Located in central Leeds, Six By Nico can be found on East Parade. Founded by the chef Nico Simeone, the concept is to offer affordable tasting menus of six course (Six By Nico!) that changes frequently so gives you something to come back for.
I have got to say I thought it was an interesting concept and a fun and different night out experience. Is it high end? No, but I’m not sure it’s trying to be. For me its trying to bring tasting menus to the masses and on that objective it appears to be working.
The concept has been launched in 17 different locations and when you frequently hear about how hospitality is struggling (think Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds, which folded after racking up £1 million in debts!) its nice to come across a success story in the space.
And a successful story it certainly looks like. On the night of our visit it was rammed with queues in the bar waiting for tables. I shudder to think what the wait might be on a weekend night
As mentioned the menu changes frequently on a 6 week cycle and for our visit the concept was “Alice in Wonderland”. I am sure there is a team of people at Nico HQ constantly scratching their heads trying to come up with all the new concepts!
The idea is that they look to offer an affordable 6 course tasting menu, which at £40 I feel they have pulled it off. You can also add wine pairing for an additional £30 so there is no need to spend an age trying to work out who owes what at the end of the meal out its all pretty easy to understand before you have even ordered.
Word of warning! For those with a a healthy appetite don’t expect to walk away feeling full to the brim. You are more likely to be casting longing looks towards Greggs and Maccy’s. But this is the same for every tasting menu I have ever had so not unusual. And a lot more acceptable when you have paid £40 for your meal!
The Food At Six By Nico
I have got to say I enjoyed the food everything was really well presented and couldn’t find any faults. The great thing about offering a tasting menu is that the kitchen only has to produce a small number of dishes which surely helps with ensuring quality remains high and the presentation is spot on.
Any Downsides To Six By Nico
In truth nothing major. It seemed to me that they were a little short staffed which can be an issue with hospitality these days. Sadly this means that those staff that are present have to work doubly hard to keep up the standards. Sadly when you are offering a tasting menu any missing staff members are noticed more than in a standard restaurant. With a tasting menu there is a degree of theatre with the individual courses and when you overlay this with a corresponding wine flight it felt a little bit rushed at times. Did it take away from the experience? A little to be honest, but it was also really apparent that the staff were working really hard to keep all the plates spinning and my sympathies were with them.
Should You Go To Six By Nico
That’s an absolute yes. You will have a great time if you go with the right outlook. You aren’t getting fine dining for 6 courses for £40. But you are getting some interesting courses of food presented in a novel way with a bit of food theatre thrown in. Go you won’t regret it. I mean who doesn’t want to see Smoking Jammie Dodgers!