coast vibe in a sophisticated space where slow food takes centre stage. The restaurant’s brick-walled dining room is bathed in the glow of a wood-fired open grill, which turns out tender dry-aged steaks, beef and bone marrow pies (a signature from the original restaurant in Los Angeles) plus whole sea bass drizzled with charred lemon. Although Chi Spacca is mainly for meat-lovers, vegetarians are well catered for too — the surprisingly juicy portobello mushroom, with its carefully charred edges and lashings of cheese, is a standout in its own right. Silverton herself is known to swing by when she’s in the region.

Address: VIA Riyadh, Makkah Al Mukarramah Road, Al Hada

Il Baretto

One of the first restaurants to open among the gleaming towers of Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, this art-deco-styled restaurant continues to impress. Take a seat on one of the red-leather stools at the bar, in the heart of the space, for some mean non-alcoholic cocktails (we’ve nursed many a ‘No-groni’ there on a weekend afternoon). Like the London flagship, Il Baretto is classic Italian: beef carpaccio with black truffle; homemade pappardelle with lamb ragu; and wood-fired pizzas. Watch for evenings with live jazz – the venue, with its teal walls and black and white photos, seems made for it.

Address: King Abdullah Financial District

LPM Riyadh

If the ladies from And Just Like That… had a regular lunch spot in Riyadh, LPM would be it. This classic Mediterranean bistro has made many a person’s day with its burrata, although our personal favourite is the homemade rigatoni with cream and mushrooms. Meals are served on crisp linen tablecloths by remarkably polished waiters; beige walls and banquettes are brightened by colourful pops of modern art. Reserve ahead; the weekends are hopping.

Address: Al Motassem Street, Al Olaya

Maiz

Among all the restaurants to open as part of Bujairi Terrace, a tradition-inspired village in Diriyah overlooking At-Turaif, Maiz is the most authentic choice. It showcases the best Saudi food from the kingdom’s various regions, with contemporary twists on classics such as lamb khabsa, chicken saleeg and massabeeb, a dessert with mascarpone, Arabic coffee and Saudi farm honey. The design is contemporary, with nods to tradition in the sadu pillows and gahwa cups. Access to Bujairi Terrace is free in the summer; otherwise check Diriyah’s website to book tickets.

Address: Bujairi Terrace, Ad Diriyah

Mamo Michelangelo

This little piece of Provence in Saudi Arabia is a popular branch of the Michelangelo restaurant that Italian chef Mamo started in Southern France and is now at home in the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah. Amid the lemon trees, “planted” in an indoor tiled terrace, beneath terracotta-painted arches, waiters serve risotto al tartufo in copper pans and wood-fired pizzas on colourful crockery. Whatever you enjoy for the first or main course, keep some room for the tiramisu, served in a large bowl with “Mamo” emblazoned in cocoa – always an Instagram crowd-pleaser.

Address: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, King Fahd Road, Al Olaya

Myazu

While global restaurant brands are fanning out all over the city, perhaps one of the best restaurants in Riyadh is actually homegrown. Myazu, which also has a location in Jeddah, is next-level Japanese food in a dramatically lit, contemporary Zen space designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu. Dishes from the sushi counter and robata grill range from the light marinated yellowtail sashimi with ponzu dressing to the Wagyu sando with katsu sauce. The mushroom takikomi-gohan, its signature rice dish cooked in a clay pot, is comfort food at its most luxurious.

Address: Musad Bin Jalawi, As Sulimaniyah

NUE by Nomad

Bahrain’s beloved Nomad has finally landed in Riyadh, bringing its signature copper accents and chic, laid-back vibe to a curving, glass-fronted space tucked behind greenery on Olaya Street. Downstairs, trendy shoppers from nearby Centria Mall spill in for pillowy short rib bao buns, frothy mastiqua spritzers, and an expanded bakery selection (though sadly the marmite butter cornbread didn’t make it across the Gulf). Upstairs offers a quieter escape, with a small balcony of tucked-away tables perfect for lingering over a flat white or watching Riyadh’s fast-paced world go by.

Address: 3074 Prince Muhammad Ibn Abd Al Aziz, Al Olaya

Roma Restaurant

Long before Saudi flung open its doors to tourists and its dining scene erupted in a frenzy of new openings, there was Roma Restaurant. Tucked at the base of an office building in Olaya since 1991, this unassuming Italian stalwart has been the city’s go-to for honest plates of pizza, pasta and tiramisu for nearly 35 years. While a flashier outpost now graces the Boulevard, the original still reigns supreme, with a menu that swings from the hearty truffle-laden dishes of the north to crispy golden arancini balls from the south. The pasta selection is immense, split between perfectly al dente dry varieties and fresh handmade options — you can’t go far wrong with a bowl of Bolognese or the bright and buttery pasta al limone.

Address: Ceiricon Buildings, Shubah Ibn Al Hajjaj, Al Olaya

Sobhy Kaber

Sobhy Kaber is renowned for its generous portions of succulent Egyptian kofta, aromatic tagine and creamy baba ghanoush — plus cow’s trotters, pigeon grits soup and crispy fried veal liver for more daring diners. The restaurant is an offshoot of the wildly popular original branch in Cairo’s Rod El Farag neighbourhood, where queues for tables often run out the door well into the early hours. Its legendarily low prices continue in Riyadh, with salads starting at $2.13 and clay pots full of spicy tagine based on traditional Egyptian recipes costing around $12 for a portion that could easily feed four.

Address: Al Takhassousi, Al Mathar Ash Shamali

Urth Caffé

Organic coffee, free-range eggs and leafy green trees as decor: with such good vibes, it’s little surprise California’s Urth Caffé has rapidly spread its roots since opening its first Arabian Gulf branch in Riyadh in 2017. It can be hard to find a casual breakfast spot outside of hotels early on a Friday morning, so Urth is a welcome option. Highlights of the breakfast menu, which includes vegan and gluten-free options, are avocado toast, shakshuka and, of course, granola.

Address: 5090 Prince Muhammed Bin Abdulaziz Road, As Sulaimaniya District

Villa Mamas

This celebrated restaurant – the fourth outpost launched by Bahraini chef Roaya Saleh, adding to London, Abu Dhabi and the original branch in Saar – aims to evoke the feeling of home through rustic wood-panelled interiors and a menu that makes use of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Traditional tabbouleh and pomegranate salads give way to creative twists on classic Gulf dishes that see medallions of minced lamb teetering atop balls of mashed potato and chicken tahchin swirled with barberries and rose petals. Yet it’s the herb-garnished skewers of tandoori shish with yoghurt and scalding hot bowls of dum biryani, revealed by breaking apart the dough sealing in the spice, that really steal the show.

Address: Bujairi Terrace, Ad Diriyah

Yauatcha

At Yauatcha’s open-air rooftop, delicate dim sum parcels served in classic bamboo baskets offer a more “accessible” take on Cantonese cuisine from the team behind high-end Hakkasan. The menu features dozens of varieties of yum cha (with plenty of options for vegetarians) served baked, fried, steamed or grilled amid smart, airy surroundings dotted with cherry blossom trees and touches of greenery. Order the colourful steamed platter for a selection of the greatest hits, including translucent crystal shrimp har gau, sea bass wrapped in sunbeam yellow shells and plump pink seafood dumplings.

Address: Al Faisaliah Mall, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Road, Al Olaya

Zuma

After years of anticipation, Zuma has finally landed in Riyadh, bringing the same magnetic glamour to the Saudi capital as its ultra-trendy siblings in places like London, Dubai, Bodrum and Mykonos. Occupying a sleek, soaring space in King Abdullah Financial District, the perpetually packed dining room is a showstopper, flanked with sweeping staircases, glowing amber walls and a head-turning mix of wood and stone. The izakaya-style menu is equally as dramatic: miso-marinated black cod that melts like butter, rock shrimp tempura you’ll fight over and Riyadh exclusives like yuzu-drizzled lobster carpaccio and beef gyoza stuffed with earthy seasonal mushrooms. Upstairs, the glowing bar, flanked by suspended glassware, shakes up zero per cent cocktails for the baying crowds as they wait for tables — try the Rikka Tonic for a zingy burst of yuzu and grapefruit, or the strawberry-sweet Ozaka Spritz.

Address: Metro Boulevard, King Abdullah Financial District

By Mo Gannon and Scott Campbell

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

The pistachios

This is the key flavouring – and, probably more importantly as far as the internet is concerned, colouring. The price of pistachios has surged since Dubai chocolate went viral, with the Financial Times reporting in April that global kernel prices had risen by a third “as demand for viral cream-filled bars strains supplies”. Given they weren’t cheap to start with, this isn’t an ideal choice of gift if you’re making presents for reasons of economy; that said, it’s still better value than a scarf they’ll never wear, or some novelty gin they’ll just give to the PTA raffle.

Many recipes call for pistachio cream, or crème as British supermarkets aspirationally style it, an Italian product that caters for the Italian sweet tooth. Not only are many wincingly sugary, but I’ve come across at least one that’s as little as 10% pistachio, so check the label if you’d like to save time by subbing in a ready-made paste here. Just mix it in with the pastry – you’ll need about 350g – and don’t be swayed by the colour, because most are dyed. I used one that was 45% pistachio, but it was sold behind the counter because it was £10 a jar, so you do get what you pay for in this department.

Though I use it in both US website the Kitchn and Swiss grocery giant Migros’ recipes, I come to the conclusion that it’s both better and cheaper to make your own. However, that’s only if you have a food processor to hand – Good Housekeeping, Rama, the creator behind Indicious Kitchen, and our very own Ravneet Gill all start from scratch.

Toast the nuts first, as Rama suggests – in side-by-side comparisons, my testers all remark how much nuttier hers tastes, though this may also be because she uses five times as many nuts as Gill does. That said, I do end up with a lot of leftover filling, so in reality it’s probably more like three times as many. As the pistachios are the point here, I’ve also been generous with them on the basis that there’s little point investing if you don’t use enough actually to taste them.

Green genie: skinned homemade pistacho butter (left) versus unskinned (right).

Rama is also the only person to bother skinning as well as shelling her nuts, which is annoying, given that she uses so many. But it really does make a difference to the colour of the end result, which compels me to recommend you do the same. You can buy vivid green, skinned nuts online, but at a cost, so to start with I’d advise going for the greenest nuts you can find (the ones I buy from Waitrose are greener than the smaller nuts from the Mediterranean food hall I visit in a fruitless search for skinned ones). Then, rub off as much skin as you have the patience for (I wouldn’t blanch them to loosen the skins, unless you’re also committed to drying them out properly afterwards; moisture is the enemy of crunchy pastry.) Rama whizzes her pistachios to a smooth cream, much like the one bought in a jar, while Good Housekeeping and Gill both stick with a coarser rubble of ground nuts, which I prefer – again, it’s all about keeping as much of the pistachio in there as possible, and that goes for texture as well as flavour. For the same reason, I’ve included a few roughly chopped salted nuts, too, but that’s very much not in keeping with Hamouda’s original sweet and velvety version, so feel free to leave them out,.

Though Rama makes absolutely everything else from scratch, she is refreshingly unapologetic about artificially enhancing the colour of the filling. You may shy away from this (though if you’ve admired a Dubai chocolate bar that’s green, rather than beige inside, be aware it’s probably not entirely natural). But bear in mind that the first bite is with the eyes, and a few drops of dye are unlikely to be the naughtiest thing you eat this Christmas. (Note: to make a cheaper alternative, you could use peanut butter, or indeed another nut butter of your choice, and adjust the sugar as necessary.)

The cream

Chopped nuts and crunchy pastry would make for a very dry mouthful indeed, which is why, even if eschewing the jarred creams, it’s imperative to add a few more ingredients to the filling. Gill and Good Housekeeping bind it with melted white chocolate, with the latter also adding double cream, an ingredient that sets off alarm bells in my head. I remember the words of Raphael Bachmann, owner of Confiserie Bachmann in Lucerne, on the Migros website: “It is important to use a high-quality [pistachio] cream containing plenty of pistachios … If the cream contains a lot of water or oil, the ‘angel hair’ will quickly become soft.” Even double cream is more water than anything else, so this is best avoided, yet white chocolate is, inevitably, very sweet. Again, the best solution comes from Rama, who uses milk powder (which gives the rich creaminess of dairy without any of the water) and icing sugar, allowing her to control the sweetness. Depending on what sort of chocolate you use, you may want to add more than I’ve suggested below, but don’t omit the pinch of salt: it’s key to bringing out the savoury flavour of the nuts.

The original bar also contains tahini paste, which brings both creaminess and a bitter edge that helps to stop it tipping over into sickly territory. As this is my version, however, I’ve decided I don’t want anything to muddy the flavour or colour of the nuts I’ve just spent time peeling. So, inspired by Bachmann, who mentions using a neutral oil instead, I’ve replaced it with flavourless coconut oil:, as this is solid at room temperature, it’ll help keep the filling firm enough to slice. Up to you.

The crunch

Kataifi, which looks like vermicelli, has a similar snappy texture to filo, but is made in strands that are perfect for soaking up syrup in dishes such as knafeh and baklava. If you have a specialist grocers nearby, they’ll probably have it in the fridge. Or you can buy it online, or even make it yourself, as Rama does – unless specifically noted otherwise, it’ll require toasting first to crisp it up. You could do this in a hot pan, as in the Kitchn’s recipe, but baking it, as Gill does, makes much more sense; not only does it cook more evenly without constant babysitting, but it can be done at the same temperature and therefore time as the pistachios. I have added butter to the baking tray, however, because, though not strictly necessary, it does taste nice.

If you can’t find kataifi, Gill and Good Housekeeping both mention Shredded Wheat as a substitute, which makes sense given they’re both made from wheat and come in long thin strands. Not being a big consumer of breakfast cereal, however, it’s not until I open the packet that I realise even dry Shredded Wheat is more chewy than crunchy, which makes Bachmann’s cornflakes a better choice, despite the difference in flavour.

The chocolate

Everyone but Gill uses milk chocolate, in obedience to the original FIX bar. Oddly, though I think I’ll prefer her dark version, it does threaten to overpower the filling, so, if you go down that route, don’t go too high with the cocoa content.

Only Rama tempers the chocolate – the process by which, after disrupting them with heat, you rearrange the crystals in a more orderly fashion than just allowing them to solidify haphazardly. I’ve included instructions below, though personally I wouldn’t bother, because all anyone is really interested in here is what’s inside the bar. You may consider it worthwhile. (It also has the benefit of keeping the bar firmer at room temperature, though if yours is melting in December in the UK, you’ve got the heating on too high.)

It’s easier to decorate the top of the bar to disguise any imperfections; the Kitchn’s green-tinged white chocolate is the work of minutes, yet looks surprisingly impressive once set into the rest of the chocolate.

The form

Deep chocolate moulds are easily found in cookware shops and online, but if you don’t have one, or would prefer to give a box of chocolates rather than one oversized bar, Good Housekeeping have you covered with their little Dubai chocolate balls (see the end of the method, if you’re tempted by those). Simple to make, even easier to eat. Otherwise, you’ll need a 25cm x 13½cm x 2cm chocolate bar mould.

Perfect Dubai chocolate

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr (assuming you’re skinning the pistachios, which takes about 20 minutes)
Set 3 hr+
Makes 1 large bar, or 18 individual chocolates

1 tbsp butter, or neutral coconut oil (optional)
100g kataifi pastry, roughly chopped, or cornflakes, roughly crushed
200g shelled raw pistachios
20g white chocolate, chopped (optional)
Green food colouring (optional)
160g milk or dark chocolate
2 tbsp neutral coconut oil, melted, or tahini
35g milk powder
20g icing sugar, or to taste
A pinch of salt
20g shelled salted pistachios, peeled and roughly chopped (optional)
25cm x 13½cm x 2cm chocolate bar mould (optional; see the final step if making individual filled chocolates)

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and, if using kataifi, melt the butter or oil on a shallow rimmed baking tray.

Roughly chop the kataifi, toss it in the melted butter, then bake, stirring every 10 minutes so it colours evenly, for about 30 minutes, until golden.

Remove and leave to cool. (If using cornflakes, simply roughly crush them into shards.)

Tip the raw pistachios on to another baking tray large enough to hold them all in a single layer, and bake alongside the kataifi for about 15 minutes, until they smell toasty.

Remove, leave to cool, then, to remove some of the skins, either rub them in a clean tea towel or shake vigorously in a large jar to help dislodge the papery husks, then remove by hand. (This is fiddly, time-consuming work – it took me 20 minutes – and is largely just for the colour, so feel free to skip if you can’t be bothered.) Roughly chop the nuts.

If using white chocolate, melt it in a heatproof bowl set over but not touching a pan of simmering water, then stir in a couple of drops of green food colouring, if using (be sparing, because if you add too much, the chocolate will seize).

Spoon or drizzle the white chocolate mix over the base of the chocolate bar mould, then put it in the fridge to set while you melt the remaining chocolate (put the mould on a board or baking tray to keep it level).

Chop the milk or dark chocolate (a bread knife is useful here). If you’re tempering it, melt 110g of the chocolate as above, to 40-45C for milk and 46-48C for dark, then stir in the remaining 50g until melted. Cool to 26C for milk and 27C for dark, then heat back to 29C (milk) or 31C (dark) before use. (Alternatively, just melt all the chocolate at once.) Tip just enough of the melted chocolate into the mould thoroughly to coat the white chocolate base, then chill for about 30 minutes until set firm.

Meanwhile, whizz the chopped pistachios in a food processor or blender until they’re fairly finely ground and beginning to look slightly oily and to clump together, then add the coconut oil or tahini and whizz again to combine. Add the milk powder, icing sugar and a pinch of salt and whizz again. Taste and add more sugar if you’d like it sweeter. If using salted pistachios, roughly chop them, then stir in.

Once you’re ready to fill, stir the kataifi into the pistachio mixture until well combined, then spoon into the chocolate shell and level the top, leaving a small gap around the edge; run a butter knife around the edge to help do this.

Re-warm the remaining melted chocolate, then pour it all over the top. Tilt the mould to help push the melted chocolate into the sides until the filling is entirely encased in chocolate.

Chill for at least two hours, or until completely set, before turning out.

For individual truffles, make the filling as above, then spoon small, roughly 20g balls of it on to a tray and chill for about 30 minutes, until firm, while you’re melting the milk or dark chocolate as above (depending on your generosity, you may need a little more than specified here). Dip the balls in chocolate to coat, then return to the fridge to set. Decorate with the green white chocolate once firm, or put a whole pistachio on top while the balls are still slightly tacky.

Dubai chocolate; is this one viral trend that’s passed you by, or have you fallen victim to its verdant charms? If you’ve had the original, did it live up to expectations, and how would you customise it to suit your taste (I like the idea of adding spices, for example)?

Story by The Guardian