Six by Nico Leeds: I tried the Guilty Pleasures menu at the Yorkshire restaurant and decided to go for the vegetarian option with mocktails - here’s what I thought

The Yorkshire Post was invited to try the latest menu Guilty Pleasures at Six by Nico on East Parade in Leeds.

As always I walked into the restaurant last week with a mixture of emotions. What I find interesting about these concepts is that you have no idea what you will be served until they place the menu in front of you.

The name doesn’t give anything away but one thing that did come to mind when I thought about ‘guilty pleasures’ was unconventional treats. That’s where my curiosity kicked in.

Unlike before, I dined alone this time and my stomach was growling. Since I had been taking a break from alcohol this month, I asked if they had any mocktail options and, to my surprise, they did.

While there are no mocktails shown on the menus, I was told that you can request alcohol-free drinks. Depending on the type of cocktail base you normally enjoy, whether that’s fruity, minty, pina colada, gin or vodka based, they can whip up some delicious drinks for you.

They are prepared spontaneously depending on your tastebuds, so I went with a berry infused mocktail and let’s just say it was berry delicious.

I tried the vegetarian Guilty Pleasures menu at Six by Nico in Leeds - here’s what I thought

Guests can choose either the tasting menu alone which is £42 or adding a wine pairing option for an additional £33 and vegetarians can choose to swap the meaty and seafood courses with vegetarian options.

As always there are six courses as well as snacks and aperitifs to choose from at an additional cost. I decided to go for a snack before the first course.

While I would normally include chicken in my daily meals, I am quite flexible and often I find that vegetarian dishes taste better. That day I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy meal as I started at 4.45pm so I decided to go vegetarian.

Snack - Cheesy Beano Croquettes

Description: Scamorza Mozzarella, Roasted Tomato Ketchup and Hendersons Relish

This was absolutely delicious. I’m a huge fan of cheese (that's why I couldn’t be a vegan).

The Scamorza Mozzarella was divine and mozzarella is one of my favourite types of cheeses due to its light taste which complemented the tomato ketchup and Hendersons Relish nicely.

The rich flavours and generous portion size made this feel like an extra course rather than an amuse bouche. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Course 1 - Breakfast Muffin

Description: Porcini Mushroom Bon Bon, Aged Cheddar, Truffle Emulsion and Egg Yolk Jam

When I first saw ‘mushroom’ in the description I wasn’t sure what to expect because it’s not normally my vegetable of choice; I do enjoy it when it is embedded in a pastry but it’s not my go-to ingredient.

However, I enjoyed this course a lot, the aged cheddar, truffle emulsion and egg yolk jam (which I had never heard of before) blended with the mushroom perfectly. I fully expected the cheddar to be too rich in taste but it was just right.

The egg yolk jam was delicious too. I felt this course was a nice transition to the next course.

Course 2 - Loaded Potato Skin

Description: Lyonnaise Potato Terrine, Sweet Onion Jam, Chive Emulsion and Whipped Creme Fraiche

I love potatoes, so I was looking forward to this course - and I wasn’t disappointed. The chive flavours were subtle but its light taste brought out the other ingredients and I felt satisfied. Although I was already starting to feel full; maybe it was the delicious mocktails or the glasses of water I was having, but I was glad I wore a dress and not jeans.

Course 3 - Mac and Cheese

Description: Grilled Mac and Cheese, Cauliflower Couscous, Jalapeno Gherkin Ketchup and Pickled Golden Raisins

I don’t know whether it was the fact that I was already feeling full or that I most likely have an intolerance to cream or cream-based ingredients, but I didn’t enjoy this course as much as the others. The Jalapeno Gherkin Ketchup may have been a bit too rich for my taste.

However, I did enjoy the sweetness of the Pickled Golden Raisins, they really helped cut through the strong flavours.

I had been asked if I had any intolerances or allergies and I chose not to mention my intolerance to cream as this has been a relatively recent discovery.

Course 4 - Bolognese

Description: Toasted Fregola Sarda, Smoked Tomato, Kalamata Olive and Olive Oil Toasted Brioche

I really enjoyed the delicious flavours and I found the ingredients delightful.

It’s a unique spin on an Italian pasta which I liked, despite still feeling full.

Course 5 - Nico Fried Celeriac

Description: Salt Baked Celeriac, NFC Crumb, Charred Corn, Black Garlic Emulsion and Onion ‘Cafe Au Lait’

By this point, my appetite was returning and this course felt like the perfect soother. I really liked the sweetcorn on top of the salt baked celeriac.

The black garlic emulsion and onion ‘cafe au lait’ toned down the tang of the celeriac and added a bit of sweetness to the ingredients which was a great shift to the dessert.

Course 6 - Warm Cookie Dough

Description: Hazelnut and Chocolate Cookie, Summer Raspberry, Praline Cremeux, Vanilla Espuma

This was my favourite course. They always say you have a different stomach for dessert but the sweetness of the cookie dough cookie helped to cleanse the palate for a great end to a six-course meal.

I always enjoy something sweet or minty to end a heavy meal and this was perfect. The Vanilla Espuma was light and fluffy and complemented the cookie flawlessly.

I understand why the menu is called Guilty Pleasures now; the flavours were eclectic and most of the courses included cheese. All cheesy films, songs or musicals are considered guilty pleasures.

I decided to finish my dessert with a peppermint tea which was heaven. The perfect end to an enjoyable and eye-opening meal.