Shake Shack Shook My World!

First of all, I must make it clear from the beginning, that I’ve never been a burger person and there are only numbered times that I would actually crave for, or even buy burger when eating out. It’s not that I don’t like it, but none of the burger I’ve tried so far has been appealing enough to leave me wanting more…but now, I've found the first and the only exception that has entirely changed my prejudice for burger. Only Shake Shack leaves me craving for more so bad, that I had to bring it home from Dubai!

So the next leg of our #AlshayaFoodTour in Dubai took us to Shake Shack at The Dubai Mall, currently the largest shopping mall in the world (and I doubt that record is going to be broken by anyone else in the near future). Everything in Dubai just has to be superlatives, largest, tallest, longest, lavish-est (lol, ok I made up the last one). But anyway, Shake Shack is easily located on the first floor (go up 1 level from the lobby level), near this indoor fountain...

The Shake Shack store at The Dubai Mall is a lovely mix of modern decor and rustic at the same time. It looked appealing enough from the outside to make me want to stop by to take a look at the menu. Don't you think so?

At a glance Shake Shack may look like a fast food burger joint, but it’s actually gourmet burger in disguise. Upon talking with a team of Shake Shack, I learned that they only use organically sourced produce, as well as recycled materials for some of the interior elements. I think Indonesian customers are starting to become more and more concerned about the environment and they would love to know that the place they visit actually support a good cause.

The menu at Shake Shack is not overly massive, so it's not difficult to make up your mind, but the main 3 variants are the ShackBurger, ShackMeister & SmokeShack. Oh, just for your info, the beef patties are made with 100% all-natural Angus Beef, and are cooked well unless you request otherwise.

Roughly that's the size of a double SmokeShack - and please be messy when eating burger haha!
Right: The buzzer with light up and vibrate when your order's ready to be picked up at the counter

The main trio: (from L to R) SmokeShack, ShackBurger and ShackMeister (my favourite!!)

The 3 are quite similar, except for a few toppings differences, like cherry pepper in SmokeShack or crispy marinated shallots in ShackMeister. However, in my opinion, the ShackMeister might be the most appealing to Indonesians, who have strong preference for fried shallot. But all in all the burgers are very impressive and left me wanting more!!!

ShackBurger - classic ShakeShack's Cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato & ShackSauce (AED 26 for single / 42 for double)

SmokeShack - Cheeseburger topped with hickory smoked veal bacon, spicy chopped cherry pepper & ShackSauce (AED 38 for single / 54 for double)

‘Shroom Burger (vegetarian) (AED 26) - crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster & cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato & ShackSauce..

This is unexpectedly delicious despite the absence of any meat! The delicious cheese oozing out from the middle of the cheese gave that extra oomph to the vegetarian burger. I like the fact that the portobello’s fried using panko flour.

ShackStack - cheeseburger and a 'Shroom burger topped with lettuce, tomato & ShackSauce (AED 42). Just look at that cheese oozing out from the shroom!

CheddarShack - custom blend Angus beef patty topped with double smoked veal bacon & shack cheddar & American cheese sauce (AED 45 for single / AED 65 for double)

As the season’s special menu, this CheddarShack totally nailed it with its delicious cheese sauces without making the eater feel sick. I would really like to see this one becomes a permanent part of the menu.

SmokeDog - all beef hot dog topped with Shack cheddar & American cheese sauce, chopped cherry pepper & smoked veal bacon
Soft hot dog buns (not as soft as the burgers still), but I still much prefer the burgers to the hot dog

Cheese Fries - topped with cheddar & American cheese sauce (AED 20)

Amazing crinkle cut fries, I hardly found crinkle cut fries to taste this good! Turns out the fries use potatoes of a special variety that doesn't absorb as much oil as conventional potatoes when fried, so it's healthier.

Fries with extra Cherry Pepper (AED 14 + 6 for the cherry pepper)

Concretes

The menu describes it as dense frozen custard ice cream blended at high speed with mix-ins (toppings). We tried several flavours and toppings and concluded that generally, all of the Concretes have great taste & texture, not too sweet, dense but still nicely scoop-able. My favourite flavour is the Dubai Malt, a Dubai Mall special, vanilla & chocolate custard, malt, marshmallow sauce & chocolate truffle cookie dough, perfect balance of texture& taste, sweet & salty.

Left: Dubai Mall Concrete (AED 36)
Right: Vanilla Toffee Twirl (AED 36)

Red Velvet Concrete (AED 36)

Milkshake (Chocolate and Strawberry flavours tried) (AED 25)

So far this is the BEST tasting milkshake I’ve ever tried. Good texture, not too liquid-y and not too sweet.

Self-service sauce and condiments counter

Shake Shack puts in a conscious effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible, such as the unique fact that the tables at The Dubai mall outlet is made from recycled bowling alley floor and I suppose there are other unseen efforts that they've done for the cause. It might be good fact bites that can be shared with the customers to make them feel even more positive about eating at ShakeShack.

All in all, I had a very positive experience eating at ShakeShack, from the moment I placed my order at the counter, enthusiastic welcome by the staff, a novel experience and absolutely great food products. Besides that, I also like ShakeShack's interesting concept of using the buzzer to notify diners when their food is ready to pick up at the counter. The only concern I can think of is the price adjustment that needs to be made when ShakeShack enters Indonesian market. At the moment in Jakarta, there are a few gourmet burger joints, but there's only one high end & hipster place that I think would be direct competition to Shake Shack.

So, will be a successful venture in Indonesia? YES. Indonesians would definitely love ShakeShack! The excitement is palpable in Indonesia, even now, because so many Indonesian who’ve been to Shake Shack understand why it’s so delicious. So Shake Shack will definitely appeal to this group of people and win new customers with its amazing burgers. It’s definitely suitable to be located inside a shopping mall, such as Grand Indonesia and Pondok Indah Mall.

*) Prices are nett

**) Prices quoted are in United Arab Emirates Dirham

***) Exchange rate: 1 AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) = IDR 3,900 (Indonesian Rupiah)

Shake Shack at The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall (1st Floor, Near The Waterfall)
Doha Street
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ph: +97143882456
www.alshaya.com/brands/food/shake-shack
Facebook: Shake Shack Middle East
Instagram: @ShakeShackME

For other store locations in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Turkey), click here.

Shake Shack international website: www.shakeshack.com

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