Happy to hear you've been having such a good time! I do agree, that side quests can be distracting, which is why the book recommends one, and then just see if more pop up to distract the players a little.
My experience is that it massively depends on how long you want the session to be. If you want to be through in 2-3h, then no side quest is probably the way to go. If you want to have a grander adventure, 2-3 might be good to give the gobbos something to do besides the main errand.
Also, thank you for the wonderful and kind words! I appreciate them!