Undoubtedly, Dubai is a hotbed of culinary inspiration where traditional dishes meet gourmet trends. Here are top five dishes from Dubai which literally take the phrase “put your money where your mouth is” to a whole new level.

The Royal Pizza — AED 777,000

Pizza is perhaps the most intercontinental dish of the world. But Dubai’s definition of a Royal Pizza kicks it up the notch.

Dubai’s pricey restaurant, Pierchic, created ‘’The Royal Pizza’’ for Dubai’s Royal Family. And what makes this otherwise ordinary dish royal — you might ask? Its white Italian truffles, black Perigord truffles, French foie gras, Mongra saffron from Kashmir, Beluga caviar soaked in Dom Perignon, Japanese matsutake mushrooms and two full ounces of gold leaves.-expatwoman

“Initially created for the royal family of Dubai, the Royal Pizza, rustled up by Pierchic at Madinat Jumeirah, is the most expensive on Earth – worth a staggering $211,561 (£169,452). This pizza’s value is all in the toppings, only the finest and most exclusive sourced from all corners of the globe. Ingredients include Italian white Alba truffles, winter black truffles from Périgord, Kashmiri Mogra saffron, Almas caviar from Iran, and Japanese matsutake mushrooms. And its crowning glory: a scattering of edible gold – two ounces, in fact.”- Foodbeast

Black diamond ice cream

When it comes to Dubai, bigger and blingier is nearly always considered better.
So it comes as no surprise that a Dubai ice cream shop is now serving what may be the world’s most expensive ice cream.
The Scoopi Café’s “Black Diamond” ice cream retails at AED2,999, or £530, for a single scoop.
Inside, you’ll find a rather curious mix of high-price ingredients, including Madagascan vanilla, Iranian saffron and slices of truffles imported from Italy.
And for topping, forget a humble Cadbury’s flake or butterscotch sauce: it is crowned with a sprinkling of edible 23-carat gold.
Even the bowl is designer: it is Versace, and the customer gets to keep it after they’ve scoffed the contents (well, for that price, you’d hope so.)

If you’re a type of person who craves for a taste of opulence, you need to pay a visit to Scoopi café in Dubai which will make you reconsider your dessert habits. This Dubai cafe has been getting a lot of focus for its over-the-top (OTT) diamond ice cream! Although the ice cream is made of sheer yellow metal, it has been named the Black Diamond.

Dubai is known for its fixation for gold and indulgent lifestyle. The gold ice cream made by Scoopi Café in Dubai is another addition to the list of OTT things it boasts of.

Royal phoenix cupcake

Bloomsbury, a small boutique cafe in the Dubai Mall, celebrated its one year anniversary in 2012 by creating this Herculean cupcake. The gold-adorned cupcake, aptly named the “Golden Phoenix,” is made using 23-carat gold sheets, Ugandan vanilla beans, Italian chocolate, and gold-dipped strawberries.
Considering how demanding it is to make and the quality of the ingredients, it comes as no surprise that the noble bakery requires a 48-hour notice in order to build this cupcake of the Gods.

It is certainly a sweet fix for those whose sweet tooth is stronger than their common sense.
The dessert boasts a whole 23 carats of edible gold sheets, Doves organic flour from the United Kingdom, Rachel’s organic butter, Premium Amedei Porcelena cocoa from Italy, and gold Ugandan high-quality vanilla beans.
The Golden Phoenix was unveiled on a Villari 24-carat gold plated Maria Antoinette Princess Tea Trolley and presented on 24 carat gold painted Empire Morning Cake Stand to eager pastry enthusiasts.

Cocktail

Dubai’s most expensive cocktail, available at the Burj Al Arab, is one that will leave you high but your wallet considerably dry. Made from LHeraud Vintage Grande Champagne Cognac, The Bitter Truth bitters by Jerry Thomas and Luxor 24k Gold Flake Champagne exclusively made for the hotel, the cocktail comes served in a Swarovski Crystalline cocktail glass with diamonds in the stem, which you get to take home as a souvenir. Once the world’s most expensive cocktail, this drink lost its crown to ‘The Gigi’ in London’s Mayfair neighbourhood in 2014.
Price: Rs 83,310

For a true taste of luxury — that’s not overly priced — head to the Burj Al Arab hotel, a sail-shaped building located on an artificial island in Dubai. Over there, the Skyview Bar offers up some strikingly costly beverages worth the sip. For one, order the The Birth of an Icon that’s brilliantly assembled into an iconic cocktail, using the components that make up The Daiquiri. Those building blocks are St. Lucia Distillers Nine Cask Founders Rum, fresh lime juice, and signature gold dust made of dehydrated Cointreau. You read that right.

Caviar

AmStur is known for making exquisite caviars sourced from the West Coast of North America, the most expensive of which is the Imperial. Made of a white Sturgeon roe harvested at peak maturity, this smooth and creamy delicacy is so rare that less than 50kg is produced each year. And how much will this exclusive treat set you back? Approximately $7,915 (£6.341) for a 1kg tin, which can be delivered anywhere in the UAE by chauffeur.

The uninitiated may think caviar is ‘just fish eggs’. In fact, true caviar is derived strictly from sturgeon, a fish in increasingly short supply. The cost of wild caviar is therefore affected largely by its rarity. As a result, many caviar suppliers have started farming their sturgeon, but the process by which they do so can also be quite pricey.
Caviar is also an incredibly delicate product, and much of the cost goes into protecting each egg (you are not likely to find a single broken piece in a tin of Prunier caviar). Prunier brand also prides itself on the freshness of its product. Prunier Caviar selection ‘Paris’, for instance, is caught, matured, processed and shipped within 48 hours. The Caviar House in Dubai incurs extra costs because it airfreights its products, to avoid having to freeze them.