Sep 11

Sep 11 Review: Illusion at Six by Nico

Glasgow West End, Lunch, Modern Scottish

Six by Nico seems to be the talk of the town this year in Glasgow. They stormed onto the Finnieston scene with their new restaurant with a set 6-course menu changing every 6 weeks.

They opened earlier this year but I have to admit the previous menus didn't take my fancy. "Illusion" started at the end of August and the menu seemed to be more my thing so we booked for a late Friday lunch.

What's it like inside?

The restaurant is split into two sections and has an open kitchen. Even if you're sitting in the section away from the kitchen, you can see what's happening – they have a screen showing the dishes getting plated. The restaurant is modern and comfortable and generally, I loved the space.

What's on the menu?

It's a set menu of 6 courses with some optional snacks, as well as optional wine pairing. If you don't have any dietary requirements you just dive straight into the menu. I noticed in Glasgowist's review is that the presentation seems to change, so don't be surprised if the dishes look slightly different! Another great review of the menu is on Gordon McLean's blog – he's actually reviewed all their menus so far, so hop on over to check that out (once you're done here, of course).

*Pork shoulder – soya sauce, sesame, stem ginger*

The first course was this delicious pork shoulder served in a little pot. I do prefer a plate but this was lovely and packed a nice punch to get the meal started.

*Chicken leg – baba ganoush, pomegranate, yoghurt, sea vegetables*

I'd seen a photo of this dish online and I think they've done well with the illusion for this. I really liked the flavours of this dish but there was one too many flavours going on – both pomegranate and raisins. But still, a lovely dish that I'd definitely order on an a la carte menu (if there was one!).

*Tomato – black olive, goats cheese panacotta, nori crackers*

I liked how they'd gone to the effort of making a yolk-like topping for the "steak tartare" which really kept the magic going. I did really enjoy this dish and especially liked the nori cracker.

*Prawn & mussels – shellfish bisque, pancetta, celeriac*

Now I love prawn and mussels but I did not love this dish. It had a greasy, buttery taste to it which was more cloying than delicious and left my mouth feeling greasy. Graeme enjoyed his dish though, so it's more of a personal preference kind of thing.

*Duck - pickled blueberries, hazelnut, mushrooms, cocoa*

I did like this dish but the lack of illusion disappointed me (something about it looking like ground). I feel like if you're going to go to the effort of all the other dishes, to have one which isn't much of an illusion at all renders the whole thing a bit pointless. The dish was quite nice but the fat/skin on my duck was quite rubbery. The portion of blueberries and mushrooms was really lovely and something a bit different. Perhaps they could put that on top of the duck to disguise it, at least?

*White chocolate – passionfruit, coconut, sea buckthorn*

Now I'm not much of a dessert person and I don't like white chocolate but this dessert was actually lovely and I really enjoyed it. The white chocolate was more like a sorbet and had a lovely creaminess to it. It wasn't too sweet and the elements went together really well.

So overall it was a bit of a mixed bag but for £25 for the 6 courses I was quite happy with it. For that price I'm not expecting perfection and the menu was a bit of fun.

I have to comment on one other thing about the lunch though, and that's the music. The playlist was dreadful – featuring 'Bad' by Michael Jackson, then Billy Joel, R Kelly and as we were leaving, Holly Valance. I actually felt like we were being punished. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Where can I find them?

Six by Nico are at 1132 Argyle St in Finnieston. Bookings are essential so hop on over to their website and keep an eye on social media for their next set menu (due mid-October by my calculations).

Published 11 September 2017.