This courageous tasting experience is still torn between aficionados and sceptics... can this menu be the answer?
by Rory Buccheri (@rebelfoodrory)
pictured: the snack (Caramel Chicken with chilli sauce) and the aperitif (Mai Thai)
As per tradition, the six-week menu turnaround taking place at Six by Nico has brought in a new set of courses to delight your taste buds.
With more spicy kicks than its predecessor 'The Chipper', the new 'Thai Fusion' tasting experience has an equal amount of reliable classics and experimental dishes.
The Gaudie had the honour to enjoy the full tasting and wine pairing experiences with satisfaction, but some have wondered whether the full £81 experience is worth the money.
I am in agreement with my fellow journalist that the tasting experience in itself, priced at £37 pounds, is worth spending a few more pennies on a night out. When you start adding up the wine pairing (£30) and the aperitif and snacks (£7.50 each), it can get on the expensive side.
Still, for that price you can get as a comprehensive tasting experience as you could possibly imagine, whereas for many places the £80 quota is just a starting point.
As we noticed when skimming the menu, despite Six by Nico being a high-end restaurant, you can get a full bottle of wine foe £22 pounds. Not bad, right?
But let's get to Thai Fusion and what it's all about...
Courses 1 (Beef Massaman), 2 (Pork Belly) and 3 (Pumpkin Spring Roll) are somewhat of a classic revisited. With their accompanying lemongrass notes, green curry sauce and mango, they are the true centres of the Thai experience with some of its key flavours.
pictured from left to right: Beef Massaman; Pork Belly (in hot & sour tom yum sauce); Pumpkin Spring Roll.
The last 3, on the other hand, are boldly more about the Fusion.
Course 4, the Claypot Bass, was one of my favourites on the menu, combining local ingredients such as the super fresh bass, with a slab of coconut and an accompanying Thai-inspired sauce.
The same can be said about course 5, the Penang Chicken, which for me was the most unremarkable (if still flavoursome) of the six.
When it came to the Palm Sugar Delice (the sixth and final), it had to live to the high expectations of its predecessor from The Chipper (and it didn't).
Despite not being able to surpass or equal the Irn Bru sorbet and Deep Fried Mars Bar, it was still a great dessert to end the night on.
pictured from left to right: Claypot Bass; Penang Chicken; Sugar Palm Delice.
Some things have improved since our last visit.
The service was impeccable this time around, with every glass of delicious wine arriving just on time before the accompanying course.
As usual, the waiting staff was splendidly polite and informed about every single course and every single wine - an expertise which I find a dazzling companion to the food and irreplaceable within the wider experience.
pictured: three of the six accompanying wines.
Overall, this was an interesting and perfectly pleasant experience. I believe we saw Chef Nico's vision at its peak performance with The Chipper. Nonetheless, the Thai Fusion menu is yet another demonstration of the creative muscles at work in Six by Nico, and the culinary talent both the chef and its cooks nurture so well.
Aberdeen is lucky to be home to Six by Nico. I sincerely cannot wait to see (and taste) what's next.
Curious about the behind the scenes at Six by Nico? Follow our food journalist @rebelfoodrory and snoop around Nico's kitchen, and many more!
