All I could think was "rock on, gold dust woman" Because there was a silver spoon that lay in the saucer that housed my beautiful coffee. The froth swirled up out of the most delicate of china, a dizzying confection topped with 24 karat gold dust; a most beautiful presentation from the Emirates Palace, the most rarified of hotels.

I had arrived at the Emirates Palace cappuccino rather spontaneously. On holiday in Dubai, UAE, and in need of stretching my wings, I pointed the family car in the direction of Abu Dhabi, the capitol Emirate of the UAE, and hit the gas. Accompanied by my twin sister, I drove past the labyrinthine Jebel Ali port complex, where the USO entertains American soldiers on leave and aircraft carriers dock. Craned my neck while whizzing past billboards of handsome poet sheikhs and dilapidated roadside mosques.

Luxury cars screamed by us at autobahn speeds. I'm not talking what the West considers luxury, I'm talking Italian: Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, on top of the ubiquitous Bentleys and Maybachs. Sometimes that display of wealth nauseates me, but more often the damn drivers scare the crap out of me as there is very little road courtesy there! I was about ready to pray Islamically as we neared Abu Dhabi, and thought about stopping at the newly opened Zayed Mosque, the 3rd largest mosque in the world. It's stunning from afar, comparable in stature to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque.

But we were intent on hitting the Corniche Road and driving alongside the waters of the Gulf. We fought it it, but were trapped in a roundabout like a whirlpool and ended up being funneled into the Emirates Palace hotel, which doubled as a Saudi palace in the movie The Kingdom. The landscaping is beautiful. The hotel is perched along the waters of the Persian Gulf, all layered steppes of lush grass and fountains with the glistening marble palace above almost floating in the air.

The architecture is a bit "Disney", and Dubai has stunning hotels that recreate local design, so I wasn't overly wowed. But I gave into the over-the-top experience and ordered a cappucino topped with gold dust. Yes, gold dust. The price tag was acceptable to me, under 150 dirhams, so about 25 dollars. I wondered if this was a bit of a gimmick, I wanted a good cup of coffee underneath that gold dust.

What arrived was one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had outside of Austria. It's easily the best. The Cappuccino arrived on fine white linen, perched atop my own silver tray with a shot glass of sparkling water on the side. Clearly this was an experience for the senses, and meant to be savored. I raised the cup to my lips and breathed in the aroma of a rich, floral coffee. The foam was just right, it smelled of fresh whole milk. So what to expect from the topping of gold dust? I'd eaten silver foil before as it's used extensively on Indian sweets, and being of Indian Muslim descent I was raised eating Indian sweets. But gold...

As I swallowed I inhaled the fine particles and could not contain a reflexive cough. My eyes ran with tears as I slammed the sparkling water, my sister eyed me with total amusement "So, how's that 25 dollar coffee?"

I'll just pretend it was a glamorous experience.