These monster-sized milkshakes are the latest food craze popping up on menus across the country. We round up six of the best.
Strawberry Volcano Freakshake
Where: The Black Lion in The H Hotel, Dubai
What's in it: The Black Lion's top-selling freakshake is a strawberry taste sensation. It contains strawberry ice cream, milk, cream, whipped cream, vanilla cheesecake, a pecan brownie, strawberry laces, white-chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce.
Calories: 2,200
Price: Dh50
Contact: 04 359 2366
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The Mud Pot Freakshake
Where: Central Grounds, Lobby Level of Marriott Hotel Downtown, Abu Dhabi
What's in it: Central Grounds has seven freakshakes on the menu. The Mud Pot, their most popular, contains chocolate ice cream, Valrhona chocolate sauce, a chocolate brownie, mud cake, hot fudge and vanilla cream.
Calories: More than 1,000
Price: Dh45
Contact: 02 304 7777
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Strawberry Cheesecake Freakshake
Where: The Sum of Us, Burj Al Salam, ground floor, Dubai
What's in it: The Sum of Us freakshake menu changes every weekend. Their popular strawberry cheesecake shake consists of vanilla ice cream, strawberry cheesecake filling, fresh strawberries, white chocolate, shortbread, breadcrumbs and homemade strawberry sauce.
Calories: "We don't measure the calorie content of our freakshakes"
Price: Dh45
Contact: 056 445 7526
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The Armadillo Freakshake
Where: U-Turn Diner, Golden Tower, Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi
What's in it: This diner, which opened last year, serves up four freakshakes for Dh45 each. The Armadillo is packed with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, peanut butter, M&Ms, chocolate sauce, caramel and two chocolate bars.
Calories: Unknown – but the manager told us "a lot"
Price: Dh45
Contact: 02 418 2500
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The Nutella Milkshake
Where: Bazxar, Dubai International Financial Centre, Gate Precinct Building 4
What's in it: The Nutella milkshake at this laid-back, food hall-style restaurant contains vanilla ice cream, milk, whipped cream, Nutella, chocolate pearls, pretzels and Kit Kat chocolate bars.
Calories: Unknown
Price: Dh45
Contact: 04 355 1111
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Funky Cheesecake Monster Shake
Where: Fume, Pier 7, Dubai Marina
What's in it: Fume serves up four monster shakes, including the Funky Cheesecake, which comes with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, a biscuit, fresh strawberries and a slice of strawberry cheesecake.
Calories: Unknown
Price: Dh60
Contact: 04 421 5669
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPOPC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAmna%20Aijaz%2C%20Haroon%20Tahir%20and%20Arafat%20Ali%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eart%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20u%3C%2Fstrong%3Endisclosed%20amount%20raised%20through%20Waverider%20Entertainment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
