It’s that time yet again when Six by Nico launches its new menu, and this one has been inspired by the flavours of Indian cuisine.
The ‘Bombay Kitchen’ menu launched on Monday 19 October and is available until Sunday 29 November.
You know the drill by now – it’s six courses for £29 and, if desired, a wine flight for £26 with an expertly paired glass with each dish.
The new menu has been inspired by the diverse culture and geography of Mumbai.
Each of the courses is a fine-dining take on local dishes and age-0ld Indian traditions, executed with chef Nico Simeone’s signature flair.
Chef Nico Simeone said “India is famous for its diverse cuisine. There is an amalgamation of food styles, some are authentic, some are inspired and some are discovered accidentally.
“Our Bombay Kitchen menu blends the diverse cooking styles of modern India while revamping classic dishes in a whimsical array of textures and flavours.”
First up on the menu is Aloo Sabzi – ‘aloo’ meaning potato and ‘sabzi’ meaning vegetables in gravy – this is the closest you’ll get to a bowl of curry that you’ll get on this menu.
It comes served a small pot filled with chickpea dahl with small cubes of salty paneer, cloaked in potato espuma (a light potato foam) and topped with kaffir lime leaf oil, toasted chickpeas and cripsy onions.
Full of flavour and indulgent, I could have eaten a few more bowls of this.
The second course is Salli Boti, traditionally a Parsi celebratory dish consisting of stewed meat and crispy potato sticks.
My personal favourite dish of the menu, Nico’s version is a rectangle of lamb belly, topped with crispy puffed potato and served with grilled cucumber, curry emulsion and a pillow-soft naan.
The next dish is inspired by the flavours of a popular roadside snack in Mumbai called Corn Bhutta. It consists of succulent pressed chicken thigh, pickled mushrooms, BBQ spiced corn and lime and deggi mirch (a distinctive Indian spice blend made from a blend of different chillies).
The fourth course is roasted cod, with an onion and ginger chutney, an onion bhaji, curry leaf, topped with an impressive squid ink tuile and with an onion and ginger broth spooned over at the table.
The cod was beautifully cooked and, when you got a bit of every ingredient on the fork at the same time, the result was really well balanced.
The final savoury dish is loin and belly of pork, served with a square of pressed sultana biriyani, a bright Makhani sauce, coriander and mint chutney, and garnished with a poppadom.
The pork loin itself felt a little tough and the dish didn’t tie together quite as well as the others, but the pork belly was soft and juicy and the biriayni with the Makahi sauce was beautifully spiced.
For dessert, it’s Nico’s take on a Mango Lassi, a mango yoghurt panna cotta topped with Alphonso mango sorbet, fresh mango, toasted fennel and a cumin seed tuile. It’s a wonderful mix of different temperatures, creamy and crunchy textures, and sweet and sour flavours.
If six courses isn’t quite enough food for you, diners can also add on a selection snacks for £5 which includes prawn dumplings, Moilee coconut sauce and sourdough bread with spiced butter.
This Indian-inspired menu is certainly not your average curry night. The menu takes you on a journey through Mumbai’s culinary heritage with reinterpretations of familiar dishes and introductions to some new and unexpected flavours.
Six by Nico’s Bombay Kitchen menu is available from Monday 19 October to Sunday 29 November.
To book, visit: sixbynico.co.uk/manchester.
