My visit to Shakeaway was filled with an expectation of wonder and excitement. I love milkshakes, specifically for the thick and creamy texture plus the milky flavor. Add to that the bundles of flavors you can choose from, and you have an experience you may never forget. That's what I had from a number of excellent milkshake places in Manila.
With Shakeaway, though, it was a different experience. To tell you the good things first, I'd start with the fact that Shakeaway has a dozens and dozens of flavors to choose from. There were about 80 default flavors to choose from. There was also a DIY shake with another 400 additional combinations possible from dozens of ingredients ranging from gummy bears to Ferrero Rocher. I surely got dizzy from looking their really long menu.
The second good thing about the place was the fact that Shakeaway had a squeaky clean interior to the point that it looked like a high-end drugstore. This is probably due to the fact that the brand has its origins and mother company in the U.K. The one in the Philippines is a local franchise.
The sad part was that the shakes were a bit watery and underwhelming. Plus the price tag for a shake usually started at Php 250 for a Php 16 oz cup. These characteristics were seriously debilitating to a promising international brand. There was also a problem with location since the store was in the hidden part of U.P. Town Center.
The Large Shakeaway poster inside the store.
The counter reminded me of a drugstore due the well-lit menu selection and the neatly fixed ingredients section. The blue LED's gave it a futuristic feel.
The storefront window.
As for the variants, we first tried the cookies and cream shake. It was akin to the ice cream variant of a popular fast food chain which had already been in the market years before. Hence, it didn't taste so unique or special.
The Jose was composed of ube, macapuno and pinipig as ingredients. This was undoubtedly their most Filipino tasting named shake. This reminded me of the high class version of halo-halo.
The Izzie was one of their named frozen yoghurt selections. It was composed of the froyo with strawberries and banana followed by granola bits for toppings. It was quite sweet and flavorful due to the fruity tastes provided by the toppings.
The Toasty Tim was part of their hot shakes menu, which was basically a heated concoction of their premium chocolate ingredients such as cookies, muffins, and chocolate chips. This one was akin to Swiss Miss due to the chocolate-y overload. However, the drink tasted a whole lot like Swiss Miss. Where was the distinction in the 250 Php milkshake, I asked?
The Sarsi Soda Shake was a traditional blend of milkshake and a can of Sarsi for that classic root beer float experience. The traditional thickness wasn't present though. All I got was a watery carbonated flavor since the ice cream was already melted.
The wall showed samples of Shakeaway's global locations, ranging from Great Britain to the United States.
Shakeaway had its World Famous Named Shakes. It was a premade combination of special ingredients mixed into their based milkshakes. One examples was the Sol. At Php 250, it was a mix of mangoes and graham crackers. The simple concoction was something I appreciated. There's always something with the magical mix of mango and grahams.
The Dave was a variant of their World Famous Named Shakes. This was composed of high level chocolates such as Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bueno, and crumbled Cadbury flakes on top of a thick serving of whipped cream. A regular size cost 250 Php with an 80 Php additional for the variant itself. I must say that this was quite tasty due to the premium chocolate but the Php 80 wasn't quite justified.
The one with colorful marshmallows was the Tyler while the other was an ordinary milkshake with rice crispies. The Tyler was composed of marshmallows, fruity mentos, and popping candy. It was great for those who wanted a candy overload for their shake.
This one had popcorn for toppings.
The Uma was their chocolate-y variant for their named frozen yoghurts. The yogurt base was not so sour. It was topped with chunks of chocolate brownie and oreo cuts. It was still quite tastey despite the reduced flavor from the yoghurt. I'd say that this was the froyo which I liked the most.
Shakeaway had its shaved ice desserts. This one was the mango and strawberry combination at Php 190. The servings were quite huge, which thus justified the price. It reminded me of fruit cocktail with a pinch of flavored ice.
Shakeaway, while being an international brand, was still a work in progress. Despite their use of excellent ingredients, their execution fell short in terms of the consistency and flavor of their milkshake base. The prices were another issue as well. I'd still hope for them to improve, though.
Shakeaway is located in Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.
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