There is currently a real "Dubai boom" in Europe, which started with a chocolate named after the UAE city. Discount giants such as Aldi Süd (Hofer in Austria and Slovenia), bakeries, butchers and even petrol station chains have already jumped on the trend. We just can't get enough of it!.
This trend has its origins in Dubai chocolate, which is made from three elements: chocolate, pistachio and angel hair. It hasn't stopped at the chocolate bar. Canned drinks, desserts in almost every Viennese coffee house, donuts at McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts have all followed this trend.
Fast food chain McDonalds is jumping on the “luxury Dubai candy” wave of the year. The fast food restaurant is launching its version in the form of a doughnut. As in the previous article about the Fresh Pistachio Dubai Edition drink I want to keep you going with this donut. If you want to eat it, please put your shoes on and head to the nearest McDonald's of your choice.
Now we would like to talk about the sweet temptation of the donut, which has an impressive 295 calories and has been available in Austria since the beginning of December. The leek was accompanied by the donut ambassador Money Boy, an Austrian musician and influencer. The Tiktok generation immediately followed this trend and tried this donut. I asked some of these young people and their conclusion was: "Awesome donut", "Mäci is finally joining in", "I could eat this donut every day". So I also got in line at McCafé to try one. The McDonalds branches offer the donuts for around 3,20 euros, depending on the franchisee.
This luxury product is advertised on every McDonald's channel, as well as on vending machines and displays in the restaurant. Is it just a hype or trend, or is it really that tasty? It is repeatedly presented at every ordering terminal shortly before the payment process. A single donut at this price is a clear statement, even in times of high inflation. Is it a particularly high-quality product?
If you trust the advertising, then yes. The "Dubai Chocolate Donut" is supposed to be "luxury in the McDonald's style" and scores points with a crunchy pistachio kataifi filling and small scattered pistachio pieces. Those of you who like donuts would answer this question with a clear yes.
The promotion of the product with the slogan “only for a limited time” is familiar to every regular McDonald's consumer. This doughnut also uses this slogan. In the past, newcomer products that were well received were given the status of being introduced into the permanent range. Will this particular doughnut also make the breakthrough and be upgraded to a permanent offer? Time will tell.
How did this donut fare with the testers? What we must not forget in this context is that, as we all know, tastes vary greatly and therefore the testers' opinions are subjective. “So, don't hate the player, hate the game”.
Up until now, I have always been satisfied with McCafé's pastries. They were never comparable to a pastry shop, but at least they were consistently good, which is what makes McDonald's a fast food chain. This doughnut was very disappointing. It was heavy in the mouth, and I could hardly identify the taste of the filling. The angel hair that makes Dubai chocolate so special was missing. Instead of an extraordinary glaze, there were a few sparse pieces of pistachio, but they could have been left out. They only spoiled the taste, even irritated, because they got between the teeth and didn't add any flavor to the doughnut.
Both of the test items I tried were very disappointing for me and the second test person. The filling was not exactly generous, it was inserted in four places in the bottom of the donut. Without being sarcastic, after the first bite I wondered where the filling was. I turned the donut over and discovered four holes in the bottom of the donut where the filling had been sparingly inserted.
Tester two said, among other things, that you almost had to search for the filling. That was not a good start to the tasting. The taste of pistachio is hardly noticeable in the filling or the donut. Both testers would have described the taste as a hazelnut. The surface of the dessert is not particularly generous with the grated pistachios either, as there were not particularly many on the two samples we tried.
The doughnut dough was good, I personally have nothing to complain about. The bottom line was that the testers were disappointed, because they would have expected more from a product that McDonald's promotes so intensively.
On the other hand: It's a fast food restaurant and not a five-star gourmet temple. The "box host" with the Dubai donuts certainly didn't win any prizes from the testers. As a foodie, I would have asked for it; even a white chocolate brownie, which everyone knows from Burger King, with pistachio cream and angel hair or just waffle pieces for a crunchy effect would have been better received. We can think of 100 simple, inexpensive dessert creations that would have given me a more successful gourmet experience. Sometimes less is more, or in this case too little is not good enough!, even for a fast food chain.
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