1-day-only Shake Shack-Candlenut collab serves up buah keluak burgers, curry fries

Fast-food joint Shake Shack has launched its first-ever chef collaboration in Singapore, and with no less than Michelin-starred chef Malcolm Lee of Candlenut and Pangium.

On Nov 5, diners can head to Shake Shack’s flagship Neil Road outlet for buah keluak burgers (S$12.90) and curry fries (S$5.90). These will be available from 11am until they’re fully sold out.

HungryGoWhere got a sneak peek and taste test. Here’s what we found.

It arrived in a little paper tray with Peranakan motifs — a nod to chef Lee — but was arranged a little “senget” (slanted) by Shake Shack standards.

At first glance, the sunny-side-up layer steals the show. When you pick it up, the yolk oozes and mixes satisfyingly with the melted American cheese before being soaked up by the potato bun base.

Once you take a bite, however, the nuttiness of the buah keluak — pangium tree seed — paste and ikan bilis sambal melds with the Angus beef patty in an explosion of flavour and umami. 

It works well as a fusion burger, with elements of east and west — besides the starring ingredients, you’d also find diced pickles, cucumbers and sauce from Lee’s signature Chef’s Mum’s Chicken Curry.

We did find that the buah keluak and sambal weren’t distributed evenly throughout the burger, so some bites were more tasty than others.

The curry fries, tossed in Lee’s secret blend of curry powder and salt, draw inspiration from the same Chef’s Mum’s Chicken Curry dish. In comparison to the show-stealing burger, we found the fries rather lacklustre.

According to Shake Shack, this collaboration was six months in the making, and the burger had its start as a staff-only meal made by the Candlenut kitchen.

More chef tie-ups are in the works for the near future, the brand added.

Shake Shack is available on the GrabFood delivery service. Alternatively, book a ride there.