Eats

Six By Nico unveils Catalonia taster menu with ‘Patatas Bravas’, Paella Blanco and Burnt Vanilla Creme

WHAT a menu.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 7th September 2023

It's going to be the perfect way to finish off this September heatwave.

Another six weeks has flown by and Six By Nico is already tempting us back with a brand new taster menu that'll keep us high in summer spirits, even as we head into the colder months of the year.

The new six course menu is an ode to Catalonia, where Six By Nico says it took inspiration from the "coastal towns and culinary food scene" as well as classics tourist experiences like tasting "a Crema Catalana to perfect Paella’s, and of course a trip to the famous El Bulli restaurant museum".

The Catalonia menu will replace the Once Upon A Time, which saw Six By Nico fans choose their own dishes to 'create their own story' for its Leeds debut.

Running from Monday 25 September, bookings in advance are recommended - you'll struggle to get a seat, particularly at the weekend otherwise, it's a popular one Leeds.

Crispy Potato Terrine, Manchego Espuma, Smoked Tomato and Roasted Garlic Aioli.

Course 1: Patatas Bravas

Crispy Potato Terrine, Manchego Espuma, Smoked Tomato and Roasted Garlic Aioli

Vegetarian alternative: Crispy Potato Terrine, Ricotta Espuma, Smoked Tomato & Roasted Garlic Aioli

Chicken Arrollado, Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel.

Course 2: Gaudí

Chicken Arrollado, Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel

Vegetarian alternative: Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel

Pan Con Tomate, Heirloom Tomato, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoked Salt

Course 3: El Bulli 1894 – 2011

Pan Con Tomate, Heirloom Tomato, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoked Salt

Black Pollock, Pickled Mussel, Black Rice Cake, Saffron Emulsion, Courgette and Shellfish Cappuccino.

Course 4: Arroz Negro

Black Pollock, Pickled Mussel, Black Rice Cake, Saffron Emulsion, Courgette and Shellfish Cappuccino

Vegetarian alternative: Paella Blanco, Courgette & Fino Sherry Cappuccino

Belly & Cheek Of Pork, Sobrasada, White Bean Ragú and Red Pepper, (plus you can add Barbecue Prawn, Chorizo and Espelette Pepper for £9.

Course 5: Pork Barbacoa

Belly and Cheek Of Pork, Sobrasada, White Bean Ragú and Red Pepper, (plus you can add Barbecue Prawn, Chorizo and Espelette Pepper for £9)

Vegetarian alternative: Saffron Tortilla, Tetilla Cheese, Roasted Garlic Emulsion & Calcot Onions

Burnt Vanilla Creme, Poached Prune, Honey & Fennel Seed.

Course 6: Crema Catalan

Burnt Vanilla Creme, Poached Prune, Honey and Fennel Seed

Snacks

Jamon or Goats Cheese Bombas (£8 each)

Gordal Olives (£5 each)

A version of the Catalonia menu was last seen in 2019 in Glasgow, and the return of crowd-pleasers like the Jamon Bombas, Smoked Chilli Compote and aioli (originally the first course, now the accompanying snack) as well as heirloom tomatoes and Paella with Crisp Mussels have all been spotted on the new menu.

The six course menu costs £39 per person, with the option to add wine pairings on for £30.

About Six By Nico:

Six by Nico is a restaurant concept by celebrated chef Nico Simeone, where the six course taster menu changes every six weeks.

The brainchild of Scottish chef Nico Simone, the eponymous restaurant chain has proven a hit with locals and tourists across the country for its affordable themed tasting menus.

Previous hit menus at Six by Nico include its Chippy Tea, which offered a unique take on the traditional fish and chip shop dinner, its Fairytale menu, and its Alice In Wonderland-inspired supper with a hot mushroom consomme ‘tea’ and edible sugar paper menus.

potato terrine with mustard on a blue plate.
The Chippie. / Image: The Hoot Leeds

First founded by Scottish chef Nico Simone in the Finnieston area of Glasgow in 2017, today Six By Nico has ten sites across the UK. The new Manchester and Leeds site now mark 12 in total for the group.

Prior to opening Six By Nico, its eponymous head chef ran another restaurant called 111 in Kelvinside. However, following the pandemic, chef-owner Nico gifted this to a young Senegalese man who worked his way up from kitchen porter to head chef at the establishment.

His original restaurant is now known as 111 by Modou, in homage to its new owner Modou Diagne.

Speaking on the change at the time, Nico Simone toldThe Herald Scotland: “The time feels right, both for myself and Modou. This has been a personal dream of mine since meeting Modou in 2014, not only getting to know him as a close colleague, but he has become like family to me.

“Six by Nico is going from strength to strength, and as such there are increasing requirements for my energy to continue that development. There is no one I trust more to hand the reins to than Modu.”

Read More:

Catalonia will be the third taster menu for Leeds, with previous menus including The Chippie, and Once Upon A Time.

Feature Image - The Hoot Leeds

https://thehootleeds.com/whats-on/inside-the-new-leeds-restaurant-serving-a-different-tasting-menu-every-6-weeks/

Eats

Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky

Danny Jones Danny Jones

She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.

A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.

They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.

And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.

We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…

Images: Get Baked

Yes—scratch that; HELL YES! Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.

Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?

Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.

With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.

Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”

In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:

@the.manc @GET BAKED® are giving away 1000 slices of Bertha right now at their new store in Northern Quarter and Manchester, you turned up 👏 #themanc #manchester #getbaked #giveaway #newopening #bakery #queue #manchesterfood #manchestereats #cake ♬ original sound - The Manc

Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”

Read more: The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant

Featured image - Get Baked

Eats

The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.

Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.

Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.

But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.

Image: Supplied

And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.

The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.

The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.

Image: Supplied

The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.

Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.

“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”

Bookings for The Swine Bistro can be made here.

Read more: Popeyes announces official opening date for Leeds City Centre restaurant

Featured image - Supplied

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