When someone says “roast,” you think of thick, juicy slices of beef, crispy golden potatoes, massive Yorkshire puddings with the perfect fluff and crunch, and a generous drizzle of rich, red wine gravy. What I didn’t expect was a meal that looked more like cat food scraped out of a tin or something a 3-year-old might throw together during a chaotic kitchen experiment. That might sound harsh, but when Six by Nico’s advertising paints such a mouth-watering picture and you’re served this, I couldn’t help but feel a bit robbed.
The festive roast menu is £44 for six courses, with an optional £33 wine pairing. We skipped the wine and fancied something non-alcoholic and sweet. When we asked for a recommendation, our server suggested a strawberry daiquiri. Great! I love a good alcohol-free strawberry daiquiri (especially after a past incident involving one too many alcoholic daiquiris, which ended in me throwing up something that looked like Bambi’s forest in flames). But when the drink arrived 12 minutes later, it was orange. Confused, I asked, “Is this a strawberry daiquiri?” The server smiled and confidently said, “Yes, it is!” I took a sip. It wasn’t. Alarm bells were ringing—what if I had an allergy to orange or apple? You can’t afford to make mistakes like that, and the night had already gotten off to a nervous start.
We ordered a couple of snacks to begin with: Smoked Ham & Cheddar Croquettes and Warm Sourdough (£10 for two). The croquettes were tasty with a nice sweet topping of gherkin, but the sourdough was just sourdough—nothing special, served with chicken parfait butter that, honestly, tasted like plain Flora.
The first course, Pigs in Blankets (Pork Pressé with Sauerkraut and Burnt Onion), was decent. I’m not the biggest pork fan, but the sauerkraut added a nice tang that I enjoyed. I was starting to think there might be some hope for this meal.
The second course, Smoked Salmon, was actually my favourite dish of the night. Beautifully smoked and paired with a creamy sauce, Granny Smith apple, and dill, it was delicious. I practically licked the bowl clean. Unfortunately, that bit of hope suddenly disappeared.
The next course, Brussel Sprouts (Barbecue Hispi Cabbage with Aged Ewe’s Cheese and Black Garlic Emulsion), was a bit of a mess. The emulsion was way too tangy, completely overpowering everything else on the plate. I’m not a brussel sprout fan, but even if I were, I doubt I’d have enjoyed this. Don’t get me started on the Presentation, it was non-existent.
(Below is the roast on the right and on the left, is whats inside the yorkshire pudding – stuffing?)
Then came the supposed star of the show: The Three Bird Roast. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most disappointing dish of the night. Duck, chicken, and turkey ballotine with liver parfait and honey-glazed carrots arrived looking like canned cat food slapped onto a plate. There was no gravy—just a sad, measly squiggle of some sort of brown sauce. The ballotine was so dry and stodgy it felt like eating cardboard, and I had to keep gulping water just to try and swallow it. The liver parfait felt completely out of place on the plate, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it was there. Where were the fluffy roast potatoes? Where were the comforting, classic elements of a roast dinner? This didn’t scream festive roast to me at all. For £44, I expected so much more.The Ultimate Yorkshire Pudding (an extra £6!) was anything but ultimate. Bland, cold, and stuffed with pork and sage stuffing that was somehow flavourless. Honestly, Aunt Betty’s frozen Yorkshires would have been an upgrade. Cutting into it revealed a soggy, sad mess that looked like something a cat might throw up. I was honestly in shock.
Next up was The Baked Brie with homemade mince pie and pear. The brie was creamy, and the pear added a pleasant sweetness to the dish. However, it wasn’t enough to redeem the overall experience. The mince pie was disappointingly small – just one bite, and it was gone. Finally, the meal ended with the 55% Chocolate Profiteroles, which unfortunately didn’t deliver. The buttermilk sorbet was overly sour and clashed with the other elements on the plate, and the “profiteroles” turned out to be just one, which was slightly frozen.
The staff were a little bit better this time- more smiles and a clearer effort to explain what each dish was. However, there were still a few slip-ups that raised some eyebrows, hinting at ongoing training issues that I think are still lacking. While the service was friendlier than before, there were moments when basic attention to detail was missing, like clearing our plates without asking if we had finished, wiping the table (it was filthy from the start when we sat down), or checking in to ask how our meal was. These small oversights made it feel like the service wasn’t as polished as it should be for the price and experience being offered.
By the end of the meal, I couldn’t wait to leave. With the bill coming to £137, I couldn’t help but feel a bit pissed. This was my fourth visit to Six by Nico Birmingham, and sadly, it will be my last. The last three experiences have been equally underwhelming. Other branches, such as London and Oxford, seem to meet passable standards, but Birmingham has struggled with consistency and execution.
Sadly, the experience fell short in many areas. Is it worthy of the title “roast”? Unfortunately, no – it’s far from the comforting, hearty meal you expect from a proper roast dinner. It’s more of a concept (a very poor one) than a true execution of the classic dish. I really wanted this to be a success, but sadly, it was one of the most disappointing meals of 2024.
BAB ABOUT TOWN 