The extravagance of Alice in Wonderland is coming to Six By Nico on Deansgate; explore a world of curiosity and adventure through their creative six-course menu, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
For the next phase of popular city centre restaurant’s latest series of six-course tasting menu, which changes each and every month, the chefs over at Nico have followed up their previous ‘Street Food’ selection with something truly magical.
It’s a showcase of food fantasy, fusing first-class fine dining with storytelling that Lewis Carroll would approve of. You can take your tastebuds on this culinary exploration for a limited time only, cooking this limited menu between 15 January and 25 February.
Here’s what you can expect.
Six By Nico has fast become a Manchester favourite. (Credit: The Manc Group)
The trip down the rabbit hole begins by expertly combining mushroom tea, smoked bacon jam, truffle parmesan royale, pickled walnut and a Keen’s cheddar scone.
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This is followed by the aptly named ‘The White Rabbit’ featuring a rabbit, chicken and date ballotine, beef fat roasted carrot, tarragon pesto, rabbit Bolognese and carrot ketchup. Fitting and delicious.
For course three, guests will enjoy ‘Paint the Roses Red’: a charming combination of sweet and savoury consists of a goats’ cheese mousseline, baby beetroot, garden radish, kalamata olive soil and red apple caramel.
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Course four, ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’, is by name by nature. Roasted black pollock is the star of the show, accompanied by a miso glaze, bonito emulsion, white turnip puree, pickled Tokyo turnip and Dashi broth.
Six By Nico’s Mad Hatter menu did not disappoint. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Course five is fit for a queen… ‘Off with Its Head!’ Pork belly is paired with choucroute, apple gel, pig head croquette, cauliflower and sauce charcuterie.
If you are looking to go the extra mile the roasted scallop with black pudding, pickled celeriac and lovage emulsion is an optional add-on (£9).
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To finish we go to a sweet showstopper named after the lady herself. ‘The Queen of Hearts’ is naturally shaped as a glossy red heart where a white chocolate mousse is joined by red velvet cake, raspberries and pecan brittle.
As beatiful in taste as it is in appearance.
We’re not going to show you all of them — that would ruin the surprise…
Delectable and affordable, the menu is priced at £39, which will no doubt have you smiling like a Cheshire cat. You can also indulge in an expertly selected wine and specialist drinks pairing for an additional £30.
As mentioned, this ever-evolving restaurant concept changes its menu every six weeks, with dishes inspired by places, memories or imagination, so if this spread sounds up your street, get in while you can and keep your eyes peeled for whatever they come up with next.
Alice famously said, “I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it” — we sincerely advise you to take this recommendation on board.
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Harry Quick -
15th January 2024 
