Six by Nico is a chain of restaurants with a unique take on food. Every six weeks the tasting menu changes. The tasting menu we had the pleasure of trying was the street food menu – each dish inspired by a different city’s street food.
Ambience & Restaurant:
Six by Nico is a beautifully designed restaurant. The theming is cohesive throughout and gives a colorful mid-century modern vibe. The ambience is perfectly curated with jazz music and soft lighting. The lower ceilings prevent the noise from the surrounding tables from traveling and this allows for a perfect noise level in the seating area. However, we did find it to be a little chilly inside, despite having the heater above our table. The restaurant itself is fully accessible including automatic doors in the bathrooms which allow wheelchair users to access them more easily. Six by Nico’s website also encourages patrons to call if any information is not available on their website. The phone directory is well organized and clear as well.
Service & Staff:
The service at Six by Nico was fantastic. The servers were extremely well-practiced at presenting the dishes and informing patrons about the ingredients present in every dish and their purpose to the dish overall. We were not able to meet with any chefs, but from the presentation and taste of all of the dishes, it is clear that the chefs at Six by Nico are also very talented. The General Manager Sandy was very kind and knowledgeable about the restaurant and the entire menu and he does an amazing job training the other staff as they did an excellent job explaining the menu (we didn’t even notice that one of our main servers was at her very first shift). The staff were quick to bring new cutlery and reset the place settings as dishes were placed. Additionally, the staff at the restaurant were extremely accommodating of an allergy that a member of our group had and were able to modify one of the dishes so that they could still enjoy the full tasting menu. We cannot praise the staff of Six by Nico enough. They were all truly wonderful.
Cocktail (Cosmopolitan)
At the moment, Six by Nico do not have an official cocktail/mocktail menu. But have no fear! The bar staff have incredible knowledge and can make you any cocktail/mocktail of your choosing (as long as they have the ingredients of course). Even if you are unsure of what cocktail/mocktail you want, you can just let them know what flavor you desire at that moment (as well as your dietary restrictions and allergies), and they can create the perfect drink for you. Riddled with choice, we decided on a classic – the cosmopolitan. This pink drink blends together vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime to create a tart yet delicious cocktail. The cocktail was beautiful with its iconic bright color, and a dried grapefruit wheel to garnish. However, I felt as if the lime was just a little bit too overpowering making it difficult to taste the other components.
Sourdough:
One of the add-ons to the tasting menu is an appetizer of sourdough bread which is accompanied by whipped smoked butter. The sourdough was perfectly baked. It was airy and had the characteristic chewiness of a sourdough bread without being overly chewy. The crust had a perfect flavor. The whipped butter was also a wonderful touch and was very smooth.
Steamed Bun – Seoul
The steamed bun was a bao style pork bun in a pork broth with enoki mushrooms and chili oil. The pork was very tender and soft as well as being perfectly seasoned. The texture of the bun was very soft and pillowy and tasted wonderful in the pork broth. The enoki mushrooms were pickled, but the pickled flavor did not overwhelm the rest of the dish. This dish is slightly spicy due to the chili oil, but we found that it was a perfect level of spice.
Samosa – Goa
The first thing you smell when the plate is placed in front of you is the fresh cress. The samosa is a traditional crispy layer of filo pastry with potato, peas, and tomato as the filling. It is accompanied by a coriander emulsion and a chili jam. The samosa was perfectly crispy and the filling was well seasoned without being spicy. The coriander emulsion did not have a strong flavor on its own, but added to the samosa it provided a well-coordinated layer of flavor to the dish. The chili jam was to die for and it had a perfect sweetness to balance with the savory aspects of the rest of the dish.
Kebab – Istanbul
The kebab was crispy lamb belly accompanied by a smooth green salsa and a garlic foam with cabbage and pickled golden raisins. The lamb was cooked perfectly, without being greasy, and the crispiness provided a nice contrast to the smoother elements of the dish. The pickled golden raisins were a spot of brightness and cut through the rich creamy flavors of the garlic foam while still maintaining the cohesiveness of the dish. We especially appreciated that the garlic foam and cabbage were presented as a separate element to the kebab so you were able to use as much or as little as you would like.
Taco – Mexico City
This dish included a piece of coal fish as well as a crispy tortilla filled with more of the same fish. It was accompanied by crunchy barbecue corn, a corn puree, and a jalapeno and tomatillo salsa. The dish had so many elements, but all of them came together into the perfect blend of flavors. The fish was beautifully cooked and worked so well with the freshness and spice of the salsa. The tortilla was wonderfully crispy and the fish inside was the perfect texture. The corn puree was our favorite part as it was so creamy and rich; a perfect accompaniment to the fresh flavors of the fish. This dish was very well-balanced. Barbequed corn added a nice smokiness to the dish, and the crunch was a lovely contrast to the soft fish, corn puree, and the salsa.
Satay – Jakarta
This dish included two pieces of chicken, breast and leg roulade and was accompanied by satay sauce, peanut crumble, and grilled pak choy. The chicken was so tender and juicy and cooked very well. The peanuts were the perfect contrast to the chicken and added a wonderful crunch. The satay sauce had a perfect peanut-y sweetness without being overwhelming. Finally, the pak choy was perfectly grilled and very fresh. The emulsion was nice and cut through the satay sauce. We also can’t forget the shallot jam which was a delightful addition. It was sweet and a little tangy, perfectly complementing the savory flavors already on the plate.
Coffee – Hanoi
This dish incorporated several sweet elements including a chocolate mousse, a vanilla sorbet, dulce de leche, and crisp, burnt chocolate. The coffee shard laid on top had a nice mild flavor. Additionally, there was also a lime sauce. One of the members of our group was not able to have the coffee elements due to an allergy, but the dish remained impressively good despite this. The ice cream was so smooth and fresh tasting and the dulce de leche and chocolate mousse were creamy and rich with the perfect amount of flavor. We found the crunchy elements to be a wonderful contrast to the smoother parts of the dish. At first we were unsure about the lime gel, but it provided some wonderful freshness to cut through the richness of the rest of the dish. If you are not really a fan of the rich and sweet flavor, the lime gel is a refreshing counterbalance.
Final Comments:
Overall, Six by Nico was a wonderful experience. We would highly recommend their menus to anyone who is looking for a fun dining experience with fresh food and fantastic service. For the more adventurous, in addition to their six-part tasting menu, Six by Nico also offers blind tasting menus on select days. We would highly recommend this restaurant. At the time of writing Six by Nico is switching menus to their Best of 2023 menu.