The Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain opened in September 2011. The property offers dining across four outlets: Baharat for Middle Eastern cuisine, Saveur and Nasmat for European and Mediterranean flavours, and T-Spoon for afternoon tea and pastry. In a previous post, we described our collaboration with Executive Chef Holger Jackisch on a bespoke high tea stand for afternoon tea service. This post shares a second project from the same collaboration, a custom made dessert bowl designed specifically for dessert presentation at Kempinski Bahrain.
A Custom Made Dessert Bowl for Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain
Chef Holger Jackisch wanted to transform the way dessert arrives at the table. Inspired by molecular gastronomy, he envisioned a presentation that would turn the moment into a true spectacle, one that makes guests feel special before they take the first bite.
The creative brief was precise. We needed to design a unique piece for serving ice chocolate pralines on dry ice. The dry ice creates a fog cloud that hovers across the table surface, producing a mysterious theatrical effect. Accordingly, the vessel needed to withstand temperature fluctuations from the ice while remaining elegant and stylish in form. It also needed a lid to hold the smoke in place before the fog effect begins.
Our designers welcomed this challenge as an opportunity to push the boundaries of culinary dinnerware design. The result was a glass dessert bowl with a matching glass cloche, a bespoke system built around the chef’s vision from the first sketch.
Custom made dessert bowl sketch by MyGlassStudio for Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain.
Design Choices: Structure, Colour, and Composition
Our designers chose a glass bowl as the primary vessel, replacing a traditional dessert plate. A custom-made metal plate with drainage holes sits over the bowl of ice. Above it, the dessert dish holds the pralines. A glass cloche tops the entire structure, containing the smoke until water hits the dry ice and the fog effect releases.
We kept the aesthetic minimal and intentional. Our designers created the bowl in clear blue glass, free of pattern or decoration. This allows guests to observe the effect beneath the cloche and fully experience the presentation. The blue glass intensifies the mystery of the moment. Furthermore, the round form of the bowl echoes the shape of the chocolate pralines, a deliberate compositional choice that ties the vessel to the food it carries.
Glass dessert bowl with dry ice, bespoke dinnerware by MyGlassStudio for Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain.
The silver tip of the glass food cover adds a final touch of refinement. It signals luxury without overstating it. The whole system, bowl, drainage plate, dessert dish, and cloche, works as a single coordinated object. Each element serves a function. None of it is decorative for its own sake.
Glass cloche for dessert presentation, part of the bespoke custom made dessert bowl system by MyGlassStudio.
What This Project Demonstrates
This commission shows what becomes possible when a chef’s creative vision meets a team with the technical skill to execute it in glass. MyGlassStudio designers understand culinary intent. We work with chefs and F&B directors to make extraordinary bespoke dinnerware ideas a practical reality, not just a concept on paper. For further examples of our cloche and cover work, you can also view the Cube Cloche Catalogue.
Dessert dish for pralines, part of the custom made dessert bowl system by MyGlassStudio.
Chef Holger Jackisch was particularly pleased with the outcome of our collaboration.
“MyGlassStudio is the tool to use when you want to put your imagination into reality. They have a fantastic team of skilled people who not only make glass plates but just anything made out of glass. I can only recommend to anybody who is into design and creativity to get in touch with this great company and have fun with their glass items.”
Holger Jackisch
Executive Chef, Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre