It’s a tale as old as time that we are big fans of Six by Nico here at The Capturist. We wait with bated breath each time their new 6-week rotational menu is revealed to see what creative delicacies are on offer.  “Once upon a time” is a story of 6 delicious dishes inspired by the stories we all loved and cherished as children. This time, the story has been partly written by their loving customers who have voted for their favourite 6 dishes out of a 12 dish lineup.

Our inner child excitedly hurried down to Canary Wharf to immerse ourselves in Six by Nico’s latest chapter, and we bring to you our roundup of their magical menu.

Aperitif: Mary Poppins

A Spoonful of Sugar

This menu may be based on stories from our childhood but do not be fooled, this is NOT child-friendly.  With a touch of the dramatics, spoon your cherry sherbet sugar mix into your coupette. Then pour your medicine of spiced rum, cherry cordial and ginger citrus over the top to watch your drink fizz. The result is a sweet and slightly sour red tipple to kick off the evening, not a bad start to the story.

Snack: Fantastic Mr Fox

Farmer Bunce’s Liver & Doughnuts

Doughnuts, for starters? This is a children’s story after all so yes, why the hell not. A small delicate ball of sweet dough is paired with a surprisingly light duck liver pate. The bed of bramble gives a needed tartness that somehow glues the sweet and savoury together. The kind of unrelated side note here is good old sourdough bread and fluffy whipped butter which even though seems a bit dis-jointed, still works really well.

Course 1: Oliver Twist

“Please Sir, Can I Have Some More”

Possibly a nod to the simplistic food Oliver is spooned out into his gruel bowl, this is effectively potato with potato. The gruel takes the shape of a creamy hay-baked potato Mousseline which is rich in flavour but still remains surprisingly light. This is accompanied by a confit Hasselback potato, preserved wild garlic and pickled onion.

Course 2: Paddington Bear

Marmalade

One of our highlights is a deep flavoured ox cheek ragu on sourdough bruscetta, accompanied by a dreamy pot of mushroom XO marmalade and truffle. We’re not sure if this is how Paddington enjoyed his marmalade but it’s a hit with us. This is also where the wine pairing kicks in for those of you that want to accompany your dishes with the perfect tipple.

Course 3: Matilda

“Hey Dipface, Have a Carrot”

One of the more “chefy” courses, this is colourful landscape of orange, white and yellow blobs around a tandoori spiced carrot. The blobs consist of carrot remoulade, carrot top pesto and a citrus goats curd which really brings an earthiness to the dish. By mixing and matching different combinations of blob and carrot, each mouthful brings a slightly different experience.

Course 4: Danny Champion of the World

Let’s go Trout Poaching

Although there is something safe and familiar about this dish, at least compared to the last, it is perhaps my favourite. A smoky trout sits inside a shallow puddle of bright green smoked bone veloute and dill dressing. This is garnished with sea herbs, and salted cucumber, the smokiness is cut through by a bergamot gel.

Course 5: The Ugly Duckling

The Most Beautiful

Sweet always accompanies duck well and in this dish, it’s pear and fig that provide the sweetness. Maybe on the beige side but far from ugly. Salsify and pickled walnut finish off the ensemble nicely.

Course 6: Beauty and the Beast

The Last Rose Petal

Mild panic sets in as we realise this is the last dish of the evening.  As beauty is juxtaposed to the beast, a sweet and smooth mascarpone cream goes head to head with sharp hibiscus and rhubarb, a floral hint of rose and lemon chocolate aero gives it an elegance fit for princes and princesses.

This Valentines Day, we wouldn’t blink before recommending Six by Nico as the place to create your own love story. We are always impressed with the quality and creativeness of the food for such a reasonable price, and with wine pairing for £33 extra, it gets our vote.

Once upon a time tasting menu is running at Canary Wharf from Feb 1st – Mar 13th
Six course tasting menu: £37 | Matching wines £33

Address: 6 Chancellor Passage, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5EA
Reserve your table now at: www.sixbynico.co.uk/canary-wharf/once-upon-a-time/

Written by Rick Hartley

Photography courtesy of Six by Nico