Five minutes with Nico Simeone

Fiona Logan

Former digital editor Fiona (aka Fee). She’s a qualified patisserie chef and loves to bake for others in her spare time.

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His theatrical restaurants Six By Nico have become the talking point of the UK food scene over the past few years. After an incredibly successful launch in Glasgow, followed by Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool and Manchester, Nico Simeone is bringing Six By Nico to London.

So what makes Six By Nico different? Well, the restaurants completely re-invent the dining experience with an entirely different six-course tasting menu every six weeks (now you get the name!) and each menu is inspired by places, memories and ideas.

I caught up with Nico Simeone to find out his food loves, hates and his go-to show on Netflix…

What’s your very first memory of food?

In food terms, my earliest memories are with my family around the table every Sunday afternoon. My family has a proud Italian heritage and my cousins, aunties and uncles were always a big part of my childhood.

What’s the first recipe you properly learned to cook?

My Nonna’s sugo. One of the key memories of my childhood was watching my Nonna prepare sugo (sauce) – it was a staple in her cooking repertoire.

Which food do you absolutely hate?

I don’t actually hate any food. I enjoy experimenting with flavours and some I prefer more than others but there’s none I’d ever say that I truly hate.

What’s the one ingredient that you’d take to a desert island with you?

Eggs. They have a large variety of functions in cooking. Not only that but they taste good, they keep us satisfied and they’re an inexpensive source of protein.

What’s the meal you’d miss the most whilst there?

Believe it or not, beans on toast with Worcestershire sauce is my guilty pleasure!

You can have a one-off dinner party on your desert island… who would you invite and why?

My family. My wife and two kids mean everything to me.

Which cookbook would you take with you to the island?

I’d probably take a pen and paper and start writing my own…

Which meal did you cook the most throughout lockdown?

It has to be chicken Milanese with fried duck egg and a rocket parmesan salad.

And… rather importantly, what did you binge-watch on TV during lockdown?

Money Heist – a superb series.

Where’s the first place you ate once restaurants re-opened? (or are planning to head to?)

After lockdown in my hometown of Glasgow was eased, I came to London to get ready for my Six by Nico London launch and had dinner in a restaurant called Gold in Notting Hill – it was amazing.

Tell us some more about Six by Nico, Fitzrovia (the first London-branch of Six By Nico)?

We are very excited to finally open Six by Nico London. At a time when London is starting to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, we are determined to be amongst the first of the new places that make this city such a great place to visit and our 76 cover restaurant is located on foodie hotspot Charlotte Street, which boasts some great restaurants, cafes and hotels as neighbours.

What’s the first menu you’ll be preparing there? What menu highlights can we look forward to?

Six by Nico re-invents the dining experience with an entirely new six-course tasting menu every six weeks and is inspired by places, memories and ideas. Our opening menu in our London restaurant is a take on the classic British fish and chip shop with a nostalgic six-course tasting menu, all for £35. We tend to reveal our next theme around week 4 of 6 so keep your eyes peeled on our social media feed for teasers – next up, it could be anything.

Your Six by Nico restaurants have become famous for not only their inventive menus but for the theatre that each course delivers. What has been your favourite menu that you’ve ever prepared, and why?

‘The Chippie’ theme is special because it’s the menu that we launch every new Six by Nico restaurant site with and it’s inspired by my Scottish-Italian heritage.

Fancy giving Six By Nico a go? Click here for table reservations.