Jollibee: Ultimate Burger Steak and Flip Float

What is up with that Ultimate Burger Steak? I was wondering the same thing. I do not enjoy Jollibee's burger steaks but when I heard that this "ultimate" burger steak used the Champ patty, it tickled my curiosity. When I heard it comes with a sunny side up egg and is served on a bed of fries, it had my attention! (a small Django Unchained reference for ya, a movie I am looking forward to watching) Jollibee seems to regularly come up with new food selections but unlike most of the others, I did not want to pass up this 35th anniversary offering.

Luckily, there's a Jollibee branch everywhere so trying it out wouldn't be any trouble at all. One weekday out on lunch break, we dropped by the Mind Museum branch of Jollibee to get in on the action. The place was packed (as it usually is) but fortunately, we were able to get a table right away. I did not mind the long line very much, mostly due to the fact that I busted out my S2 and started playing that godforsaken Candy Crush.

In the mood for a filling lunch, Alvie and I got one order each of the Ultimate Burger Steak meal (we usually share our orders, as our friends like to teasingly point out) and the also new, mind-boggling Flip Float. The food was given to me immediately. They seemed to be prepared for all the curious folk as I noticed them taking our meals from a tray of already-prepared burger steaks.

The staff was pleasingly helpful in this branch. Despite the fact that they all seemed to be extremely busy, when I asked the waiter where I can get utensils, he not only pointed out where but also conveniently got them for me. Thanks, Mr. Waiter, sir! (didn't get his name)

Ultimate Burger Steak Meal (drink not in picture), P119.00

A la carte, it costs 109 pesos, so yeah, I'd gladly spring ten bucks for a small soda. I really enjoyed this meal. The rice was okay, which is better than I expected, since it did not have the consistency of puto like I have tried in the past. The meatiness of the burger steak really was that of a 1/3 pounder Champ patty. Nothing like an egg to make any dish more interesting, too. The fries submerged in gravy under the patty were, well, soggy. I wish the meal wasn't prepared too early so I could have tasted at least the shadow of some crispness in there. But then again, soggy fries are better than no fries in this meal, I guess, because it did contribute to the meal's variety, which I think is its charm. I hope they come up with an option for hash brown(s) instead of fries. Not sure if it'll be better but it'd definitely be interesting.

Coffee Flip Float, P50.00

I opted for the coffee version of the drink since I need coffee to work so, two birds with one stone. It was actually good. I do prefer Jollibee's version of the coffee float over McDonald's since this one's coffee is already sweet and creamy to begin with as compared to McDonald's which is black coffee. My gripe with both restaurant's floats around is that there is too much ice! There shouldn't even be ice at all since you're putting ice cream in the bloody drink to begin with! They should realize that it doesn't just affect us by giving us less of the drink, having ice in the drink also makes it so much harder to drink up all the remaining ice cream. ...cause it remains coated over all the damned ice! I usually ask for no ice (recommended), and Jollibee usually declines to serve it that way for I don't know what reason. I didn't ask this time though, since I was planning on blogging it and wanted to experience it in its "purer" form (bad idea).

I referred to this drink as "mind-boggling" earlier and that is just because I can't figure out what the flipping point behind the flip float is. After trying it, I can say that putting the ice cream at the bottom has no effect on the taste or experience. It's just a gimmick to get more people to try the drink, and I did fall for it (haha). It's like the Cheese Top Burger all over again. Nevertheless, it was still a good drink (despite the ice). I'm a sweet tooth when it comes to coffee, so I appreciated that when the ice cream gets mixed in a bit, you could barely taste the bitterness of the coffee anymore.

Verdict:
Ultimate Burger Steak Meal: great, worth a try
Coffee Float: good

Kudos to Jollibee for trying out new things like this. They did get the Ultimate Burger Steak right, despite its flaws. It will probably be my default order when in Jollibee from now on, beating out the Champ, which I have grown tired of. I personally prefer McDonald's overall but this is the type of innovation that can swing my vote. I wonder if their Garlic Bangus is any good..

Love the Ultimate Burger Steak? Hate it? Let me know what you think about anything by commenting below, and you can always tweet me!

- Joaquin

JOLLIBEE
Website: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/
You don't really need me to tell you where it's located, do you?