Kataifi is trending on TikTok: here’s why
Three local makers of viral chocolate kataifi from Dubai want to feed people’s curiosity
By the time you read this, you’ve probably heard of the “viral Dubai chocolate” and seen people cracking one open on TikTok to reveal a rich pistachio cream loaded with what appear to be tiny noodles inside. Fix Dessert Chocolatier founder Sarah Hamouda collaborated with Filipino chef and pastry consultant Nouel Catis to create the now-famous treat that has since has attracted global attention and demand.
Influencers rave about its satisfying crunch and texture and how it’s not too sweet. Retailing at around PHP 1,250 per bar, people all over the world wanted to take a bite of this famous chocolate bar.
The original recipe combines a string-shaped filo pastry called kataifi with pistachio cream and tahini. This mixture is coated in high-quality chocolate that gives that satisfying crunch when you break the bar in half. The kataifi, which shares a similar taste and texture to shredded wheat cereal, provides a textural crunch and tempers the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Here in the Philippines, three brands are hoping to bring the experience locally without having to fly.
Good barks
Tsarina Waga, owner of Good barkshas been making and selling chocolate bark, truffles and similar products since 2019. From his kitchen, hundreds of kataifi chocolate bars sit on his dining table waiting for delivery people to pick up orders. “This trend started last April or May. I would just watch and see people breaking the chocolate all the time and I was already curious.”
It was only when one of her customers asked if she made these bars that she realized there might be a serious demand here in the Philippines. “A lot of people have FOMO “So why not satisfy their curiosity? So I decided to start making my own. It took me weeks of research and development to develop my own bars. I tried to make my own pistachio cream and it was also difficult to find kataifi, but I managed to do it,” Waga explains.
Bueno Barks sells pistachios and Biscoff (both with kataifi) in three different chocolate variants: milk, white and dark. Its bars are slightly thicker than the original, which translates to a bigger filling. Prices start at P675 per bar (a fraction of the original sold in Dubai). It holds pre-orders every Friday at 6pm for orders for the following weekend. “We have to control the number of orders. A lot of people get upset that they don’t have a slot, but they have to understand that this is a homemade chocolate bar. It’s a small business,” Waga says.
Zuri’s Desires
Another supplier of kataifi bars, Raziela Panganiban from Zuri’s Desiresonly started selling her kataifi bars in July and is already getting a demand for around 200 to 300 bars a day. “I had no idea it would sell this much. I started doing everything by myself, but now I hire part-time students to help me.”
Although Panganiban has no previous experience in the restaurant industry, she is very adept at online sales, particularly selling shoes and bags full-time. This may have helped sharpen her eye for what sells and what people are willing to buy. “I love baking and making desserts. When I saw the viral Dubai chocolate on TikTok, I was curious to see what it tasted like, so I tried making my own. People said it was good and encouraged me to sell it, which I did. I had no idea it would become such a success.”
Panganiban sells two flavors: pistachio with kataifi and Biscoff with cream cheese. It also sells these flavors in smaller sizes that cost P299 while the large size (double the size of the small) is at P799. Its Biscoff variant, however, does not contain kataifi and was found to be a bit too sweet.
Breaking bar
Julia Brillantes, 18, fresh out of college, had a similar story. “It all started in June, in the summer, and I was going out every day. I thought, ‘I can’t keep going out every day. I have to find a way to make money.’ So I searched TikTok for ideas and saw the viral Dubai chocolate. I knew if I tried to make it, I could sell it here.”
Brilliant has started Breaking bar— a play on words inspired by the TV series Breaking Bad — to sell her version of the bars, which she calls Knafeh Pistachio. Knafeh is an Arabic dessert that incorporates pistachios and kataifi. Her bars are noticeably thinner than usual, meaning the chocolate-to-filling ratio is higher.
“Our Pistachio Knafeh Chocolate Bars are designed a little differently than traditional chocolate bars like Fix. Instead of a thick, solid filling all over the bar, our chocolates feature individual square pockets, each filled with generous portions of creamy, crunchy pistachio knafeh.” The squares also make it easy to share your bar.
“On my second pre-order, I got my first ever bad review,” Brillantes recalls. “Someone posted on TikTok and it got like half a million views. I felt so depressed. I decided to take things constructively and make a comeback to chocolate. So I upgraded the quality of my chocolate and my filling had to be really crunchy.” Breaking Bar sells its bars for P499.
When it comes to taking advantage of a trend, timing is everything. As an entrepreneur, timing is second only to courage. You have to be bold and really take the risks to test the market. No one knows how long this trend will last, but for these three local makers of the viral Dubai chocolate bar, they’re striking while the iron is hot.
Special thanks to Artists’ Center
