01 Oct 2024
We arrived at Six by Nico and after a quick check on ResDiary by the waitress (I hear it’s a pretty good booking system), we were seated at our table. This was the least New York experience ever, no one yelled “hey I’m walking here”, no one stood on me, and no one pushed me. 10/10 for experience, 0/10 for New York authenticity. We were seated at a cosy corner table, all plush cushions and candles, and offered some snacks and cocktails to get us started.
Although we declined on the cocktails and went for some wine, the snacks were greatly appreciated. Sourdough bread with paprika butter was a treat, but it was the pulled pork slider that really put a smile on our faces. Tender meat, soft brioche, and the most perfect spicy sauce. Delicious.
Then came our first course; a sesame bagel with salmon, cream cheese, and a pickle gel. It was a tiny little mouthful but the salmon and the pickle gel mixed perfectly, and the sesame bagel lent a little crunch to the dish.
Pickles were the taste of the day for Six by Nico’s first couple of courses; plate two was buffalo chicken with Gorgonzola mousse and pickled celery. This dish turned all my preconceptions about buffalo chicken on their head. It was in fact a confit chicken thigh, crispy on top and soft underneath, with buffalo sauce alongside the Gorgonzola and celery. It was genuinely delicious and was probably my second favourite dish of the night. (Read on til the end….)
And then it was the last course. The Big Apple. The pièce de résistance of the whole thing. What looked like a big red apple, sat on a nutty, carameley crumb, with a mint leaf on top. It was so gorgeous, I almost didn’t want to stick my spoon in it. When I did though, it was filled with a light creamy cheesecake, with a centre of green apple puree. Wow. The mint cut through the flavours, and it was both sweet and tangy all at once. I can genuinely say we were really upset when it was over.
Paying up, I asked our lovely waitress how they had made the cheesecake. Turns out they dipped the balls of cheesecake in the red jelly and hung it for hours to set. She mentioned that it took forever to make, but it was definitely worth it.