Three ways to enjoy Dubai chocolate—from the Filipino chef who originated it
Did you know that the Dubai chocolate bar that went viral and became a worldwide sensation was created by a Filipino chef?
In 2021, chef Nouel Catis and business partner Sarah Hamouda came together to launch Fix Dessert Chocolatier. “I was the chef of the partnership,” Catis said. They introduced their extra-filled chocolate bars to the market, among them the Can’t Get Knafeh Of It bar that would become an internet obsession.
“My go-to dessert is kunafa … I first tried it in Jordan where I was working at a hotel. I really fell in love with it,” said Catis.
He captured the essence of kunafa, also known as knafeh—a dessert made of crispy kataifi or shredded phyllo dough, cheese and a sugar-based syrup—in the chocolate bar, adding pistachio cream and tahini paste to the crispy kataifi, creating a symphony of flavors and textures.
The dessert specialist knows the flavors of the Middle East so well that his clients like joking that before he became a Filipino, he must have once lived in the desert, said Catis. “I make desserts with saffron, cardamom, and they tell me, ‘Chef, this is like my childhood favorite.’ It gives me goosebumps … I was able to bridge the gap.”
Catis is an expert at using flavors to bridge cultures. His magic knows no borders, as his kunafa-inspired chocolate made people from all over salivate, thanks to a TikTok video by Maria Vehera that has gotten almost 7 million views since it was posted in December 2023.
Catis, who grew up in Dipolog City, has been living in Dubai for the past 16 years. He had always been drawn to the kitchen but recalled that when he was young, he tried cooking, but his siblings weren’t happy with the results. And so he made the switch to baking. “That’s where I shone,” he said with a smile. He spent time as a cake decorator in his mother’s bakeshop before eventually leaving the country to work as a chef in hotels overseas and later, as an in-flight chef for Etihad Airlines.
Stepping out of the shadows
Catis, who ran a successful consultancy business for years, has launched his own brand, Sna’ap, offering premium chocolates “inspired by nostalgia and crafted with innovation.” He told Lifestyle, “I realized I should stop being in the shadows. As a consultant, you’re always in the shadows. I decided to step out and take up space. I opened my own shop two months ago.”
His Dubai chocolate has spawned many copycats and spinoffs—not just chocolate bars but cakes, shakes, and all kinds of sweet treats. We asked him how he feels about it.
“For me talaga, the greatest form of flattery is imitation. I’m all for letting the people dive into it and do their own spin. I think it’s fun. Kasi, you’re letting the world celebrate with you. I don’t believe in trade secrets. Over time I realized, even if you give away your recipe, it will not have the same results.”
We also think he isn’t bothered because he is confident that he can always come up with new flavors, new creations.
Catis is no longer doing consultancy work. “Now I’m more into collaborative work.”
His first collab in the Philippines is with AF Hospitality. “I’m so thrilled, it’s like a homecoming,” Catis said.
“This collaboration between Chef Nouel, our pastry chef Chico Glendale Orcine, and the head chefs of our three restaurants reflects everything we stand for—innovation, heritage, and joy,” said Amado Forés, founder of AF Hospitality. “It’s been such a rewarding process working together, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience how we’ve reimagined Dubai Chocolate across all our concepts.”
Forés, who was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in 2024, was also happy to see the different chefs of his restaurants come together for the project. He told Lifestyle, “They all worked together as a team.”
It was Forés who reached out to Catis to initiate the partnership.
“He captured nostalgia for the Dubai community. When they try his chocolate, they go back to their childhood. I feel that there’s a really big connection with the way all three of my restaurants make our food, which is why I thought it was a good fit for us to work together. Also, I really like the fact that, yes, it’s a Dubai chocolate thing, but you can feel that the heart and soul of the product itself is Filipino. You can feel that the hands and the heart of a Filipino made this Dubai chocolate.”
Crepes, mochi, soft serve
Catis and the AF Hospitality team created different desserts inspired by his viral chocolate bar for AF Hospitality’s three restaurants: Steak & Frice, Ramen Ron, and A Mano.
They took a favorite dessert from each establishment and gave it the Dubai chocolate treatment—with luscious results. In fact, none of us could choose a favorite, even Forés. “I love all three genuinely.”
We went on a fun Dubai chocolate tour in BGC with Catis and the AF Hospitality team so we could try all of them. And you could do the same. Claim a Dessert Passport from Steak & Frice, Ramen Ron, and A Mano and get a stamp for each Dubai chocolate dessert you try. If you complete the three, you’ll get a bonus—a special collab Dubai chocolate bar from Catis’ own brand Sna’ap in dark or milk (while supplies last).
Our first stop was Steak & Frice at Central Square, where the lineup of delicious crepes got an exciting addition—the Dubai Chocolate Crepe, filled with dark chocolate, pistachio cream, pistachio pieces, and kataifi for that crunch. It’s a truly indulgent treat, one we still keep thinking about days after we enjoyed it.
“A cloud of joy in your mouth,” said Catis.
Next, we went to Ramen Ron, also at Central Square, for a mochi unlike any we’ve ever tried. They took Tamura-san’s signature chilled handmade mochi with milk filling and added milk chocolate, pistachio namelaka, pistachio sauce, crispy roasted kataifi, and crushed pistachios to create the Dubai Chocolate Mochi. Make sure you get all those different elements in one bite for an absolutely exquisite experience. We dare say this is the best mochi we’ve ever had, and we’ve had a lot of mochi over the years.
Our last stop was A Mano at One Bonifacio High Street. Everybody loves A Mano’s popular burrata gelato soft serve (Catis calls it “top-notch”) and they take it to the next level with the Dubai Chocolate Soft Serve. It’s a killer sundae coated with melted dark chocolate, served in a chocolate-dipped waffle bowl with a pistachio-kataifi crunch and topped with more pistachios and roasted kataifi. Luxurious, decadent, and just so, so good.
Made from scratch
Catis was proud to say that all the ingredients are made from scratch in-house, even the kataifi.
Those who worry about the desserts being cloying or too sweet should have no fear. Catis said, “When it comes to desserts, the flavor should stand out instead of the sugar.”
The desserts are available until June 11, and a portion of the proceeds will go to MAD Travel’s AgroForestry Program with Dumagat Cacao Farmers.
Forés said, “Chef Nouel was so generous with his time, his knowledge. And he was so game to do something also that benefited the community here, the cacao farmer community in particular. It’s a really great fit. We really wanted to do something meaningful.”
By the end of the day, our passport had all three stamps—crepe, mochi, soft serve—and we showed it to Catis. “Well done. Now you are able to fly to Dubai through this chocolate bar,” he said, handing us our own Sna’ap Dubai Chocolate.
Forés is happy to have been the first to collaborate with Catis. “You can really tell that this is just the beginning for him,” he said.
Will we be seeing more of him in the country? “That’s a yes,” said Catis, who calls himself a Filipino heritage chef. “I just want to bring what I’ve done in the Middle East to the Philippines so everyone can celebrate with me and take pride in what we can do. Us Filipino chefs can champion the world. We have a lot to offer.”
We can’t wait to see–and taste—what he’ll do next.
The collab will be available at Steak & Frice (Central Square BGC), Ramen Ron (Central Square BGC and Edades Tower Rockwell) and A Mano (One Bonifacio High Street BGC, Shangri-La Plaza, Power Plant Mall, and Gateway Mall 2) until June 11.
The collab will be available at Steak & Frice (Central Square BGC), Ramen Ron (Central Square BGC and Edades Tower Rockwell) and A Mano (One Bonifacio High Street BGC, Shangri-La Plaza, Power Plant Mall, and Gateway Mall 2) until June 11.
