Islington Shopping Centre,
Islington,
London,
N1 0PZ
The ViewLondon Review
ShakeAway is a modern version of paradise. Could life give you anything better than a deliciously thick Oreo milkshake with marshmallow topping?
The Venue
Just like a happy dream, the tall cups at ShakeAway remind you of a colourful circus marquee with stripes of yellow and vibrant blue. These two vivid colours are their trademark and they are used throughout the diminutive venue. In fact, ShakeAway is nestled in the angel kiosk, right in the middle of the Islington Shopping Centre. Although the location is prominent the premises are really small, with no space to sit inside. In good weather though you can take a seat at two tables just outside, on plastic chairs in fun electric blue. This is their first location near the centre of London – the next closest branches are Kingston and Croydon.
Inside, it is all about the columns of stacked yellow and blue boxes behind the counter that hold the ingredients for the shakes, and the many blenders in constant use.
The colours combined with the anticipation of the treat you just ordered make ShakeAway a happy place.
The Atmosphere
Just opened but already terribly popular, at Shakeaway they have a single queue made up of both children and hungry adults. Forget age conventions and social etiquette, here it’s all about getting your greedy paws on a coveted, delicious milkshake. The staff are friendly with children and adults alike and are knowledgeable about milkshakes; ask their advice and they’ll come up with a shake that’s a perfect fit for your taste. With so many perks, ShakeAway attracts rivers of customers so you may have to queue for a bit before being served, but it’s well worth the wait.
The Drink
Lion Bar and ginger nut cookie milkshake with Milky Way star topping, anyone? Undoubtedly ShakeAway is a convenience shop king with over 150 ingredients for you to choose from. You can customise your milkshake however you want, picking from a selection of fruit, chocolate bars, sweets, biscuits, cakes and pretty much everything else containing some form of sugar and that can be blended with milk or ice cream for extra thickness. There is everything and anything to choose from, including the unexpected Tic Tacs, muscle builder, Turkish Delight, flying saucers and more. You can go posh and pick Parma Violets, healthy with Weetabix, decadent with Sno Balls or odd with liquorice allsorts amongst plenty of other ingredients. But if you can’t choose they also serve a range of tried and tested milkshakes, like the Dave (Ferrero Rochers and Kinder Bueno topped with crumbled Flake) or the Tim (banana and fresh coffee with mini Oreos on top).
Assembling your own experiment, though, is much more fun and you can’t really go wrong. Mixing bourbon cream biscuits with maple syrup and nuts you will get an almost too sweet milkshake that is ideal for an indulgent pick-me-up as well as for an instant sugar rush and energy boost. The healthy cherries and raspberries, instead, make a way more refreshing yet sweet shake with a tangy edge.
And if the weather is miserable? No reason to go back to drinking coffee (although they do serve a wonderful fair-trade organic Arabica variety, together with inventive hot chocolates), here any milkshake can also be served hot. To some people the idea might not be very appealing, but provided you pick your flavours right, the result can actually be really good. Apple and peanut butter, for example, works decently well (custard would probably work better with the apples, though); the sharp apple contrasts with the gooeyness of the peanut butter, the thick flavour of which is essential in making this an indulgent, warm, liquid dessert.
The commendable thing about ShakeAway is the fact that they carefully cater to vegans, vegetarians and those with lactose and wheat intolerances. Not only do they serve soy milk and a divine soy ice cream, but if you let them know you’re milk intolerant, one member of the staff will put gloves on for you and prepare your milkshake alone to avoid any possible contamination. And all ingredients are carefully labeled to take care of every diet. ShakeAway has truly re-invented the milkshake. You have no excuse not to pay a visit, especially since it will cost you less than a frappuccino. A regular shake with one ingredient is £2.70, a large is £3.70 and add-ons range from 30p to £1.50.
The Last Word
ShakeAway is as happy as sunshine. There is something very positive about indulging yourself and the shakes are nothing but phenomenal.
ShakeAway has been reviewed by 1 users