I dreamed about Mirzam the entire 11-hour flight from Australia to Dubai. Away from the chocolate centres of the world, both in terms of production and consumption, the existence of Mirzam in UAE seems almost like a mirage. Does Mirzam truely exist? Is there actually chocolate being made from bean to bar in Dubai? Is it really that good?
I woke up from my dream very early in the morning and, upon landing, we took the metro direct to Mirzam. How convenient that there is an above ground metro line that goes direct from the airport, past many of the major sights, stopping very near the chocolate factory. I say near but near may be in the eye of the beholder…it is about a 15 minute walk past luxury car dealerships, so not the most scenic walk (or maybe it is, if you like that kind of thing).
It may seem a bit extreme to plan a stopover in Dubai primarily to visit a chocolate shop. I assure you it isn’t. Apart from turning into a very expensive visit (our fault for not being able to say no), I could find no fault in Mirzam. Their café/factory space is stunning. We arrived just as it opened but it was already abuzz with activity: chocolate makers in the back, chocolatiers in another area. There is an incredible assortment of products, from bonbons to bars, many showcasing local flavours such as rose and dates.
The hot chocolate is pure magic. There are many, but my absolute favourite it the Al Ain Halwa Drinking Chocolate: a 62% chocolate with rose, pistachio, saffron and cardamon added. We paired this with some of their beautiful chocolate covered dates, some chocolate icecream. The only thing we didn’t buy, sadly, were any bars. I saw no chance of them arriving back to the airport intact given the intense oven like heat radiating from outside Mirzam’s tinted windows. But I did leave with some hot chocolate mixes to enjoy at home.
Mirzam also offers several tours and workshops if you want to make a day of it. We took a taxi from here past impossibly tall skyscrapers and luxury malls into the old part of town where we took a food tour (to balance out all the chocolate) before making our way back to the airport to take our next flight.
Mirzam Chocolate Makers Factory and Store – Al Ghurair Warehouse complex – 4th St – Al Quoz 3 – Dubai Open 8am to 11pm daily. mirzam.com
