Six By Nico – Cooking New York
Menu review provided free of charge, however all opinions are my own.
Back in the summer, I headed to the brand new Six By Nico restaurant in Manchester to indulge in the first menu ‘The Chippy’. Six by Nico Manchester is the fourth restaurant within the UK and has seen huge success in its Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast branches and after taking up residency in Manchester City Centre, they have been receiving rave reviews for their concept dining and incredible a la carte dishes. Whilst I missed Cooking Mexico, when I saw the Cooking New York menu, I knew that another visit was on the cards. A perfect birthday dinner, I was booked into experience New York and it was quite simply spectacular.
I’m usually that girl who would shy away from a fine dining menu, simply because the thought of a la carte dishes fill me with dread at the price point. Lavish, yes. Inaccessible to my bank account? Also yes. However here is where Six by Nico have really stepped up the game. Fancy dining without the hefty price tag where a six course menu is £29 with pairing wines for £26. Whilst fine dining in Manchester seems to have all but disappeared with the closures of Rabbit in The Moon and Grafene, Six by Nico has stormed through to show that fine dining doesn’t mean costing a small fortune. For me, it gives that luxury element but leaves me in a position where I can enjoy an extremely intricate and special menu without thinking that I will need to live on beans on toast for the remainder of the month.
The menu has been developed by Nico Simeone, who has created a special yet extraordinary menu that is delivered for just six weeks before being retired forever. This concept and change is a welcome addition to Central Manchester and I genuinely am getting very excited to see the new menu online prior to the service dates. The element of surprise for an ever changing menu is refreshing and also unheard of. Maybe the days of seasonal menus are on their way out and a journey of flavours and experiences is the way forward. Starting the journey with a modern take on The Chippy was enough to whet my appetite and keep me coming back for more.
Cooking New York has seen dishes developed that I would have never thought possible such as the ‘Beef Burger’ Doughnuts as the first course. As exciting as the New York Skyline, when this dish was served to me I was in awe. Ground beef packed inside a deep fried boa bun served on top of tomato ketchup, American mustard with Swiss cheese and Parmesan, I was blown away at first bite. The doughnut was in no way sweet, but balanced out the rich flavours of the beef and was so incredibly moreish to the point where I commented on how much I would like to try and recreate this dish at home.
Moving on to a classic Eggs Benedict, I was reminded of a wonderful morning I spent at the Mandarin Oriental in New York having birthday breakfast overlooking Central Park. Smoked ham hough terrine with brown butter hollandaise and a quails eggs served on fresh greens. The saltiness of the terrine was offset by the buttery flavours of the hollandaise and the rich and creamy tasting egg. A simply decadent dish that tantalised my tastebuds and one that I could eat several times over.
Reading the menu for ‘Little Italy’, I was intrigued about this dish as I was unsure of what it was. When it was delivered to the table, I saw a plump agnolotti parcel; pasta stuffed with pecorino and ricotta served on a bed of pumpkin seed pesto and pickled pumpkin. Immediately transported to Little Italy where I have sampled some of the best Italian pasta known to man, I was back in New York during the fall where the chilled weather was biting but the restaurant was warming my soul. The pumpkin was flavoursome which is somewhat unusual for such a bland vegetable whilst the ricotta filled ravioli burst on tongue. A phenomenal dish that I would take great delight in eating over and over again.
The dish that I ranked the highest of all servings was the Clam and Cod chowder. Another dish that played on my memories of dining at The Boatyard nestled within Central Park. A thick cut of cod, served with barbecued leeks, grilled corn and the most delightful lemon gel that intensified the flavors of the fish. I can’t quite put into words just how succulent the fish was and how tart yet crisp the lemon gel tasted. A truly magnificent dish and definitely one of my favourites.
It’s around this time of the menu where the four dishes that I have tried are starting to lie heavily on my stomach however there’s always room for more. Bringing to the table, The Flat Iron Building. A nod to one of the first skyscrapers in New York, situated on the corner of Fifth Ave, Broadway and East 22nd Street, the Flat Iron building is iconic. The Flat Iron steak was served with a brisket croquette, Jerusalem artichoke and lovage emulsion. Brought to the table under a cloche filled with smoke, my sensation were on the edge. The smell of the steak combined with the heady flavours of the lovage and an weird feeling about artichoke was definitely an experience. I hadn’t tried artichoke before but I can confirm that I do like the taste. The steak was beautifully pink, and due to the cut of meat it did have that slight toughness however the flavours were incredible. I also particulary liked the addition of lovage, which worked particularly well with the artichoke.
The final dish in this journey around New York has to end with the quintessential The Big Apple. A showstopper of a dessert that literally made us gasp when it arrived to the table. Cinnamon and apple granola topped with a shiny red apple filled with a decadent lemon curd cheesecake. Light, fluffy and sweet, the tangy curd offset the sweetness whilst the crunch of the granola rounded off the flavours. The presentation was stunning and whilst the cheesecake was divine, I didn’t like the taste of the apple itself. Non the less, a wonderful dessert.
Each meat and fish dish at Six by Nico has a vegetarian equivalent which can be swapped into the normal menu to give that extra choice should you not like fish for example.
The New York dinner is being served until Mid November and the next menu should be released at the end of the October. I’m hoping for a Pan-Asian menu next however I’m certain that whatever they serve will be done with as much panache as the previous menus.
Thank you Six By Nico for letting me experience Cooking New York – it’s been a truly marvellous step into Manhattan as I’ve eaten my way around the city.
