Shake Shack opens in BGC on May 10!
Well, look at that! I can't believe we're now at the 5th month of the year and pretty much 59 days away from being halfway through 2019. I'm officially yaya-less too and so far, Paul and I are still okay and surviving. Thankfully, the twins are easier to care for now...that is if you don't count the hours spent running around the room/house/hallway/wherever in different directions and the times I've screamed "get down from there!", "don't climb up the chair" and many more.
Anyway, enough yaya woes and on to the best news that has hit the food scene in Manila this month of May -- Shake Shack will finally open its doors on May 10 at the BGC Central Square!
I got to admit that it was my first time to try Shake Shack as Paul and I chose Luke's Lobster Roll (which I really regret doing so) over dining at Shake Shack when we were at Tokyo back in 2016. Also, Shake Shack is said to have this permanent waiting line in front of the restaurant up until today and since we didn't had much time then, we opted for the one with the shorter queue. Well, now I truly understand the reason for the long waiting line.
I guess 2019 is my year to try Shake Shack and so, together with some of my favorite foodie friends, we got to try some of Shake Shack's best-selling items during an exclusive preview session a few days ago. What probably is not known to many, Shake Shack started with hotdogs and shakes. Yes, it was actually just a hotdog cart in New York and is now on of the most popular fastfood chains not only in the US but all over the world. Here in Southeast Asia, Shake Shack is only available in Singapore, which recently also just opened, and here in Manila. We started our fun tasting session with the Shack-cago Dog (Php. 250), which if you say really fast sounds like "Chicago Dog" I guess there's a story behind this creation which links this to the "Windy City". Anyway, this one is topped with pickles, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, sport pepper, celery, salt and mustard. I can imagine this being a favorite during baseball games just like how we see it in the movies. The hotdog has a nice smokey flavor and it's topped with a generous portion of veggies. I just had to remove the sport pepper as I was scared that it might be too spicy for me and I happily ate the rest with the soft hotdog bun and the meaty hotdog.
I got to admit though that I was there for the burger and given the anticipation, oh boy, my expectations are at its all time high. The next item that came out was the ShackBurger (Php. 250 / Php. 410). While I consider myself quite fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to try a number of good burgers not only here in Manila but in Singapore too, I have my favorites but nothing has prepared me for this amazing ShackBurger which is Shake Shack's signature cheeseburger. Meaty and super juicy beef patty topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and that one thing that has turned this from being your "just your regular ol' cheeseburger" to the BEST CHEESEBURGER THAT I'VE EVER TASTED IN MY LIFE -- the Shack Sauce! I'm not kidding, I was truly blown away and I can't even pinpoint if it was because of the buttery burger buns, the all-meat burger patty, the delicious cheese slice or that secret Shack Sauce. I guess, I'd say it's the combination of all these elements thus coming together to seriously catapult Shake Shack straight to the top of my list for the best burger in town.
It was love at first bite. Oh boy, thinking about it is making my tummy growl and I hate the fact that May 10 is still 8 days away. Now is indeed the time to be patient.
To go with our meal, we had the Calamansi Limeade (Php. 130 / Php 160) which is exclusively available here in Shake Shack Manila. The summer heat is just so intense that at most times, it can even be headache/migraine inducing. I was so happy to enjoy this refreshing drink and this will definitely be my drink of choice on my succeeding visits. The calamansi has a sweet sour flavor, slightly sweeter when compared to a lemon and I love how it's so simple yet it perfectly complemented the savory flavors of the burger or hotdogs.
Well, what is a sandwich without fries? You should definitely order some Crinkle-Cut Fries and take my advice, always...always get the Cheese Fries (Php. 180). I love how it's thick yet it remains crisp on the outside. The cheese sauce is so creamy and good! I love how it wasn't very salty and the taste wasn't too rich.
If you want to stay away from beef, then the 'Shroom Burger (Php. 445) is perfectly for you. Two pieces of huge portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheese cheese and topped with lettuce, Shack Sauce and tomatoes. For this one, quickly enjoy this while it's hot.
Why? Here's why.
Ooey gooey melted cheese inside! Take a bite carefully as the melted cheese can be really hot. Don't let it sit out too long else the cheese can harden up and you won't be able to fully enjoy the experience of having melted cheese flowing out of your Shrooms Burger.
Another Manila-exclusive was the Ube Shake (Php. 190) which I think was super duper thick but Paul loved it! He said the flavor was so full and rich that it's obvious that no scrimping was done with the ingredients. As for me, I just felt that it was too heavy given that it made use of vanilla frozen custard with purple yam. No wonder as Frozen Custard is known to have a thicker and heavier consistency as compared to a regular ice cream. Do let me know below if this is true. Anyway, I might have had way too much food too that's why I hardly had space for Ube Shake. I'll give this a second try when it opens next week.
If you love dessert, then you have to try the Concretes which are frozen custard blended in with mix-ins. My personal favorite is the Shack Attack (Php. 250 / Php. 350). This will be every chocoholics dream as it's made of chocolate custard, Bucky's brownies cut up into cubes, Auro chocolate chunks, fudge sauce and topped with chocolate sprinkles. Don't you just love how they have all these collaborations with local brands such as Bucky's and Auro? This is actually very nice as normally food brands would deem another a competition but with collabs such as these, it's like the food industry coming together to help one another. It may not seem much but hey, we gotta start somewhere. One thing is for sure here, there will be more love to go around than hate when Shake Shack opens here in Manila.
Browsing through the menu, I love how they also have wine and beer as well as snacks for our furry friends. Oh Scottie would have a ball dining at Shake Shack while we enjoy our burger, fries and drinks too!
I can't wait for Shake Shack to open on May 10! What about you?
Shake Shack's first outlet in Manila is located at the Ground Floor, Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
I got to admit that it was my first time to try Shake Shack as Paul and I chose Luke's Lobster Roll (which I really regret doing so) over dining at Shake Shack when we were at Tokyo back in 2016. Also, Shake Shack is said to have this permanent waiting line in front of the restaurant up until today and since we didn't had much time then, we opted for the one with the shorter queue. Well, now I truly understand the reason for the long waiting line.
It was love at first bite. Oh boy, thinking about it is making my tummy growl and I hate the fact that May 10 is still 8 days away. Now is indeed the time to be patient.
Why? Here's why.
 |
| BAM! |
Ooey gooey melted cheese inside! Take a bite carefully as the melted cheese can be really hot. Don't let it sit out too long else the cheese can harden up and you won't be able to fully enjoy the experience of having melted cheese flowing out of your Shrooms Burger.
Another Manila-exclusive was the Ube Shake (Php. 190) which I think was super duper thick but Paul loved it! He said the flavor was so full and rich that it's obvious that no scrimping was done with the ingredients. As for me, I just felt that it was too heavy given that it made use of vanilla frozen custard with purple yam. No wonder as Frozen Custard is known to have a thicker and heavier consistency as compared to a regular ice cream. Do let me know below if this is true. Anyway, I might have had way too much food too that's why I hardly had space for Ube Shake. I'll give this a second try when it opens next week.
Browsing through the menu, I love how they also have wine and beer as well as snacks for our furry friends. Oh Scottie would have a ball dining at Shake Shack while we enjoy our burger, fries and drinks too!
I can't wait for Shake Shack to open on May 10! What about you?
Shake Shack's first outlet in Manila is located at the Ground Floor, Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
