It’s not every day that the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai decides to visit your café, but that’s exactly what happened at one newly opened dessert spot. On Thursday, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was spotted at Mlkcake by Gossip, London’s first Emirati eatery dedicated to desserts. The royal stopped by for the Covent Garden café’s signature milk cake, and to pose for photographs with the excited team. “HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has visited our latest location in Covent Garden, London yesterday!” wrote the team on Instagram. “We were a little over-excited about his major visit to support the first Emirati brand globally. What an amazing surprise!”
Mlkcake is the brainchild of Shayma Fawwaz, who founded Gossip Café & Desserts, a cult-favorite gourmet eatery with locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in Sharjah three years ago. The made-in-the-UAE restaurant is known for its tantalizing (and ultra-Instagrammable) desserts as well as its diet-friendly menu of salads, pasta, and sandwiches that are all made with organically sourced ingredients.
It’s not the first time that His Highness has made a point to support local businesses. In the past, the royal has given his royal seal of approval to Flow Dubai, a restaurant founded by Shamma Bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, the Emirates Youth Council and the UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs (the restaurant was actually inspired by the words of Ruler of Dubai). He’s also frequented Emirati-Syrian eatery Siraj, and She Burger, a homegrown burger joint in Dubai’s Dar Wasl Mall.
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