Restaurant review: ‘Cooking Childhood’ at Six By Nico

Do you have a lucky number? For chef and restauteur Nico Simeone, the answer must be six.

He has built a successful empire that revolves entirely around this figure, with specially curated menus featuring six dishes that swap over every six weeks.

Nico’s latest creation in London (he also has venues in Edinburgh, Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow and Liverpool – again, six in total) is dubbed ‘Cooking Childhood’.

It is a ‘playful and nostalgic’ six-course, paired with wines from across the globe.

Firstly, if the idea of going to a restaurant right now makes you nervous, I am happy to report that Six by Nico has gone to huge efforts to keep guests safe.

All staff wear face masks and there’s branded hand sanitiser on every table that smells so fantastic that many people asked if they could take it home with them. Alas, it reminded me of an ex boyfriend, so I did not.

After a quick Cointreau cocktail, which was a tad too sweet for me (it has cream on top) it was on to the tasting.

My plus one is a vegan, and although Six by Nico only offers a vegetarian menu, they were able to adapt her meals – which is a big plus in their favour and shows that they value customer service.

First up was a snack that isn’t actually part of the menu, but ended up being one of my favourite dishes of the evening: the Beef Burger Doughnut. As the name suggests, it’s a twist on a classic burger, a round ball made with sourdough bread and roast chicken butter that made my mouth water.

Even now, as I think about that butter (we had it with the bread at the start too), I start to salivate.

If you’re considering skipping this delicious morsel, don’t – you’ll regret it.

The appetiser was followed by dish number one: lasagne. Sure, it sounds basic, but that’s kind of the point of the entire menu (childhood classics, remember?) and the food is anything but.

The crispy lasagne itself is actually green in colour, paired with ox cheek ragu and Parmesan espuma (Spanish word for foam or froth). It’s yummy and moreish, and the only complaint I have is that it is far too tiny (you can finish it in one bite) but that’s how tasting menus work, so I won’t hold that against chef Nico.

On to Fish Fingers, made up of salmon tartare, served with kohlrabi, lime gel, pepper dulse and shaoshing dressing. Unfortunately, I can’t actually tell you what the seafood tastes like, because I don’t eat raw fish – however, the vegetarian option (which is exactly the same, but minus the salmon) is… OK.

My friend was a fan of this dish, especially as it works for her vegan palate, but the texture and look made me feel a bit queasy and reminded me of – I hate to say it – maggots. It’s a no on this one from me.

It was however paired by a superb French rosé from Languedoc (Terre Des Dames), presented by our waiter for the evening – the restaurant’s Scottish sommelier, who was a big part of why our experience was so fun (he was also gorgeous, but let’s not creep on the staff).

Next up, Eggy Soldiers: Cacklebean egg, brown butter & celeriac espuma, celeriac soldier and lovage, which was flavoursome but not overtly memorable – however perfectly paired with the white wine (Strange Kompanjie, a Chenin Blanc from Western Cape, South Africa).

And now, we get to the really good stuff: the truffle Mac ‘N’ Cheese with charred cauliflower, aged cheddar and gherkin ketchup – which was crisp, yet creamy and beautifully presented (which is difficult to do when the ingredients are a shade of white and brownish green).

Most people either love or hate the taste of truffle. I fall into the latter category and if you do too, you needn’t worry about missing a meal – the chefs kindly made it for me without truffle, which is yet another testament to the superb service at Six by Nico.

As is our Scottish waiter, who happily answered all of our questions and whose love of wine is infectious. The accent didn’t hurt (again, I’ll stop creeping on the staff).

And finally, the pièce de résistance – the dish that would make me return time and time again.

Please let me introduce Duck, Duck Goose: a plate of wonder, featuring XO duck breast, leg bonbon, gnocchi and pumpkin and black garlic emulsion, served alongside a glass of Lev Pivoines from Burgundy, France – the best wine of the evening.

Up until this point, I was wondering whether I’d leave Six by Nico feeling hungry, due to the small portion sizes. But the succulent, gorgeous duck, alongside the Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses dessert (savarin cream, raspberry, lychee and rose) more than filled me up.

All in all, we had a great experience, though it’s quite a pricey visit if you decide to go for both the food (£35) and the wine (£33).However, you only have to pay this amount every six weeks to enjoy everything Six by Nico has to offer, so it works out quite nicely.

We can’t wait to see what the creative chef comes up with next.