A restaurant in Manchester has released a new tasting menu inspired by the weird and wonderful world of fairytales.
Crowd-pleasing favourite Six By Nico is known for its six-course tasting menus that change every six weeks.
Its newest menu A Feast of Stories draws inspiration from children’s storybooks and fairytales with nods to the likes of well-known tales Beauty and The Beast, Oliver Twist and Matilda.
The most eye-catching dish, based on pictures alone, looks to be the final course – a rose-shaped dessert served in a glass cloche.
Image: Six By Nico
Reminiscent of the dying, enchanted rose that marks the Beast’s final chance for redemption, Six By Nico’s version is completely edible – a combination of mascarpone creme, rose, hibiscus and rhubarb.
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Elsewhere you’ll find the unironically named ‘Please Sir, Can I Have Some More’, a combination of confit potato, hay baked potato mousseline, preserved wild Garlic and pickled onion.
Promising to ‘leave you hungry for more’ diners are advised on this first course to ‘lift the lid to reveal a satisfying second helping’ as chef Nico Simone plays with one of his strengths, the contrast of appearance and reality.
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Further dishes include the intriguing-sounding ‘Paddington Bear Marmalade’ with mushroom XO marmalade, sourdough bruschetta, truffle and ox cheek ragou and a Matilda-inspired tandoori carrot dish with carrot remoulade, carrot top pesto, saffron pickled carrot, citrus goats curd.
Further down the menu, there’s a Danny, Champion of the World-inspired plate of cured and torched Loch Etive trout, smoked bone veloute, artichoke, sea herbs, bergamot gel and salted cucumber and duck dish that nods to the infamous tale of the ugly duckling.
TItled ‘The Ugly Duckling, the Most Beautiful’, here chefs combine duck, leg boulangere, pickled walnut, salsify, toasted cereal, pear and fig.
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‘The Ugly Duckling, the Most Beautiful’ / Image: Six by Nico
As well as vegetarian alternatives, the ‘Once Upon a Time’ theme also offers a Mary Poppins – Spoonful of Sugar Aperitif and Fantastic Mr Fox– Farmer Bunce’s liver and doughnuts as a side snack.
The menu promises to ‘take guests on a journey through the huggable bear from Peru’s adventures in London, across the dark and mysterious forest that surrounds the Beast’s Castle and into the river with the Ugly Duckling as he matures into a majestic Swan – the most beautiful bird of all. ‘
Chef Nico Simeone said: “Our ‘Once Upon A Time’ theme is a gastronomic journey through the enchanting realm of fairytales and folklore.
“It’s also a new chapter for Six by Nico restaurants as we introduce a new wave of engaging themes that provide our customers with unique food and drink experiences”.
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The menu is priced at £32 per person with the option to enjoy matching wine pairing for an additional £27. Additional aperitifs and snack sides are not included in the set price.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
Georgina Pellant -
18th January 2022 
