At Bubooza, ice cream defies gravity. The counter shop, which operates out of Shareef’s Shawarma Social Club, sells traditional Lebanese ice-cream, booza, which has a slightly chewy, stretchy texture and is more solid than regular gelato and ice-cream. As a result, booza can literally be held upside down and it won’t fall.

The density of Arabic ice-cream can be attributed to the making process; the ice-cream is beaten to extract air from it, and a resin that comes from the tubers of a Turkish orchid, sahlab, is added, allowing the ice-cream to stretch. Mastic, a resin from a Mediterranean tree, is also added for chewiness.

Next to the booza display, ashta (clotted cream) and chocolate flavours sit side-by-side, along with an ornate copper lid covering crushed roasted pistachios. Once pressed into the cone, the ashta booza is rolled in pistachios. The chocolate is served plain. It’s velvety, with a delicate cocoa bitterness that lingers.