Year: 2018

It doesn’t seem that long since we last ventured to Six by Nico, largely because it isn’t. Due to the vagaries of multiple calendars, we ended up booking to go on day 2 of the newest menu which was taking us to Vietnam.

I’m a huge fan of eastern flavours, and have to admit I was pretty excited to try the Six by Nico take on some of my favourite Vietnamese street food style dishes, I mean check out this menu!

1. SPRING ROLL – Rice Paper / Crayfish & Crab / Vietnamese Herbs
2. PHO – Chicken ‘Noodles’ / Tiger prawn / Aromatic Broth
3. CHÁO VIT – Rice Porridge / Duck / Peanut / Mooli
4. SEA BREAM – Rice noodles / Mango / Squid
5. CLAYPOT PORK BELLY – Pak Choi / Water Chestnut / Coconut Rice / Pineapple
6. VIETNAMESE COFFEE – Condensed Milk / Coffee Cake / Pandang / Palm Sugar

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But first, as always, SNACKS!

For this street food inspired menu, the snack definitely set the tone for the meal. A wonderful take on BAHN MI, a rich, deeply flavoured beef, served on toasted baguette, with some pickled chilli. Delicious if a little ‘bread’ heavy. Mind you, we had ordered some mango mimosa apertifs so they helped wash things down.

The snack was shortly followed by the first course, well when I say shortly followed, the spring rolls turned up whilst I was still taking a photograph of the Bahn Mi… a very subtle and well balanced dish, packed full of crayfish and crab, vibrant herbs and a few dollops of a mild lime jus, they were an excellent start to the main courses. Light, very tasty, but possibly could’ve taken a green chilli heat to give it a different dimension but that’s me being very picky.

I’ve had Pho at a few places, both in the UK and in Singapore and I think this take on it nails all the key parts perfectly. Starting with the rich broth which brought a heavy hit of chicken umami-ness (if that’s a word) which added to the depth of flavour for thin ‘noodle’ strips of chicken. A perfectly cooked tiger prawn sat atop the dish, with another hidden underneath alongside some earthy mushrooms to add both texture and further flavour. It may be small bit this Pho was mighty!

I’ve never had rice porridge before and I’m pretty sure what we had wasn’t how it would normally be presented; a slice of what was essentially a savoury rice pudding which was seared on one side. On top of that was satay duck, and somewhere in the mix a gentle heat which, I’m presuming, came from the mooli. The shredded duck was succulent, with a good heat, and was utterly delicious, I’m not sure about the presentation and it’ll be interesting to see how that aspect of the dish changes over the coming weeks (we were there on day 2 of this new menu).

More fishy goodness with the next course. A perfectly pan cooked fillet of sea bream on top of smoked vermicelli rice noodles, with a couple of squid rings as well. Each element was perfectly executed, I could’ve eaten a large plate of the squid alone as it was perfectly cooked, and the lightly spiced and smoked noodles helped bring a freshness to the entire plate.

Looking at the menu, the penultimate plate was the one that had me a little trouble. I’ve had good and bad pork belly in the past and, as I am not a fan of eating fat, I had my concerns. To say there were unfounded is to sell short and absolute belter of a dish that packed some huge flavours, and the pork belly, ohhhhh that pork belly, was an utterly, salivatingly, salty and succulent delight. Coconut rice, charred pineapple, and a lightly chilli’d pineapple jus brought the entire plate together in an explosion of taste and, well I could’ve six courses of just that!

And then dessert arrived. I am on the record as NOT A FAN of cold coffee flavours. They just don’t sit on my palate all that well, so you can keep your tirimasu thanks. Not so this decadent offering, with a condensed milk panacotta (oh my heavens!) topped with a slice of light coffee cake and slivers of palm sugar, and presented with a subtle coffee aroma’d espuma. I don’t mind telling you I was virtually licking the bowl clean.

Looking back, it’s hard to find fault with any of the dishes offered. Each one was clean and light on the palate, even when packing a punch. It was a real embodiment of Vietnamese cooking served up with no short measure of panache, skill and flair.

In the grand ranking of Six by Nico menus whilst this doesn’t quite push The Chippie off my top spot (a menu which packed heartier flavours in and was without real flaw), it’s certainly up there in a close second place.

Price wise, in a shock move, they’ve put the price up a massive £3! Yup, six courses of delicious food will set you back £28, plus £5 for the starter and £5 for an apertif. Wine matching remains £25, an option I thought it best to avoid when starting dinner at 9pm on a school night.

Regardless, £28 for food this good is still a ridiculous bargain. There is a very good reason we’ve not missed a menu yet, and if you haven’t managed along I cannot recommend this eating experience enough.

A small sidenote: one of my friends is a very fussy eater. He too has not missed a menu and has tried all manner of things that he has avoided before. The beauty of Six by Nico is precisely that you aren’t really entirely sure how the ingredients listed against every item in the menu will be cooked and presented and, so far, it’s been a wonderous delight every time.

No, not the Ed Sheeran song, if anything my recent trip to this wonderful city evoked the original (and best, and I’ll fight anyone that says different) song performed by two soaring talents…

Barcelona
It was the first time that we met
Barcelona
How can I forget
The moment that you stepped into the room
You took my breath away

Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé

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This was my second trip to Barcelona, the first being a lifetime ago as part of an off-site working weekend. I don’t remember much about that last trip as we didn’t really have time to go and be tourists, a quick walk up to the Olympic Stadium was all I had time for, so I was excited to be going again to explore Barcelona anew.

Ostensibly this trip was to go and attend the last two days of Formula One testing, which fall on a Thursday and Friday, so it was simple enough to tag on a weekend of exploration and with such a rich history of art and culture I was possibly a little more excited about that aspect of the trip than the ‘loud cars going fast’ part (possibly, but let’s not split hairs).

My first day was a bit of a rush, getting from the airport to the circuit proved tricky and expensive thanks to IWD protestors managing to close all the major roads out of Barcelona meaning a €60 taxi charge became €110 by the time we pulled up at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but once there it was great to see the new shiny F1 cars whizzing round the track (and to be clear, I’m happy the protests were happening).

Then it was back to the hotel for a first beer (the circuit doesn’t sell alcohol) in the shadows of a great big half-built cathedral thingy – more on that later – before we headed out for sushi (don’t ask) and ended up in an Irish Bar until the wee small hours which was a lot of fun but didn’t help the next morning, 4 hrs later, when my alarm went off.

The next day was a bit more sedate but the early rise was necessary as we had booked a paddock tour for the morning which meant leaving the hotel at 8.30am… it was a good idea when we booked it. It was, for us F1 geeks, a lot of fun getting to see behind the scenes, the press room, the control center, and even a chance to stand at the top of the podium, before we got a tour round the track and then were let loose(ish) to wander the paddock. As it wasn’t a race day it was pretty relaxed, a Ferrari engineer here, a Red Bull clad person there, but it was cool to see all the kit up close (did you know those massive big tyres only weigh about 5kg, very easy to lift!).

And then it was proper tourist time. I headed out solo on Saturday with a rough route in mind and a few places I wanted to visit on the way. The Picasso museum was my first stop and is well worth a visit. Seeing his progression through his early oil paintings and his journey towards his better known Cubist works was fascinating. From there a wander to marina, a cafe con leche or two, and then I meandered back up into the Gothic Quarter to hit MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona).

The gothic quarter is as it sounds, a maze of streets and alleyways you could quite easily get lost in. Cafes suddenly appear on the edge of little town plazas, whilst ornate balconies lean over you, casting their intricate shadows.

MACBA was everything you’d expect from a Museum of Modern art. The building itself, a minimalist stark affair rendered in pristine white, is beautiful and airy and invites you to explore. I was mainly there thanks to the wonders of the internet matching up an image I’d seen some time last year of a piece called ‘Flashers’ by Rosemarie Castoro with the fact that some of her work was being exhibited whilst I was in Barcelona. Aces! It was a fascinating set of performance pieces (recorded), graphic design, photography and sculpture, and I was utterly transfixed.

From the challenging serenity of MACBA I headed back out to meet up with my friends in another Irish bar to watch Scotland play Ireland at rugby… least said about that game the better… and then we all met up again later for dinner and drinks at a very hipster restaurant called Zed. The food was very good, although it did seem to depend on what you ordered as some of my friends didn’t enjoy it as much as I did.

Sunday was Gaudi day, a man it is hard to escape in Barcelona, and it was also Barcelona Marathon Day so the place was jumping. Still, I had my tickets for Park Guell and Sagrada Familia booked and another early alarm set so I had time to walk up to Park Guell for my 8.30am entrance time. I’m glad I got there early as it was quiet enough to enjoy without hordes of tourists and the sun was still low as Barcelona lay spread out below me. I took some time to sit and marvel at the intricate mosiac work, the organic curves of the lookout structure and just enjoyed being outside in the early morning sunshine with Barcelona starting to shimmer in the morning sunshine.

My entrance ticket to Sagrada Familia was booked for 12noon so I had plenty of time to wander back, letting my feet take me down streets and side streets, stopping for lunch and churros when I got hungry. The influence of Antoni Gaudi was obvious, with curving balconies and stained glasses edifices all over the place, and that was all before I got to Casa Batlló, another famous building covered in a myriad array of tiles and colours, wrapping the rippling facade and shimmering in the sunshine. Beautiful.

And then it was on to Sagrada Familia, that massive unfinished cathedral that is still being worked on many years after Gaudi’s death.

Built using a clear set of principles, which are still followed to this day, it is an epic achievement of stunning design. The outside is decorated in various biblical scenes and as you enter through the 10foot high (carved and painted) ivy clad doors your eyes immediately follow the tree like pillars up and up to the gloriously vaulted ceiling space.

When I arrived at the cathedral a few clouds had started rolling in, so I was glad to get inside before the rain started. I wandered in and started to look around, admiring the massive stained glass windows, the gently angled and tapered columns, the entire organic feel of the place and then it happened. I turned round to look back at one set of windows just as the sun came back out and all of a sudden the stained glass sprung into life, bathing the entire vestibule in a rainbow of vibrant, breathtaking, colour.

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It’s hard to put into words my emotions. I’m not particularly religious but the word ‘reverence’ springs to mind. The effort and toil that had gone into this building, into the careful representations, the swoops and spirals set in stone, and those stunning windows was brought to life and I was utterly spell-bound and overcome with awe. I sat down on a nearby seat and stayed there for some time, on the edge of tears. It was beautiful, in the very true sense of the word.

Whilst that moment will be the first one I tell people about in years to come, I loved every minute of my time in Barcelona (OK, every minute AFTER that fuckin taxi ride). It is a beautiful city to spend time in, whether wandering the parks, marvelling at the luxury yachts, or exploring those timeless lanes and alleyways. Despite all the ‘be careful of pick pockets’ warnings I’d been given I never once felt threatened and everywhere I went, with my paltry attempts at Spanish all I had to offer, I was met with smiles and warmth.

I think it’s only fair to hand the last word back to Freddie and Montserrat:

Barcelona – Such a beautiful horizon
Barcelona – Like a jewel in the sun
Por ti seré gaviota de tu bella mar
Barcelona – Suenan las campanas
Barcelona – Abre tus puertas al mundo
If God is willing
Friends until the end
Viva – Barcelona

Indeed, Viva Barcelona!

It’s been far too long since my last visit to Six by Nico but – boy oh boy Riff – it’s sure been worth the wait!

The last menu – a best of complilation – was a nice way to kick start 2018 but as soon as I saw the first listing for the new menu I knew I had to start spreading the news… (ok, I’ll stop with the New York based puns… maybe).

And what a menu, go on, pick a bad one from this wonderful line up!

1. BAGEL – Smoked Salmon Royale / Dill Pickle / Cream Cheese
2. BUFFALO CHICKEN – Confit Chicken / Gorgonzola Mousse / Pickled Celery
3. EGGS BENEDICT – Slow Cooked Egg / Miso & Brown Butter Hollandaise / Smoked Ham Hough
4. CODFATHER – Shetland Cod / Fregola Pasta / Trapanese Pesto
5. REUBEN SANDWICH – 24 Hours Brisket / Smoked Barley Risotto / Russian Dressing
6. BIG APPLE – New York Cheesecake / Granola / Lemon Curd

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But first, as always, SNACKS!

Actually, that’s not true. Hat tip to my apertif of choice, a tall slim cockatil of lychee liqueur, Caorunn gin (one of my favs), and cloudy apple juice. Wake up tastebuds, it’s eating time!

I should at this point mention that a colleague had already been to try this menu and, on his recommendation, we plumped for a snack plate each. Normally these are made for sharing but he assured me this was the best route.

Reader, he was not wrong.

The snack was a Pulled Pork Slider, with Smoked Mozzarella on a toasted brioche bun and a thick smoky barbecue sauce. It’s small, but even then I found myself eeking out every bite, desperate to make it last longer. I decree that, from henceforth, all mozzarella served before me shall be smoked!

The first course was a little fluffy bagel, with a delicious salmon cream cheese, and just enough dill pickle gel to cut through the richness. It was the smallest plate offered but delivered a ton of flavour. Think dawn spring sunshine in Central Park, a hot cup of joe and (a couple of) these wonderful little bagels. Yes please.

As the day moves on and the sunshine develops, it’s time to spread that Picnic blanket and grab some tasty fried chicken. And, Nico style, this turns out to be succulent confit chicken thighs, with a warming spiced crust on a smear of mousse with yet another new delight, pickled celery. Those tiny spots of sweet sharpness kept the dish from being too claggy, and the gentle building heat was perfectly judged, hot but not overwhelming.

Of course, if you’ve been wandering and doing the tourist thing, a tasty brunch always helps keep the energy up and if every brunch I had was as delicious and more-ish as this one (although to be fair, most brunches are bloody awesome) I’d never leave.

A slow cooked egg, scotch style, with a puff pastry encased disk of rich, deeply smoked, ham hough, with a few dabs of hollandaise to cut through the rich fattiness. If anything this dish could’ve done with a little more of the hollandaise but it’s a minor gripe because I could quite happily have eaten this several times over. The ham hough in particular was an utter delight for the tastebuds.

Of course, New York has a darker side, so tread carefully or you might get the attention of the Codfather… which wouldn’t be a bad thing to be honest. A perfectly cooked serving of fresh cod, fregola pasta in a herby rich broth, with sundried tomatoes and a dollop of trapanese pesto. Of all the dishes, and for one ingredient only, this was the lowest point of the menu for me; what can I say, me and olives don’t agree. That said, I still ate it and if I had the chance, would order it again. Sans olive, obviously.

There are two meat sandwiches that always make me think of New York. One is a pastrami on rye, hold the mustard, the other is an item that regardless of where I am, if it appears on the menu I’m likely to order it. I mean who doesn’t like a good Reuben?

My only fear with this dish is that, quite possibly, it has ruined all other Reubens for me, even though the Six by Nico adaptation isn’t even a sandwich! No, instead you get some of the juiciest, beefiest, most tastiest (it’s a word, shut up!) brisket that I have ever had the pleasure of slow savouring. A little square of fried barley risotto, and of course a nice tangy russian dressing, and some charred lettuce leaves completed the dish. I may need to look up a few new words for the brisket though, utterly utterly supreme.

As ever, suddenly, dessert appeared.

I should state that my cheesecake preference is ALWAYS baked and preferably without any gunk on top. Baked vanilla cheesecake is a thing of delight. I may have to change my preference now.

Served as a shiny red apple, with a (green) lemon curd core, from the first mouthful to the last plate scraping scoop it was perfect. The light cheesecake, the subtle curd balancing the sweetness well, and hell even the granola was tasty! What a wonderful, beautiful end to what was easily the second best menu they’ve ever presented (and for the cost of an olive or two, could’ve taken top spot for me).

Comparing to previous menus is, of course, nonsense but as I’ve still not missed one (yet) and it’s good to look back and marvel at some of the stellar food on offer here. £25 for the basic menu, a few quid more for the snack and apertif, throw in a bottle of wine and for about £45 a head you can eat like a very very lucky member of the royal family. What’s not to like?

“The next two decades it’s gonna be privacy. I’m talking about the Internet. I’m talking about cell phones. I’m talking about health records and who’s gay and who’s not. And moreover, in a country born on the will to be free, what could be more fundamental than this?”
~ Sam Seaborn, The West Wing.

In case you missed the news, it turns out that tens of millions of people have had their Facebook data used by a company called Cambridge Analytics to help skew the last US Presidential election (good summary here). The joys!

Facebook privacy has always been a bit of an open secret, at least to those who work in IT. You can control a lot of the data that you give to Facebook, but every interaction you have adds to the huge amount of data they have access to and, as this particular ‘usage’ demonstrates, it isn’t all that hard to get more with a simple social hack; Hey, which Muppet do you resemble? Tell us your gender and a few other seemingly inconsequential pieces of data … hahaha you fell into our trap!

I am not preaching for a place of innocence either, I’ve filled in many of these daft little ‘games’ on Facebook, I have an active Instagram account where I sometimes include location information, I ‘check in’ to venues, I like and share articles and event posts. All of this adds to the bank of data that Facebook knows about me, and it sure isn’t rocket science to figure out that I’m a white, male, liberal, left-of-centrist who attends a lot of events in the Glasgow area (mind you, you just need to follow me on there to get a sense of any of that).

The details around this current headline grabbing sequence of events are still emerging but, regardless of whether you knowingly took the personality test that Cambridge Analytics posted or not, it’s the darker, blurrier edges of ‘my data’ that are finally making many people sit up and consider the implications.

I don’t think this is the end of Facebook, far from it, but I do hope it’s the beginning of a greater awareness for more people. For many years we’ve had it easy, blithely ignoring things like privacy because, after all, Facebook is a company and companies are held to account by … someone … somewhere, right? It’s another change in our online usage to which many of us will need to adapt; continually checking what data our apps and systems are sharing and who they are sharing it with, fact checking news to confirm if it’s fake or not, a higher state of vigilance than many of us have employed before.

Is this the payback for all those years of ‘free internet’? The assimiliation of all that free data is now coming back to bite us in the bum? Perhaps.

Or perhaps it’s society starting to move fully into the information and digital age, an age our parents can’t fully understand, one built in the cloud and manipulated by the behemoths that occupy those spaces, looking down on us like the gods they think they are.

Viva La Revolution? #deletefacebook? I don’t think so, but #bemoremindfulwithyourdecisions isn’t quite as catchy.

Yes, Facebook could and must do better in this space, transparency would help but I doubt it’ll ever happen, their entire business model is built on this kind of thing but regardless, blaming Facebook entirely is not a new line of thinking. Yes, I think they shoulder some of the blame here but whilst we have the pitchforks sharpened, perhaps we all need to look a little closer to home.

Step 1: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/how-change-your-facebook-settings-opt-out-platform-api-sharing