‘Tis the season for a Christmas miracle, and here to save the day with his first ever festive-themed tasting menu is Six By Nico’s Chef Simeone.
Shooting to fame by turning the concept of fine dining on its head and earning a reputation as one of the most fashionable, Instagrammable joints in which to wine and dine, Chef’s six-course tasting menus have become a culinary talking point across the nation. But how, I wondered, would he take the traditional Christmas dinner and raise it to the lofty heights of his previous theatrical menus, designed to surprise, delight and baffle? After just the first course, we knew we were in for a ride – and it was every bit a joy as we had hoped.
Taking his guests on a trip down memory lane, Chef begins with a trip to a Christmas market with his sausage and onion compote, smoked sausage foam, crispy onions, pickled shallot and potato airbag. Frankly, if every trip to a market were as tasty, the percentage of people’s pay packets spent in Princes Street Gardens would rise exponentially. Smooth foam and chewy compote, heady smokiness and sweet crisp onions – it was a match made in heaven.
Course one was like taking a trip to a Christmas Market.
The ‘Partridge in a Pear Tree’ dish consisted of perfectly cooked and succulent partridge boudin, pumpkin and pear. The sweet hits of fruit (which we wished there were more of) paired beautifully with the beech smoky, and the game consommé was delicate and subtle in flavour.
But it was the third course, Who Hates Brussels Sprouts?, that had both of us gasping in delight. If you’re looking to settle the annual household dispute of ‘sprouts, or no sprouts’, this dish of chanterelle mushrooms, sprout tops, ewe’s cheese royale, confit egg yolk and fermented black garlic is sure to tip the balance in favour of these fabulous green gems. Tangy, rich, indulgent – we agreed that this was a revelation, and defy anyone to find fault with this fabulous veggie that should, in my humble opinion, feature on every Christmas plate.
Who Hates Brussels Sprouts? was a revelation.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a smoked salmon blini, which is what the fourth dish promised on the menu. Of course, by this stage, we knew better than to expect the norm. Far from the usual slap-dash affair served to the hungry masses while the turkey sits to rest, Chef enveloped us in smoke as a cloche revealed hot smoked salmon with Jerusalem artichoke, baby kale tops and Granny Smith apple, smoked caviar and buckwheat blini foam. The theatre of this dish alone was worthy of a prize. The salmon itself was flaky and matched perfectly with the tart Granny Smith. An epicurean joy and another firm favourite of the night.
The main event – Bob Cratchit’s Three Bird Roast – including breast of duck, turkey roulade with pistachio and prune, chicken liver parfait, duck fat turnip fondant, pomme soufflé, fig and red wine gel and game sauce, appeared in the blink of an eye, which is quite some feat given the culinary know-how that went into its production. The duck was beautifully rendered, the turkey roulade was gorgeously garlicky and tender, and the gel brought much needed sweetness to the hearty dish.
My plus one and I adore a sensational sweet, so the dessert shone through as an unforgettable highlight. A Buche de Noel with spiced raisin cake, Dulce de leche mousseline, sour cherry heavily soaked in Kirsh, white glacage, delectably caramelised hazelnuts and bubbling white chocolate aero – our greedy little eyes weren’t quite sure where to look first. Though the sour cherries gave balance to the dish, we delved straight into the heavenly chocolate that melted in the mouth and brought smiles to our faces. What a way to end the night.
The Christmas Yule Log, but not as you know it…
The ‘Miracle On’ six-course tasting menu costs £29 per person, (unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the matching wines at £26 per person due to current Covid restrictions). To find out more about Six By Nico, or to book a table, visit their website.
Author
TAGS
FOLLOW US
