Shake Shack: Finally in Manila!

Shake Shack Manila, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City

Burgers are probably my favorite American food. That’s why last year, I did a crawl at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to find the perfect cheeseburger. BGC alone has enough joints selling burgers that will satisfy my tastebuds. I don’t need to go anywhere else.

I haven’t fully exhausted the burger landscape of BGC. There are more joints to try, including ones that serve premium burgers like Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar (not Raging Bull Burgers) and Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener (I plan to do a premium burger crawl sometime this year). And more than a week ago, another joint added the list. It’s the New York icon Shake Shack.

Shake Shack started out as a hotdog cart in Madison Square Park. In 2014, it moved to a permanent location within the park and has expanded its menu to include burgers and milkshakes, which is what the chain is now famously known for. Today, the former hotdog cart is now a public company and has been branching throughout the States and also abroad. The first Southeast Asian branch opened at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore last April (I really thought we’d beat Singapore into having a Shake Shack first!).

The New York chain is also known for being socially, environmentally, and health-conscious, famous for its Stand for Something Good philosophy:

“We Stand For Something Good in everything we do. That means carefully sourced premium ingredients from like-minded purveyors we admire and love; thoughtful, well-crafted and responsible design for its place; and deep community support through donations, events and volunteering. ”

I haven’t tried Shake Shack before. But friends and many food vloggers consistently say that it’s the best burger they have ever tasted. So I made sure to visit...on it’s opening day last May 10! I was ready to brave the lines for the love of food!

Together with an American friend and his son, we queued at around 4PM. We were given tickets and a menu.

The line at Shake Shack (left) and the ticket (right)

The wait was pleasant because there were portable aircon and the crew were giving us with samples of lemonade, vanilla ice cream (which was probably the creamiest and smoothest I have every had), and their craft beers brewed by Engkanto Brewery.

After an hour, we’re finally inside...only to queue for another hour to get to the counter! LOL. It took us another hour before we can place our orders. It’s a good thing we’re given buzzers and got seated right away.

Except for one burger, everything in this tray is mine! LOL.

I tried two kinds of burgers. One is the ShackBurger, which is their classic cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and their signature ShackSauce, sandwiched in their signature potato bun. Of course, I had to add applewood smoked bacon to my burger.

The classic Shack Burger with add-on Applewood Smoked Bacon (Single: P250 plus P115 for the bacon)

To be honest, I was too hungry that I finished my burger under a minute and didn’t have the time to appreciate the flavors. LOL. But I could say that it’s the best burger I have ever had. The patty was juicy, the potato bun was buttery, and the bacon was perfectly thin and crisp. It would be the perfect burger if only it had caramelized onions in it!

The other burger I got was the ShackStack, which is a combination of the ShackBurger and the ‘Shroom Burger, their meat-free burger consisting of a deep-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese. I liked this more than the classic ShackBurger because of the mushroom. Once I bit on it, the cheese started oozing!

As a side to my burgers (a burger meal won’t be complete without a companion), I got the Crinkle-Cut Cheese Fries. The fries are nice, crisp on the outside and mushy in the inside. The cheese was obviously not processed so it’s also nice.

For drinks, I got 2 of Shake Shack’s Manila Exclusives (although there are other items that are unique to Manila): Calamansi Limeade and Ube Shake. There’s nothing spectacular about the drinks. Still, I’m happy that Shake Shack adapted local flavors into their food (technically, drinks and desserts).

Calamansi Limeade (Small: P130) and Ube Shake (P190)

Let’s talk about the desserts. Instead of getting the typical Concretes, which are frozen custard blended with mix-ins, I got the ones that incorporated local ingredients. The first is the Calamansi Pie Oh My. It was made with vanilla custard with a slice of Wildflour calamansi pie. To be honest, I didn’t see any pie on it or in it. Maybe they meant a different kind of “pie”. Still, this Concrete had nice, not-too-sour calamansi taste.

Uuube My Baby (foreground) and Calamansi Pie Oh My (background). Each at P250 (Single).

The second dessert is the Uuube My Baby, which is vanilla custard with ube, mixed with other ingredients like pinipig (flattened, toasted rice grains) and sago (tapioca balls), and topped with leche flan (the Filipino version of crème caramel). It’s like a halo-halo (a Filipino shaved ice dessert) -inspired Concrete.

Both of the desserts were nice. But I was already happy with the fact that it’s made with the same custard that I had earlier, the creamiest and smoothest that I have ever had!

Overall, I was happy with Shake Shack. My American friend said that the burgers were close to its New York counterpart and that added to the satisfaction. The months of waiting and the hours of queuing were worth it. I hope that the management maintains the quality.

I’ll definitely come back again…when the hype dies down and the line is shorter! LOL.