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.
‘A very special day’ – Northern Quarter institution The Trof added to Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
Just months after relaunching as a classic pub and dining room, Northern Quarter icon The Trof has been added to the prestigious Michelin Guide.
The long-standing Manchester bar has always been a firm favourite locally for after-work drinks, brunches, and Sunday roasts, but underwent something of a transformation back in April.
Now rebranded from simply ‘Trof’ to ‘The Trof’, the pub has a new, refined menu of British pub classics showcasing top local produce, under the steer of Matt Nellany and Jamie Pickles, of Stow fame.
The pair’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed – just months after its relaunch, The Trof has already landed a spot in the Michelin Guide.
The guide described it as a ‘welcoming’ and ‘no-nonsense’ spot that’s perfect for a lot of things, whether it’s a pint downstairs in the bar or a full meal upstairs in the dining room.
The Trof now joins a list of Manchester’s finest restaurants, including Michelin-starred Skof and Mana, Bib Gourmand-rated spots like El Gato Negro and The Sparrows, plus a raft of other brilliant food spots.
Sharing the achievement, The Trof said: “To think that our little pub on the corner of the Northern Quarter has made it in to the Michelin Guide – makes today a very special day!
“This one’s for the whole team. Up The Trof.”
Downstairs in a refurbished The TrofThe Trof’s new dining room
And adding to that, co-owner Matt Nellany told us: “Trof has been a huge part of my life for almost a decade. I worked here as a manager and General Manager before Jamie and I took ownership, so while the venue has evolved, it has always felt incredibly personal to us.
“We’ve always tried to build on the strong foundations that made Trof such an institution, but earlier this year we made the bold decision to take it in a new direction as a heritage pub and dining room.
“It wasn’t a change we made lightly. Trof was already thriving, but we had a clear vision for what it could become and felt compelled to take that next step. While the transformation may have happened over the last few months, the work and ambition behind it have been building for the best part of five years.
“Seeing the response from our guests has been incredibly rewarding and has made the risk worthwhile.
Pie and steak at The Trof in ManchesterA cherry and pistachio Bakewell pudding
“Whether people have joined us for a pint and a scotch egg, dinner in the dining room, or a Sunday roast, the support we’ve received has meant the world to us. It’s a project we’re immensely proud of, and it’s really special to see both long-time regulars and new visitors embracing this next chapter of Trof.”
The Michelin Guide said: “From its name alone, you could guess that there’s a no-nonsense approach to this red-brick pub in the city’s bustling Northern Quarter.
“Run by the same team as Stow, it’s a welcoming spot where the ground-floor pub is ideal for a pint and a snack, while the upstairs dining room is the setting for mightily appealing British dishes that come with full-force flavour.
“Ox cheek pie with mash and an intense beef sauce is typical of the kind of hearty cooking to expect. As the chef-owner is from the Peak District, expect some version of a Bakewell tart on the menu too.”
A fancy new pizzeria has opened in Manchester serving posh pizzas and seasonal sharing plates
Clementine Hall
If you’ve ever wanted a pizza with smoked eel on, then you’re in luck.
Introducing Proloco, the brand spanking new restaurant from chef Richard Carver, founder of Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza, and Dan Hope, co-founder of Manchester club Rainy Heart.
Located in One Port Street over in Ancoats, this isn’t your bog standard pizzeria – this is lavish.
Here you’ll find a weekly rotating selection of 18-inch pizzas and sharing plates all made with the very best local produce imaginable.
Forget your bog standard pepperoni slice, on the menu here you’ll find a porchetta pizza with shishito peppers and Cornish kern, a charred greens pizza with sugar snap peas and anchovies, and our personal favourite – a smoked eel pie with lemon basil and pine nuts.
There’s also a tomato butter pie, which features slithers of butter in place of your usual mozzarella.
And if you just can’t decide, you can have your pizza as a half-and-half of flavours.
Sharing plates include tomatoes with lardo, roasted beetroot and a crispy egg with mortadella and fennel.
A half-and-half pizzaBeautiful interiors of ProlocoThe butter pie pizzaSmall plates, wine, and £7 negroniProloco opens on Great Ancoats Street in AugustScoops of homemade gelatoProloco’s open kitchenThe eel pizza at Proloco
A real selling point, though, is the £7 negroni alongside a selection of honest wine and carefully chosen beer from local suppliers as well as an aperitivo list.
The interior is simple, but beautiful – a colour palette of butter yellow, blue, and huge burgundy speakers to match the chairs that invite you to sit at long banquet-worthy tables or in front of the many windows.
Richard will be calling on his longstanding relationships with producers across the North West (and beyond) for his ingredients, from flour grown and milled in the Lake District, vegetables from Cinderwood Market Garden and Organic North, artisanal charcuterie and cheeses from Somerset, and the best tomatoes and oil from Italy.
He said: “Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me.
“I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”
Proloco will officially open its doors on Great Ancoats Street on Wednesday 26 August.
Georgina Pellant -
18th January 2022 
