Shake Shack to launch collab menu with Butcher’s Block featuring Hawaiian-inspired flavours

Shake Shack and Butcher’s Block’s Hawaii-born chef Jordan Keao worked together to develop a limited-time “Aloha Shack” menu, launching Apr 16, paying homage to Hawaiian dishes like Huli Huli Chicken and Loco Moco.

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Shake Shack’s latest chef collaboration will launch on Apr 16, and this time, it’s with Butcher’s Block, helmed by chef Jordan Keao.

The woodfire-focused restaurant at Raffles Singapore centres its cooking around grilling, smoking and roasting; premium meats; and a whole-animal philosophy. And, as Keao was born and raised in Hawaii, the cuisine also draws on Hawaiian influences and cooking traditions.

For the collab with Shake Shack, titled “Aloha Shack”, “I wanted to share bits of Hawaiian culture and a little bit of Americana. I also wanted to make sure I highlighted Singapore and its amazing food scene,” said Keao, who has lived in Singapore for the last 10 years.

In his mission to showcase “real”, authentic Hawaiian culture, he was adamant that he didn’t want pineapple, which he calls a “coloniser’s fruit”, on the menu.

Instead, you will find flavours that pay homage to elements of Hawaiian culture, like a love of barbecue.

“In Hawaii, we cook outside on woodfire every day. It's just something that's casual and easy. Everyone's garages and lawns are turned into communal spots where everyone hangs out, and that brings the community together,” Keao said.

Here’s what’s on the Aloha Shack menu.

BBQ SMOKEHOUSE SHACK (S$14.20)

This beef burger with barbecue kecap manis, pickled jalapeno, pickled red onion and cheese blends Hawaiian touches with Keao’s expertise in meat-smoking techniques.

“In Hawaii, we have a dish called Loco Moco. It’s rice, a hamburger patty, gravy and a fried egg. The gravy was inspired by that dish,” Keao explained. The gravy for the burger is smoked over real wood, which is not an easy process, he shared.

Since “everyone knows Shake Shack for the beef burger, and they know my restaurant for beef”, this one was a no-brainer, Keao said.

HULI HULI CHICKEN (S$12.20)

This fried chicken burger is inspired by a dish called Huli Huli Chicken, a part of Hawaiian barbecue culture. “Huli” means to turn, named for the fact that the chicken was originally cooked by grilling it on a spit, Keao explained.

For the burger, the chicken is fried, then slathered with a Huli Huli glaze and topped with coleslaw and lettuce.

It’s common in Hawaii to have Huli Huli chicken with a macaroni-and-coleslaw salad, Keao divulged. “We decided to remove the macaroni and just keep the kewpie mayo, the rice wine vinegar and all the slaw to go with the Huli Huli, so you get that bite of flavours that are Shake Shack as well as flavours of Hawaii.”

SALTED EGG FRIES (S$9.80)

Keao wanted to create something that combined “all the best versions of the seafood dishes that I’ve eaten here in Singapore”, like white pepper crab and salted egg prawns.

And so, this dish of Salted Egg Fries topped with salted egg yolk sauce made from scratch, garlic butter, white pepper and fried curry leaves was born.

ROSELLE GINGER LEMONADE (S$6.80)

This tangy, refreshing drink is inspired by the herbs and spices once grown around Raffles Hotel Singapore. Coincidentally, Keao’s uncle was a ginger farmer.

Shake Shack’s lemonade is blended with “fresh ginger and fresh hibiscus tea that we make here at Shake Shack. It's all made in house”, Keao said.

UBE COCONUT CREME (S$8.10)

Not a milkshake but a custard, this treat is topped with mochi coated in kinako powder. “I’m not a fan of sugary-sweet desserts,” Keao said, so “we decided to have a dessert that had a nice consistency, wasn’t too sweet and had that nice chew from the mochi.”

ONE-DAY EXCLUSIVE AT RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE: SHACK-GAPORE DOG

The Shack-gapore dog will be available on the Apr 25 edition of Magic Hour, Raffles Hotel Singapore’s bi-monthly musical performance at The Lawn held in collaboration with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (5pm to 8pm).

Created by Keao and Jim Frisch, Shake Shack’s Senior Director, Global Culinary & Product Development, it takes inspiration from a Chicago dog with toppings like cucumber, pickle, tomato and relish, but replaces those with ingredients like shallot, coriander, toasted peanuts, salted egg sauce and achar.  

Shake Shack x Butcher’s Block launches Apr 16 at all Shake Shack outlets in Singapore. 

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