The Godzilla of milkshakes undergoes a delicious vegan makeover

“Do I eat it with the spoon?” I wonder. “No! Perhaps, I should try having a go at it with the straw,” the more rational side of me chimes in. I’m sitting at Molly Bakes, a quaint, wee spot of a bakery along Kingsland Road in East London on a freezing afternoon. Plonked in front of me is my first ever freakshake, with a mini brick of brownie perilously perched on the lip of the glass and threatening to topple over at any time.

For the uninitiated, a ‘freakshake’ is like the Godzilla of all milkshakes, overflowing with lashings of cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, and indulgent delicacies such as chunks of brownie, nuts, pretzels, biscuits and even whole slices of pie! Just like the cronut craze a couple of years ago, 2016 saw the freakshake achieve cult-like status after it debuted at an obscure little bakery and café called Pâtissez in Canberra, Australia. Yes, we have the land that gave us Vegemite and Crocodile Dundee to thank for this bottomless behemoth of a drink.

Taking the vegan route, The Sassy Spoon in Bandra, Mumbai, prefers soy cream in lieu of the more de rigueur full fat cream for its iteration of the freakshake. This goes on to be blended with an American school lunch box classic combination of peanut butter and tart strawberry jam, with flax seed for that added crunch.

Topped off with a cloud of whipped soy cream, more jam and a sprinkling of flax seeds, with shards of melba toast clinging to the seemingly overflowing rim of the glass, cemented with a shmear of peanut butter.

> Strawberry jam for a tart-n-fruity burst

> Soy cream to add volume

> Peanut butter for a smooth, creamy texture

> A sprinkling of crunchy flax seeds

> Rimmed with shards of melba toast

> Whipped soy cream and more jam to top it all off with

The Mumbai-based writer is passionate about food, travel and luxury, not necessarily in that order.