Eats

Six By Nico unveils Catalonia taster menu with ‘Patatas Bravas’, Paella Blanco and Burnt Vanilla Creme

WHAT a menu.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 7th September 2023

It's going to be the perfect way to finish off this September heatwave.

Another six weeks has flown by and Six By Nico is already tempting us back with a brand new taster menu that'll keep us high in summer spirits, even as we head into the colder months of the year.

The new six course menu is an ode to Catalonia, where Six By Nico says it took inspiration from the "coastal towns and culinary food scene" as well as classics tourist experiences like tasting "a Crema Catalana to perfect Paella’s, and of course a trip to the famous El Bulli restaurant museum".

The Catalonia menu will replace the Once Upon A Time, which saw Six By Nico fans choose their own dishes to 'create their own story' for its Leeds debut.

Running from Monday 25 September, bookings in advance are recommended - you'll struggle to get a seat, particularly at the weekend otherwise, it's a popular one Leeds.

Crispy Potato Terrine, Manchego Espuma, Smoked Tomato and Roasted Garlic Aioli.

Course 1: Patatas Bravas

Crispy Potato Terrine, Manchego Espuma, Smoked Tomato and Roasted Garlic Aioli

Vegetarian alternative: Crispy Potato Terrine, Ricotta Espuma, Smoked Tomato & Roasted Garlic Aioli

Chicken Arrollado, Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel.

Course 2: Gaudí

Chicken Arrollado, Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel

Vegetarian alternative: Hen Of The Woods, Black Garlic, Hazelnut Pesto, Bergamot, Lovage, Mustactel

Pan Con Tomate, Heirloom Tomato, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoked Salt

Course 3: El Bulli 1894 – 2011

Pan Con Tomate, Heirloom Tomato, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoked Salt

Black Pollock, Pickled Mussel, Black Rice Cake, Saffron Emulsion, Courgette and Shellfish Cappuccino.

Course 4: Arroz Negro

Black Pollock, Pickled Mussel, Black Rice Cake, Saffron Emulsion, Courgette and Shellfish Cappuccino

Vegetarian alternative: Paella Blanco, Courgette & Fino Sherry Cappuccino

Belly & Cheek Of Pork, Sobrasada, White Bean Ragú and Red Pepper, (plus you can add Barbecue Prawn, Chorizo and Espelette Pepper for £9.

Course 5: Pork Barbacoa

Belly and Cheek Of Pork, Sobrasada, White Bean Ragú and Red Pepper, (plus you can add Barbecue Prawn, Chorizo and Espelette Pepper for £9)

Vegetarian alternative: Saffron Tortilla, Tetilla Cheese, Roasted Garlic Emulsion & Calcot Onions

Burnt Vanilla Creme, Poached Prune, Honey & Fennel Seed.

Course 6: Crema Catalan

Burnt Vanilla Creme, Poached Prune, Honey and Fennel Seed

Snacks

Jamon or Goats Cheese Bombas (£8 each)

Gordal Olives (£5 each)

A version of the Catalonia menu was last seen in 2019 in Glasgow, and the return of crowd-pleasers like the Jamon Bombas, Smoked Chilli Compote and aioli (originally the first course, now the accompanying snack) as well as heirloom tomatoes and Paella with Crisp Mussels have all been spotted on the new menu.

The six course menu costs £39 per person, with the option to add wine pairings on for £30.

About Six By Nico:

Six by Nico is a restaurant concept by celebrated chef Nico Simeone, where the six course taster menu changes every six weeks.

The brainchild of Scottish chef Nico Simone, the eponymous restaurant chain has proven a hit with locals and tourists across the country for its affordable themed tasting menus.

Previous hit menus at Six by Nico include its Chippy Tea, which offered a unique take on the traditional fish and chip shop dinner, its Fairytale menu, and its Alice In Wonderland-inspired supper with a hot mushroom consomme ‘tea’ and edible sugar paper menus.

potato terrine with mustard on a blue plate.
The Chippie. / Image: The Hoot Leeds

First founded by Scottish chef Nico Simone in the Finnieston area of Glasgow in 2017, today Six By Nico has ten sites across the UK. The new Manchester and Leeds site now mark 12 in total for the group.

Prior to opening Six By Nico, its eponymous head chef ran another restaurant called 111 in Kelvinside. However, following the pandemic, chef-owner Nico gifted this to a young Senegalese man who worked his way up from kitchen porter to head chef at the establishment.

His original restaurant is now known as 111 by Modou, in homage to its new owner Modou Diagne.

Speaking on the change at the time, Nico Simone toldThe Herald Scotland: “The time feels right, both for myself and Modou. This has been a personal dream of mine since meeting Modou in 2014, not only getting to know him as a close colleague, but he has become like family to me.

“Six by Nico is going from strength to strength, and as such there are increasing requirements for my energy to continue that development. There is no one I trust more to hand the reins to than Modu.”

Read More:

Catalonia will be the third taster menu for Leeds, with previous menus including The Chippie, and Once Upon A Time.

Feature Image - The Hoot Leeds

https://thehootleeds.com/whats-on/inside-the-new-leeds-restaurant-serving-a-different-tasting-menu-every-6-weeks/

Eats

Horsforth Brewery to takeover and save beloved Ilkley tap house

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

A renowned brewery have announced that they will be taking over the reigns of a popular craft beer bottle shop in Ilkley.

Fuggle & Golding opened in 2015 on Leeds road in Ilkley and quickly grew a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.

Sadly they announced last month that their last day of trading would be Saturday 28 February, news which was met with huge disappointment.

However this is no longer the case, as Horsforth Brewery is set to reopen the venue on Wednesday. Hooray!

Announcing the welcomed news to Instagram, Horsforth Brewery wrote: "When we saw they were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene.

"We owe a massive thank you to George and the landlord for getting a deal across the line in quick order.

"We’re going to take a few days to put our stamp on the place and then we will be open on Wednesday!"

"Obviously we will be stocking our beers here but as anyone who knows will know, we love the beer scene so we will continue to have a good amount of guest beer on as well. We’ll even been joining in with the biggest beer launches from around the country.

"Want to know the best news? We’re doing this solo. No outside interests, no investors, no debt. In the current climate being able to organically grow like this is so so hard and it’s thanks to all our team that we’ve been able to do this.

"We’ve always been determined to grow our business in a healthy and sustainable way; it may have (absolutely has) been tough over the years but we’ve got ourselves in a position to take us to the next level in a sustainable way."

Read more: Inside Leeds’ newest Italian cafe and gelateria that’s inspired by the streets of Puglia

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

Eats

British Pie Week 2026 – all the best places to find a pie in and around Leeds

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Sweet, savoury, filled or plain: pies are a staple in the British diet.

It's the best week of the year...it's British Pie Week, not that we need much of an excuse to celebrate that flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, but we're taking all the excuses we can this week to embrace all things pie related.

We've rounded up al our favourite spots to grab a pie, as a lunchtime snack or on the go in the city centre - so take your pick, whatever the occasion.

Dave's Pies and Ales

Kirkstall Road, Burley | Open from 5pm

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Dave's Pies and Ales is locally known as the smallest pub in Leeds - and whilst the menu and seating area might be teeny, what it does do, it does well.

Choose from a range of pies and peas with classic ales on tap to choose from inside this micropub 12-11pm every day of the week.

Whitelocks Ale House

Turk's Head Yard, just off Briggate | Kitchen open from 12pm

Image: The Hoot Leeds

Whitelocks is known in Leeds for its Sunday Roasts, warm fire and homely pub ambience- but their pies are the unsung heroes on the menu.

The beef and ale pie is made from Yorkshire Meat Co. beef, a Wetherby-based supplier that brings beef from the likes of Tancred Grange Farm in Richmond to Leeds. This one is served with chunky chips and sautéed seasonal veg, seat by the fireplace optional.

Pieminister

Duncan Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 12pm

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Available as a Sunday roast, bottomless brunch or just a plain old (but beautifully presented) pie and mash, Pieminister is famous for its pies for all the right reasons. On the shelves in your local supermarkets and available as a sit-down scran on Boar Lane, Pieminister is a place where pies are guaranteed to make up the majority of the menu options.

Finer Pleasures

Multiple locations

If you don't know about Josh at Finer Pleasures, then you're seriously missing out. Josh is somewhat of a pie-oneer (sorry), and is the master of creating weird and wonderful pie creations from lasagna pies to gammon, egg and pineapple pork pies.

You can find him over in Crossgates most Wednesdays, but you're best bet is to keep an eye on his socials for the best chance on bagging one of his pies. Trust us, they're like gold dust.

Wilsons Butchers

Austhorpe Road, Cross Gates | Open from 7.30am

Image: Wilsons Butchers

Located in Armley, Morley and Pontfract - Wilsons Pies and Pasties is a small indie chain from Wilsons Butchers and crowned champions of the Yorkshire Small Pork Pie Championships.

At lunch time, the shops offer a true Yorkshire delicacy of pie and mushy pies with optional (but essential) mint sauce. All Wilsons pies and pasties are made using locally sourced produce in Garforth, so these a true Leeds pies, and well worth sampling.

Read more: Inside Leeds’ newest Italian cafe and gelateria that’s inspired by the streets of Puglia

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

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