The Shack welcomed customers to its new Hitchin restaurant for the first time last night, and our reporter Dan Mountney headed down for opening night to see what it was all about.
Hitchin's street food scene is nothing short of incredible, but could it get even better with the arrival of The Shack on Sun Street? There was only one way to find out.
Serving up burgers, chicken wings and tenders, and grilled sandwiches, the business announced it would be coming to the town back in January, before delays kept hungry diners waiting.
Manager Ash Millward told me it was "worth the wait", and I couldn't agree more, because this is the easiest five-star review I may ever write.
The work carried out inside is nothing short of jaw-dropping. The unit has been transformed from dark, dingey and cluttered space as it was during the days of former tenants Deroka, to a light, airy and spacious establishment.
The character of the building with the old wooden beams has been maintained, but a modern bar, a beautifully designed kitchen pass and neon signage gives the space a breath of fresh air.
Praise must also go to the staff, who were attentive and chatty, making you feel right at home. They were quick to recommend their favourites from the extensive menu too, and really are a credit to The Shack's management.
Now for the food...
Ash told me that they were trying to do things differently from other street food spots in Hitchin, but its hard not compare them to the brilliance of Cawsburger, Café 77, Cantina Carnitas and more.
Would they live up the incredibly high standards set by the town's street food scene?
After plenty of deliberation, we went for two burgers, the Don-Le-Clay and the El Jefe.
The Don-Le-Clay is jam-packed with a buttermilk crispy chicken fillet, grilled halloumi, mozzarella cheese, caramelised onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, chilli jam and house sriracha mayonnaise.
As you'd expect from reading that, it was full of flavour. The chicken was juicy on the inside, but it was that crispy coating that stood out.
There was crunch with every bite that all fried chicken fans want and it was seasoned to perfection. We didn't try any of the chicken tenders, but we are already planning to go back in the hopes they'll be just as good.
The chilli jam and sriracha mayonnaise gave the Don-Le-Clay a nice kick, but the most impressive thing was the structure.
We've all had a burger where the filling slides out far too easily or it falls apart in your hands, but not at The Shack.
As soon as you picked up the burger, you knew immediately that there would be no concerns about most of being smothered all over your hands or back on your plate. You could really savour every mouthful.
The El Jefe, made up grilled chicken burger with your choice of lemon and herb, medium or hot peri-peri marinade, with shredded iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise, was much the same.
Nowadays, it seems like a lot of burger joints are trying too much. Cramming in as many ingredients as possible to make these giant concoctions that overwhelm your taste buds.
The El Jefe is just the opposite. It's unpretentiously brilliant.
Again, the chicken was juicy, but the star was the marinade. I'm not ashamed to admit that my tolerance for spice is quite frankly embarrassing, so medium heat it was.
The Nando's inspiration is clear, but if you're thinking of heading there instead of Hitchin's newest restaurant, then my question is why? The Shack's marinated chicken is far better than anything you'll get at one of the UK's best love chains.
My better half who joined me for the evening described it as "the best chicken burger I've ever had". I can't say I disagree.
As for the sides, we went for waffle fries, and my word. I've lost track of the amount of fries or chips I've had that are too crunchy or not soft enough in the middle, but these were perfect, and topped off with a delightful seasoning.
We also got some Shack Bites. Buttermilk fried halloumi with your choice of sauce.
The Shack's Sticky Situation BBQ sauce was our pick, and it packed such rich and smoky flavour without being sickly, as some BBQ's can be.
Having finished our meal we were already looking forward to coming back, but then out came the dessert menu. There are pancakes and waffles with plenty of toppings and enough milkshake flavours to make you drool with excitement.
But our mind was made up when our waitress told us "you have to try the Biscoff cheesecake".
We're big cheesecake lovers in our household, and often spend time in our own kitchen making them, but The Shack's offering might be the best I've ever had.
It was so good my partner asked if I was alright at one point, because I'd unknowingly drifted off to dessert heaven. When you make your visit to The Shack, I implore you to leave room for the cheesecake. I promise you won't regret it.
Just when you thought Hitchin's street food scene couldn't get any better, my word it just did, and Ash was right, The Shack was absolutely worth the wait.
Five stars from me. It was never in doubt. Now can I go back already?
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