‘We’re not about fine dining!’
CHEF ON WHAT DINERS CAN EXPECT WHEN SIX-COURSE RESTAURANT OPENS IN CITY
DESTINATION dining and tasting experience Six By Nico is coming to Cardiff and owner Nico Simeone has stressed the restaurant is “definitely not about fine dining”.
Six By Nico will open in the Welsh capital on Monday.
It features a six-course tasting menu which will change every six weeks, curated by Nico and his culinary team and is “inspired by a different memory, place or idea”.
It already has popular branches in London, Manchester and Liverpool, having first opened in 2017.
In an exclusive interview about the move to High Street, Cardiff, Nico stressed the aim of Six By Nico is to be affordable and accessible to everyone.
Nico said: “At Six By Nico, we’re definitely not about fine dining. We simply want everyone to be able to have a very enjoyable tasting menu experience at an affordable cost. This is what we set out to do as a team and are genuinely proud of.”
Its first Welsh restaurant will have a strong Welsh theme.
Nico said: “From the food to the decor, everything has been designed to highlight distinctive aspects of Cardiff, Wales, and Six By Nico. This creates a cohesive atmosphere and makes it possible to feel Cardiff ’s natural beauty throughout the experience.”
Nico also spoke about why they chose Cardiff as the next city to launch a restaurant.
He said: “Our teams always search for cities that feel matched with what we do creatively with food and our philosophy of being inexpensive when planning future expansion.
“We are constantly discussing areas that we would like to open one day, and Cardiff was on the list. Cardiff, like my homeland of Glasgow, has a bright and buzzy vibe in my opinion.”
The first menu will be ‘The Chippie’, which is the first tasting menu ever created by Nico and his team.
Nico explained: “The inspiration behind this concept takes me back to my Scots-Italian heritage and childhood. When I was growing up, my family had a chippie and I used to work with them on weekends.
“I even just went and spent time with them there from as young as I can remember. So I suppose The Chippie is a celebration of this and where I first started being so heavily involved with food.”
Nico has even been eyeing up a visit to Cardiff’s famous Caroline Street. He said: “I believe Chippy Lane is the place to go? It’s not far from our restaurant, so perhaps a few trips are pending there over the next few weeks while I’m down!”
From The Chippie, Nico’s favourite dishes are the steak pie and the smoked sausage.
He said: “The steak pie course is so simple but has such a big flavour profile - the mushroom duxelle and the ‘meaty salsa’ really enhance this dish. Because of this too, the vegetarian version doesn’t sacrifice any flavour or elements (other than the meat of course), so I think it’s perfect for everyone enjoying The Chippie menu.
“The smoked sausage course is also one of my top dishes from this menu due to the theatrics at the table - I won’t spoil anything, but the aroma of the dish quite literally fills the room and envelops everyone in this dish before you even taste it. And to be able to do that, I think, is pretty cool.”
Nico also discussed why the number six was so paramount in the restaurant from six courses to changing the menu every six weeks.
He said: “To be honest, the number six just felt right when coming up with the concept back in 2017.
“A lot of people ask me this but I just had a feeling when writing out the menu - from the flow of the experience for every guest makes for the ultimate journey.
“Changing the menu every six weeks just made sense for everyone too - guests have enough time to find the perfect date that works and teams from marketing to our creative development chefs and our restaurant teams, have the excitement of creating something new constantly.
“It really challenges us but lets us have fun all the time! I suppose that’s what food is all about - not being restricted, challenging yourself and exciting customers.”
Clearly influenced by his roots, his family and his upbringing, Nico - who says his “guilty pleasure” is beans on toast with Worcestershire sauce - loves eating and enjoying family recipes at home.
He said: “My cousins, aunts, and uncles were always a huge part of my childhood because my family is of Italian ancestry. One of the first things I learned to make was my nonna’s sugo, which was a common meal she would serve to my family at the dinner table.”
The star chef also hinted that Cardiff might not be Six By Nico’s only Welsh restaurant, saying: “Never say never, I guess you’ll just have to watch this space...”