Shake Shack Covent Garden

Quick bite and the most delicious cheesy fries ever.

After hearing about The Coventry Street branch on here I was passing the new Nova Mall in Victoria yesterday and spotted a brand new Shake Shack (same chain)there.That new one is not listed yet on Square Meal I don't think so this applies to the SS format in general based on The Victoria experience. OK so its very slick in a huge hi tech new building.All light & glass.You get a buzzer which flashes when your meal is ready to collect though they offer the option to serve too. Staff friendly and on the job. A tad overpriced for essentially a Wimpy Burger .(c£5) Fries £3.But was nice beef(Aberdeen Angus apparently) though a bit thin. Frozen choco ice cream a bit sickly.They call it custard for some reason but its more ice cream.Took a long time to eat and a bit of a chore. All in all nice place to sit. But left feeling a bit hungry. Quick service from the service team who represented an array of nationalities.

This is NOT the Second Coming, whatever would be for bloggers and twitterati may think. I would possibly define it as a ‘once in lifetime’ experience, but only because having been there and tried it I am now satisfied that while it's a reasonable fast food joint, it's not worth a second visit. All pretty bland, and while they make a big fuss about the provenance of the ingredients, there's more than a hint of the emperor's new clothes about it. I'd like to single out the cheesy fries though. The crinkle fries are competently neutral, but the orange liquid masquerading as cheese is truly revolting; it tastes of salt and has a weird plastic texture, but calling it cheese is an insult to the world's bovine population. Oh well, been there, done that.

The opening of Shake Shack has been much anticipated with the well traveled amount the twitterati at fever pitch drooling at the prospect of not only their burgers but their infamous shakes and concretes, a dense frozen custard mixed at high speed with fine add ins from St.John's and Paul.a.Young's chocolates. Nearly every one I've met who has been to their NYC branch goes into long lengths describing how good it is. It's no mean feat they've managed to mix great fast food with a classy joint that will no doubt will a destination for many. Shake Shack have gone to great lengths to source all their ingredients properly, with their beef chosen from the highlands, Aberdeen Angus, bacon from Wiltshire, and their collaboration with the highly regarded St.John's and Paul.a.young is assurance of very high standards. For the me the SmokeShack (£6.50) is definitely my burger of choice, fantastic hit of flavours from the cherry peppers and the sauce, encompassed within a soft potato bun. The patty isn't that exceptional though, cooked mroe towards the well done end of the spectrum, it's the other ingredients that carry it Without doubt the concretes are well worth any length of time queuing. As desserts go I'd have this breakfast! This is more than just a shake and definitely not straw-able. There is never any time to get bored of them due to their ‘Custard calender’ with a flavour for each month. Shake Shack will do well as it caters for everyone, even dogs (not joking, they have dog treats on the menu). With a great selections of wines and beers, including Meantime brewing company. It's perfectly situated for the pre/post theatre dinner crowd. Whats more the staff have brought with them that first class american hospitality, hopefully the UK staff will be well versed in this, rather than the miserable spotty teenagers that grunt at you from other popular fast food joints. It appeals to suits, tourists and burger fanatics alike, no doubt it'll be rammed for now and the distant future.