Start spreading the news, we’re eating today…ok enough! Bright lights, big city, no prize for guessing where we are. That’s right, Canary Wharf, and tonight we are trying the New York inspired tasting menu at Six by Nico. Tasting menu’s may conjure up images of self congratulatory “designer food” with price tags that require a small mortgage. Six by Nico however have managed to deliver something which provides the culinary spectacle at an affordable price. There are two whopping big clues in the name as to what you are to expect in the menu, six dishes, designed by Chef Nico Simeone.

The restaurant itself has a feeling of upmarket industrial chic. Panelled wood walls and accents of gold and marble are brought down to earth with industrial style lamps and ribbed glass shelving full of plants. The environment kind of nods to the fact that you are in for a quality experience yet still approachable and down to earth.

The current menu at Canary Wharf is celebrating all things New York. My dairy-avoiding dining partner (I will come back to this later) are invited on a tour of the city that never sleeps via 6 plates of food which went a little something like this:

Snack – Corn Dog

OK so technically there are seven dishes, as we start with the optional Corn Dog.

#1 Beef Burger Donuts

Kinda does what it says on the tin, it’s a meatball sized patty with a sweet doughy coating served with ketchup and American Mustard. Definitely a tick in the American theme so a good start but we know the quality hasn’t peaked just yet.

#2 Eggs Benedict

Definitely the first dish that feels “chefy”. This is a delicious, almost wafer-like coated rectangle of succulent but rich ham with dots of brown butter hollandaise giving the dish a silky finish. Then there’s a kind of de-constructed scotch egg consisting of a crumbed ball of pork and a separate quail egg. Everything is dinky but delightful.

#3 Little Italy

A bowl of Saffron Pici Pasta is beautifully glazed with a smoky and creamy hazelnut Ragu. There’s a real richness to the dish making you appreciate the portion size as we are only half way through.

#4 Clam & Cod Chowder

One of our highlights. How can a small piece of cod have almost a steak-like quality yet remain soft and flaky at the same time? We’re not sure either but it kinda just does. The sauce is beautifully smoky which is helped along with barbecue leeks and roasted corn, a lemon gel provides citrus pockets to cut through the savoury sauce.

#5 Flatiron Building

You guessed it, flat iron steak. The penultimate dish and final savoury round doesn’t try to ease out gently. the slices of steak are pink and tender with a hint of smoke. The meaty ensemble is paired with a crisp yet moist brisket croquette. One more dish to go, how much more “New York” could they possibly get?

#6 The Big Apple

There’s a hint of irony in the size of the dish but after 5 rounds of “look at me” flavours that are perfectly reasonable, and if it’s New York you want, then this dish delivers. A cheesecake, shaped into an apple with a tarty apple compote surprise waiting for you in the middle, they nailed it. The bed of crunchy pecan and oat granola gives this delightful dish the sweet bed that it requires and it’s an altogether fun and tasty end to the evening.

Ah yes, my dairy-free dining partner. As a restaurant with Italian cooking at its heart, and with a number of dishes as creamy as they seem, you would forgive them for not quite catering, this is a showcase after all. Actually, they also nailed this. There wasn’t a sorbet or cheese replacement in sight. The entire dairy-free version was cleverly crafted to be as delicious, interesting and almost unnoticeably different to the version featuring dairy.

Six by Nico most definitely delivers on a feeling that you are fine dining on a more moderate budget, at £37 per head for the 6-course menu we think this is great value. An additional £33 and you can add wine pairing which again is not bad at all for what you get. We can’t wait to see what the next theme is.

The New York Menu at Six by Nico runs from Tues 2nd November to Sun12th Dec

To book a table visit: www.sixbynico.co.uk/canary-wharf/new-york/

Address: 6 Chancellor Passage, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5EA

Written by Rick Hartley

Photography courtesey of Six by Nico