Food & Drink

Six By Nico reopens in Manchester with Circus menu

The latest six-course offering from the Spring Gardens concept puts a 'show-stopping' spin on Big Top-type grub.

The Manc The Manc - 15th April 2021

Six By Nico has unveiled a brand new menu ahead of its grand reopening on May 17 – welcoming customers back with ‘The Circus’.

The restaurant – which has five sites across the UK – regularly rotates its dishes in line with a changing theme; serving half-a-dozen specially-made small plates paired with ‘perfect’ drinks.

Former menus have included the likes of ‘Chippy Tea’ and ‘Bombay Kitchen’ – but Head Chef Nico Simeone is preparing to launch a very different concept in time for the return of indoor hospitality next month.

Six By Nico’s new ‘Circus’ menu is described as containing a “little bit of mystery, a little bit of magic, and a whole lot of joy” – putting a classy spin on traditional Big Top grub.

The new Circus menu at Six By Nico

Plates include ‘Waffles & Ice Cream’ (chicken liver parfait, peach, potato); ‘Candy Butchers’ (beef carpaccio, burger sauce, parmesan) and ‘The Illusionist’ (chicken, artichoke, shrimp).

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The second half of the show stars ‘A-Crab-atics’ (sole, baby courgette, crab tortellini); ‘The Greatest Show’ (smoked flat iron, wild garlic, black truffle emulsion, ox cheek pasty); and the ‘The Grand Finale’ (peanut butter parfait, with rhubarb, blood orange, candy floss). 

Vegetarian alternatives include swapping out meat dishes for the likes of goats cheese mousse, herb gnocchi, and smoked cep mushroom.

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Head Chef Nico Simeone’s new concept is coming to Manchester in May

Chef Simeone said: “The circus is a fascinating visual and our reopening menu is full with colourful, unpretentious, playful dishes. 

“Everybody needs a little extra excitement right now and our team had lots of fun developing and creating this theme as we prepare to reopen our Six by Nico restaurants across the country.”

During the latest lockdown, Six By Nico Manchester has been sending food kits out around the city – offering diners the opportunity to tuck into tasting menus in their own homes.

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The restaurant also launched its own masterclass series in January – teaching viewers how to “prep, plate and pair recipes that wow friends and family.”

Six By Nico Manchester has been closed since autumn 2020 due to restrictions – but the new Circus menu is set to mark the restaurant’s comeback on May 17.

Served Monday through to Sunday, the six courses will be available from noon to late – priced at £32 per person (with the option to enjoy a selected wine pairing for an additional £26). A vegetarian alternative is available for every course.

The Circus will run at Six By Nico Manchester from May 17 – June 27.

Tables are available to book online.

Food & Drink

Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.

At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.

Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.

Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.

The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.

A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.

The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.

It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.

Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group

The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.

According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.

These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.

There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.

The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.

The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr

Ged sold 6,000 a week.

And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).

Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.

The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine

The main gripe people seem to have with the Manchester Christmas Markets is the prices of food and drinks, blasting them every year like a broken record as being ‘overpriced’.

So we’ve done the hard slog for you, running all around the city centre to suss out exactly how much everything is costing in 2024.

From Piccadilly Gardens (rebranded as The Winter Gardens for the season) to King Street, there are wooden sheds and festive cheer absolutely everywhere.

There’s some brilliant food and drink to discover – you can see our top picks HERE – but as this is a huge visitor attraction, that can come at a price.

Once you factor in the deposit for a Manchester Christmas Markets mug, you can easily spend £12 just to get a mulled wine (though you will get £3.50 of that back when you return your mug).

There are also deposit charges on glassware – £2 for a pint glass, £3.50 for cocktail glasses and £7 for a stein.

You can see the full list of prices for food and drinks right across the Manchester Christmas Markets HERE, but below are where you can find the cheapest spots at the festive event.

Mulled wine

Mulled wines are priced at £5.50 almost everywhere across the Manchester Christmas Markets, though some stalls are offering bigger serves of this popular festive drink for a small price hike.

Then people are charging another £3 to add a shot of brandy, rum or amaretto, making an £8.50 total.

But the cheapest we’ve found is just £7 for mulled wine with a shot of booze, and that’s at Mamma Mia, an Italian stall on New Cathedral Street, right near St Ann’s Square.

Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine. Credit: The Manc Group

Beer

Again, prices for beers at the Manchester Christmas Markets are pretty consistent and average £6 a pint.

But you can get cheaper – at The Last Outpost, a Western-themed bar at Exchange Square, beers start from £5.50.

And at The Hip Hop Chip Shop at Piccadilly Gardens, they’re selling local craft beers, like Shindigger, Pomona Island, Manchester Union) for just £5.50. And you get bonus good vibes for supporting local breweries.

Wine

We’ve found a couple of glasses of wine for just £5 around the Markets this year, which is cheaper than most bars in town really.

The King Street Craft Bar, which has the bonus of having seating, has house wines from a fiver.

Christmas Alley at Piccadilly Gardens will also give you a wine for £5.

Prosecco

Prosecco works in every season and if this is your go-to of all the drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, we’ve found where you can save a few pennies.

Most places are charging between £6.50 and £7 per glass, but at El Gato Negro on King Street (yep, the same stall operated by the Michelin-recommended restaurant) are charging just £5 – that’s a whole £1.50 cheaper than most other stalls.

Hot chocolate

Basic hot chocolates are generally £3.50 everywhere, with a few very luxury upgrades (like a £7.90 creation from The Flat Baker that’s served in an edible cookie cup).

Once you add in a shot of alcohol, the cheapest as at the Apres Ski Bar at Piccadilly Gardens, which charges £2.50 for a spirit.

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That makes £6 for a boozy hot chocolate.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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