Six by Nico, Fitzrovia

 If you’ve not heard of Six by Nico coming to London, then I imagine you’ve been living under a rock. Despite launching in London under pretty testing times, it appears to have taken it by storm with a busy schedule and a pretty constant flow of insta pics. 

The premise of Six by Nico is simple; ‘experience a brand new six course tasting menu every 6 weeks - each one themed upon a different place or  memory, from Chef Nico Simeone.’

Priced at £35 for 6-courses, with the wine pairing sitting at £33, it presents a reasonable mid-week dining experience at a much lower price bracket than your traditional tasting menu. 

The venue is super central, located on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, which made for an easy journey there. As you enter the process is slick, with everyone being pretty efficient (and covid safe) from the offset. Interior wise it’s nice - pretty simple, nothing too fancy - and it doesn’t present the stuffiness (some) higher brow places can which can sometimes feel intimidating. 

You’re presented with the option of vegetarian or meat - but if you have dietary requirements it’s simple to swap out one course, for example they catered for my friend who is pregnant fantastically. 

Within 5 minutes of deciding on a menu; the first course arrives. I had expected this - it’s no surprise that the churn of customers needs to be high to offer 6-courses at £35. The first course was Lasagne -Crispy Lasagne / Ox Cheek Ragu / Parmesan Espuma - one of my favourite courses, it was tasty and, to be honest, a bit of a comfort dish. 

Our second course was fish fingers. As one of my childhood favourites, I was excited for the Fish Fingers - Salmon Tartare / Kohlrabi / Lime Gel / Pepper Dulse / Shaoshing Dressing - and rightly so. This dish for me was right on the money, providing the light but yet powerful flavours it did. A real stand-out dish. 

Then we went onto Eggy Soldiers - Cacklebean Egg / Brown Butter & Celeriac Espuma / Celeriac Soldier / Lovage - and I’d be doing myself an injustice if I didn’t mention that I dislike eggs. But I tried it, and I didn’t hate it. My friends, much more experienced egg eaters, assured me that it was - in fact - rather tasty.

Another favourite turned tasting menu; Mac ‘n’ Cheese - Truffle Mac’n’Cheese / Cauliflower / Aged Cheddar / Gherkin Ketchup. This was a tasty dish - it wasn’t a wow dish, but it was nice. I think for me, I associate macaroni cheese with comfort. With hangovers. With being at home. So there’s no way I could dislike it, but I wasn’t wowed.

The final savoury course was Duck, Duck, Goose! - XO Duck Breast / Leg Bonbon / Gnocchi / Pumpkin & Black Garlic Emulsion. This was my least favourite course, it was still tasty but the flavours were perhaps mismatched for me. What I cannot fault is the presentation, it really was rather incredible and I think their attention to detail was fantastic.

The last - and only sweet course - was my absolute favourite RING-A-RING-A-ROSES - Savarin Creme / Raspberry / Lychee / Rose. I have a sweet tooth - but ehmeerghad, this appealed to it perfectly. It was light, fresh - but yet so sweet. Of all the dishes, I felt this showed the most potential and I loved every bite...so much in fact I have no pictures of it. 

Six by Nico is a perfect example of how to bring tasting menus to the masses. The food is nice, there is obvious skill within the kitchen but it isn’t your fancy 1* restaurant...and it doesn’t need to be because what it does is fit for purpose entirely. 

It is, what I would describe, as an entry-level tasting and at an incredibly reasonable price. If you’re frequenting the top Michelin starred places in London (er, jealous) then you’re not going to come away and disclose “it’s the best meal I’ve ever had”, but you’ll no doubt nod to the skill that they do show and how seamlessly they deliver something than can be so complex.

So give it a try - and see what you think! It’s a great, different night out that provides a bit more of a thrill than a standard night out.

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https://www.sixbynico.co.uk/london/booking/

41 Charlotte St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RR