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 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.
The Greater Manchester book café serving literary afternoon teas and build-your-own bouquets
Daisy Jackson
If you like your afternoon tea with a side of good books, there’s a Greater Manchester café where you can quite literally have your cake and read it too.
Tucked inside this charming bookish spot, afternoon tea arrives with an unexpected twist. Rather than being presented with the usual three-tiered stand, you’re handed a stack of heavy hardback books.
But don’t start worrying that you’ve accidentally wandered into a very niche library club. The books are hiding something.
Lift the covers in Peony & Parchment – or, more accurately, open the book-shaped boxes – and you’ll discover a full afternoon tea concealed inside.
There are dainty sandwiches to get stuck into, including tiny egg mayo, herby chicken salad, ham and mustard, and cheese and tomato focaccia, alongside a little quiche.
Then comes the scone – classic, fluffy and ready for the obligatory dollop of clotted cream and jam. And, because no afternoon tea should leave you feeling like you’ve been short-changed in the cake department, there are five miniature slices to work through.
Afternoon tea concealed in a stack of booksSome of the other bakes on display
There’s a Victoria sponge with a dreamy vanilla cream, lemon drizzle, rich chocolate cake, a Bakewell slice and a pecan pie, all sourced from a local bakery just across the alleyway.
It’s all served with a pot of tea or coffee, with the option to add a glass of prosecco.
And the bookish theme doesn’t stop at the afternoon tea.
Downstairs you’ll find shelves packed with books, including the intriguing ‘blind books’. Instead of judging a book by its cover, you’ll be given clues and a short summary of what lies inside before taking a gamble on your mystery read.
Downstairs in Peony & Parchment‘Blind books’A role playing village for kids
There’s also plenty here to keep younger visitors entertained, thanks to a children’s area complete with a mini role-playing village.
And if books and cake weren’t enough, there’s another string to this café’s bow.
The Bloom Bar lets you build your own bouquet. Choose the size you want, then wander around selecting your own stems and foliage to create something that’s uniquely yours.
You can build your own bouquetThe Bloom Bar at Peony & Parchment
Of course, you don’t have to be visiting specifically for the afternoon tea. The wider menu includes tapas, full breakfasts and sandwiches, making it just as suitable for a leisurely brunch, lunch or coffee-and-cake stop.
So whether you’re there to discover your next favourite novel, assemble a bouquet, entertain the kids or simply eat your way through five different miniature cakes, this is one café where there are plenty of chapters to explore.
Acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after a decade due to ‘persistent water issues’
Daisy Jackson
An acclaimed cocktail bar in Manchester has announced its closure after more than a decade in the city centre.
Wood & Company, which opened in a time when ‘secret’ and ‘hidden’ bars were all the rage in the city, has confirmed it’s closing down for good.
The bar has said that ‘persistent water issues in our old basement building’, along with rising costs, has led to them taking the touch decision to call it a day.
And the announcement comes just one week after Manchester bid farewell to another of its leading cocktail bars, when Red Light shut down.
Wood & Company is tucked away off Cross Street, disguised behind an almost completely anonymous door reading ‘Goods entrance, keep clear’.
The bar first opened in April 2016 on South King Street, taking over the former 39 Steps site, and was the work of the team behind fellow Manchester bars NoHo and Dusk Til Pawn.
From the outset, Wood & Company deliberately kept things low-key. There was no grand launch or flashy frontage – instead, drinkers had to find the unassuming entrance and head downstairs into a dark, intimate basement, where the focus was firmly on cocktails.
It quickly established a reputation for doing the basics exceptionally well, with a menu mixing classics with more inventive creations and bartenders who knew their stuff. While the ‘hidden bar’ trend eventually became something of a Manchester cliché, Wood & Company managed to outlast the fad and build a loyal following of its own.
Manchester cocktail bar Wood & Company has announced its shock closure
Over the years, its understated, New York-inspired atmosphere and serious approach to cocktails made it one of the city’s more enduring independent drinking spots.
But sadly, it’s now the end of the road.
Wood & Company said in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce this news.
“Unfortunately, due to persistent water issues in our old basement building and rising costs, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors for the final time after 10 years.
“Thank you to everyone who visited, many great nights were had.”
The Manc -
15th April 2021 
