PERFECT MATCH(A)

What happens if the chef who started the Dubai chocolate pistachio cake trend and the restaurant chain that specializes in everything matcha green tea come together to do collaborative work?

Well, it can only result in a collection of awesome tasting chocolate-pistachio-matcha cakes, pastries, desserts and drinks that are beyond compare.

Just recently, Chef Nouel Catis, the Filipino chef who created the Dubai sensation that had (and still has) pastry chefs hitting the kitchen and coming up with their own versions and interpretations, got into a collaboration with The Matcha Tokyo Philippines. He worked with the talented team behind The Matcha Tokyo Philippines, headed by executive chef Sonny Mariano, and incorporated the brand’s all organic matcha powder and hojicha powder into five recipes — three desserts and two beverages — which are available at The Matcha Tokyo Philippines branches for everyone to enjoy.

A definite must-try is the Habibi Matcha Cake. This is the most popular chocolate cake reimagined. “Layers of moist matcha sponge embrace a generous filling of matcha cream and my signature Dubai Chocolate crunch. It’s definitely a union of Japan’s serenity and Dubai’s indulgence,” explains Chef Nouel.

Also not to be missed is the Matcha Butter Mochi. East meets Middle East, it is matcha butter mochi elevated with pistachio kunafa bliss.

Also available is the Dubai Chocolate Cookie with Soft Serve Ice Cream. “Our signature molten chocolate cookie filled with Dubai chocolate spread, served alongside velvety soft-serve matcha ice cream,” he describes.

The cookie alone is already a great treat with its filling coming together in glorious harmony with the cookie itself. But to top it with matcha ice cream? A real treat indeed.

Then there are two drinks — Iced Matcha Latte with Dubai Chocolate (matcha reimagined, chilled, creamy and kissed with Chef Nouel’s signature Dubai chocolate) and Hojicha (a cup that carries tradition, hojicha milk tea infused with the comforting warmth of South Indian cardamom and cinnamon).

These “collab” creations have been inspired by Chef Nouel’s trending Dubai chocolate-pistachio creation, which, for its own part, was inspired by the time Chef Nouel was working in Jordan. Surrounded by talented Jordanian chefs, he was captivated by the beauty and depth of Arabic sweets, their textures, aromas and heritage.

“That experience sparked the idea to fuse those Middle Eastern elements with my own pastry sensibilities. And, yes, it instantly connected with people because the flavors just made sense together,” he explains.

The original cake was rich in layers and included flavors like Kinder Bueno and tahini. In the SNA’AP version, Chef Nouel simplified it even further to focus on the essence of knafeh: pure pistachio and kataifi, simple yet deeply evocative.