Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A Taste of Heaven Milkshakes Hub in Maginhawa St., Quezon City

A Taste of Heaven in Maginhawa Street

One of the fun things about the summer season is figuring out ways to cool down. There’s going to the beach or flocking to the nearest pool, hanging out in malls to take advantage of the free air-conditioning, and my personal favorite: eating. The classic Pinoy favorite is, of course halo-halo. And then there’s your friendly neighborhood ice candy and the much beloved sorbetes. Shakes and smoothies are also popular summer staples and for those looking for a more Western take on beating the heat, milkshakes are the way to go.

A Taste of Heaven Milkshake Hub (ATH), located in the food paradise that is Maginhawa Street, is a milkshake shop that has an extensive menu of sweet concoctions. It is a joint business venture among three friends: Janet Bricia, Blades Yoo, and Leo Bañas. The owners came up with their own milkshake recipes with plenty of help from Janet’s kids. They are constantly coming up with interesting flavors so watch the menu closely. Opened in July 2013, they’re conveniently located in front a school which is why a large chunk of their clientele are students. They are also frequented by barkadas, families, couples and anyone who just wants to chill (no pun intended).

A Taste of Heaven’s freedom wall

Milkshakes in ATH start with a low-fat, soft-serve vanilla ice cream base that was specially formulated just for them. They have three Classic Flavors (P80): Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry . The milkshakes at ATH are nicely thick and smooth, it kind of makes you feel like you’re drinking your dessert through a straw.

The Premium Milkshakes (P130) come in interesting flavors such as Blue Velvet and Choco Loco Crunch. I like how the Blue Velvet milkshake has real bits of blue velvet cake in it. At ATH, instead of artificial flavors, they put actual cakes, brownies, fruits, chocolates, and whatever else the milkshake may call for in their drinks. The Choco Loco crunch has good-sized pieces of chocolate and honeycomb in it. All Premium Milkshakes are served with a dollop of whipped cream on top for added decadence.

A section of the menu is labeled Heavenly Milkshakes (P95). I got to try Strawberry Cheesecake and Strawberry Banana. I like the fruitiness of the latter while the former is like liquid strawberry cheesecake, no chewing necessary. ATH milkshakes are so thick that one serving easily made me full. But if you’re tummy capacity is more impressive than mine, snacks are available on the menu. Burgers and milkshakes have the same relationship as red wine and steak: they go really, really well together. They have a filling, Pinoy-style Almighty Burger (P85). The soft buns, flavorful patty, and assorted burger veggies with ATH’s own dressing hit the spot. It is served with good, thick cut fries that somehow manage to be crunchy. Go ahead and dip those fries in your milkshake. You know you want to.

Almighty Burger

A Taste of Heaven’s OMG Chili Wings (P95) that actually made me go oh-em-gee. Silently, in my head, but still. Those wings are amazingly delicious. Kudos to the owners as it is their own recipe. The wings are perfectly fried and coated in a fiery red, more than mildly spicy, tangy, and not at all sweet sauce. It is how Buffalo wings are supposed to be. It is served with a deliciously pungent blue cheese dip. It took me a while to get used to blue cheese but once I learned to appreciate it, there was no turning back. If you’re not a big fan of it, I hope you give it another shot as it really is quite wonderful. If not, the wings are just as tasty, dip or no dip.

These wings will make you go OMG

ATH gives its customers the option to Choose and Shake! (P85). You spruce up your vanilla milkshake with your favorite chocolate bar. Choosing is the difficult part as the candy bars that they have on-hand are all drool-worthy. The choices are: Maltesers, Violet Crumble, Mr. Goodbar, Snickers, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Nestle Crunch, Milky Way, Almond Joy, Kitkat, Plain M&M’s, Peanut M&M’s, and Reese’s.

Catch ATH’s summer flavors while you can. The Red Velvet Cheesecake with cream cheese foam (P140) is particularly good with generous bits of red velvet cake in every sip. Bannoffee (P130) and Peppermint Chocolate Chip (P130) are their two other special flavors for this season.

ATH is a tiny shop with bright interiors, the predominant theme being blue and white to resemble clouds. There’s also a smattering of adorable cow-related décor. It’s almost always full, specially this summer with everyone wanting to cool off with their delicious treats. Your first sip of that cold, sweet milkshake will taste extra heavenly in this heat.

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A Taste of Heaven Milkshake Hub is open from 12:00pm - 11:00pm on Mondays – Saturdays and 12:00pm - 9:00pm on Sundays. For updates, like them on Facebook: facebook.com/atasteofheavenmilkshake.

Additional images courtesy of A Taste of Heaven Milkshake Hub.

Establishment Info