Is five courses of sweets too much of a good thing?

“If you don’t finish your dinner, there’ll be no dessert,” is a phrase we all heard on repeat when we were growing up. Little did we know there would come a time when we could skip the savoury and go straight to the sweet stuff. Brix is the stuff of your childhood dreams – and yet the Dubai dessert bar is also decidedly grown-up.

For starters, there’s the tucked-away location in Jumeirah Fishing Village, just by its sibling restaurant 3Fils, which feels like a secret in itself.

Then, there’s the sleek interiors of this tiny 10-seat bar. Decked out in marble and stainless steel, it wouldn’t look out of place in a luxe Downtown lounge.

And finally, there are the desserts themselves, which are far more nuanced (and far less sweet) than you’d expect.

We’ve come to try the Brix five-course tasting menu with matching drinks and, expecting a heavy night ahead, we’ve skipped dinner completely. Once we take our seats at the dessert bar, the staff set to work preparing the first dish right in front of us.

The creation called ‘liquid’ is served in a petite martini glass, and features an Earl Grey ‘pearl’ in a delicate peach liquor – the spherified pearl pops the moment it hits our tongue.

The next dish is dubbed ‘smell’ and is presented with a diffuser filled with black coffee, which we’re instructed to sniff as we taste the cloud-like combination of guava foam and coconut meringue. It’s a trip, tasting heavily of coffee while you’re inhaling, and of the light tropical flavours when you draw the diffuser away. It’s followed by a tiny cup of ‘Japanese touch’ to reset the palate, a delicate blend of matcha and passionfruit.

brix dessert bar grain

‘Grain’ comes next, combining tart gooseberry jam a rubble of caramelised sand pebbles, a quenelle of almond ice cream, and a tuille tube filled with almond mousse, gooseberry and raisin jam. Creamy, crunchy and grainy textures combine with earthy, nutty flavours. To drink, a ‘clean colada’ of separated pineapple, coconut and cream that’s crystal clear.

brix

The following dish, called ‘fat’ divides our table, with its bold pairing of mascarpone, laban, wakame oil, black olive and crunchy rice crisp. To cleanse the palate, it’s followed by a salty-sweet drink of plum and tomato.

brix

There’s more savoury-meets-sweet adventures to be had, with the ‘chlorophyll’ dish that wouldn’t look out of place in the starters or salad section of a restaurant. Gunpowder jelly, pineapple and celery sorbet, a shiso leaf, curls of green apple, shiso-pea soup, lemon zest, and a smattering of green peas bring vegetal flavours to the floor.

brix

The final dessert of the night will hit chocolate lovers right in their sweet spot. Ce la vie is an intensely flavoured dessert, with a molten chocolate cake, truffle and hazelnuts. It’s rich and utterly indulgent. The perfect full-stop to this dessert feast.

Brix Dessert Bar, Shop 2 Jumeirah Fishing Harbour, a la carte available Mon to Sat, noon to 10pm, tasting experience available with 48 hours’ notice, 5 courses with matched drinks, Dhs240. @brix_desserts