Six by Nico Leeds menu: My thoughts on the fairytale-themed menu ‘Once Upon A Time’ at Nico Simeone's restaurant in Yorkshire with 8,000 people expected to try it

The highly anticipated second menu introduced at Six by Nico’s latest branch in Leeds has been thoughtfully named ‘Once Upon A Time’ with nearly 8,000 people set to indulge in the six-course meal.

Brand director at Six by Nico, Morgan Pope, said: “Leeds was actually our busiest site within the week of announcing, with almost 5,000 covers being booked two weeks out, leaving us with around 30 per cent of booking spaces left.

“For the full menu run, we are set to welcome almost 8,000 people again for the second menu in a row! The only times we have available are 12pm or 9pm each week, so it is really amazing to see the excitement and enjoyment still there for the concept.”

My guess as to why the restaurant is so popular is its element of surprise; there is something very satisfying about not knowing what you will get served until the menu is put in front of you when you sit at your table.

I’m an indecisive person by nature and this personality trait comes out whenever I go out for a meal with friends. Instead of spending a long time perusing the menu and choosing what to eat, at Six by Nico I was spending that valuable time indulging in the fantasy food - quite literally here with the fairytale theme.

Once Upon A Time Six by Nico: My thoughts on the new fairytale-themed menu

I was invited again for a taste of the restaurant’s latest menu with a friend, who is a vegetarian.

Guests can choose either the tasting menu alone for £39, or add a wine pairing option for an additional £30. Vegetarians and vegans can also choose to swap the meaty and seafood courses with vegetarian options.

Last month I shared my thoughts on Six by Nico’s first menu: The Chippie, below I will do the same but with one addition: Which menu was better?

Course 1 - Bird Pie (The Twits)

Description: Chicken and Duck Leg Ragu, Pickled Celeriac, Prune and Caramelised Puff Pastry

My first reaction was: Wow.

It was light, fluffy and rich; the perfect combination of flavours to start off the meal.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the mix of chicken and duck as duck is not normally my meat of choice.

Course 2 - Just Right Porridge (Goldilocks)

Description: Spaetzle, Barbecue Maitake, White Turnip, Black Garlic Dressing

Wine pairing: Feteasca Alba and Sauvignon Blanc DOC - Ville Metamorfosis (Dealu Mare, Romania)

I took a sip of the wine along with a spoonful of the Spaetzle, Barbecue Maitake, White Turnip and Black Garlic Dressing and the flavours complemented each other perfectly. The sharp taste of the white turnip blended perfectly with the other ingredients. Goldilocks would definitely approve.

My friend and I loved the unexpected sweetness of the wine, a far cry from other white wines I’ve tasted previously.

Course 3 - I Like Them! Sam-I-Am! (Dr Seuss)

Description: Smoked Ham Hough “Sandwich”, Garden Pea Pesto, Egg Yolk Jam

Wine pairing: Bevicisu Rosso, Barbera DOC - Tenuta Malgra (Piedmont, Italy)

At every wine tasting event, they will pair red wine with the red meats: steak, pork, beef. Now that I’ve tried it, I’m not surprised; the Bevicisu Rosso suited the smoked ham so well.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the garden pea pesto and egg yolk jam and the combination of ingredients created a symphony of flavours, if you will.

But what I enjoyed most about this course wasn’t actually on my menu, but on my friend’s. Her vegetarian course, an ode to Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, included a ‘peach’ stuffed with goat's cheese parfait and that was… delicious. Creamy and rich in all the right ways; I may have had a little dream about it that night.

Course 4 - Dip Face, Have a Carrot (Matilda)

Description: Sole Ballotine, Tandoori Baked Carrot, Carrot Top Pesto, Lobster Jus

Wine pairing: Pinot Grigio Colline Pescaresi IGP, Il Polpo - Diversitas (Abruzzo, Italy)

I grew up watching many 90s films, including Matilda, so reading the title took me back to my childhood; that’s a warm and cosy place to be. That feeling is very autumnal, festive and the food left me with the same feeling.

The taste of the tandoori baked carrot reminded me of Christmas dinner - which didn’t make sense since it was blistering hot that day - but something about the smell and the taste made me feel festive.

However, as I’m not a fan of seafood, I didn’t enjoy the Lobster quite as much but the mixture of carrots, carrot pesto, sole ballotine alongside the delicious pinot grigio made up for it.

Course 5 - I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff (Three Little Pigs)

Description: Pork Roulade, Pumpkin, Sweet and Sour Choucroute, Smoked Ash Emulsion, Bourguignon Jus

Wine pairing: Marriott Reserva DO, 1902 - Bodegas Tagua Tagua (Rapel Valley, Chile)

Optional £9 add-on: Barbecue West Coast Scallop, Smoked Pancetta and Truffle Butter

I don’t know whether it was the three little pigs huffing and puffing or whether it was the delicious pork, pumpkin and bourguignon, but I was definitely blown away.

The course had all of my favourite flavours wrapped up into one cosy, autumnal meal and the wine pairing of Marriott Reserva was the perfect choice - you’ve got to have a red with the red meats after all.

There was an additional side dish that you can order for an extra £9 and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the scallop, I would definitely try it again and the smoked pancetta was also delicious.

Course 6 - Brucey, Brucey (Matilda)

Description: 54% Chocolate Cremeax, Miso Caramel, Mango and Passion Fruit

Wine pairing: Moscati d’Asti DOCG, Cascina Castlet (Piedmont, Italy)

I was excitedly awaiting this course - and it did not disappoint.

The delicious chocolate cremeax and miso caramel melted in my mouth and harmoniously blended with the juicy, sweet-tasting, tangy flavour of the mango and passion fruit sorbet. Unlike most desserts, this had a slightly salty taste which is perfect for me as I enjoy savoury flavours over sweet.

I was again hit with nostalgia reading the title; one of my favourite Matilda scenes. I quote the film far too much in my daily life.

Overall, I’d say that with the autumn and festive themes mixed with nostalgia, Once Upon A Time is definitely a better menu than The Chippie, in my humble opinion, and I would certainly go again.