We try a fine dining chippy tea - and it was cheaper than a Birmingham chip shop

Who doesn’t love that warm sizzling aroma of fish and chips frying away as you enter a Birmingham chippy.

With sausages, pies and other piping hot, tasty delights, oozing with flavour lying behind steamy glass displays, encased in gleaming silver shells - almost calling out to be eaten.

It’s the traditional British takeaway dish that’s loved across the nation - but fish and chips have been falling out of favour in more recent times.

And it’s not because the meal, which dates back to Victorian times, has lost its flavour. Instead, fish Friday fans are being put off a trip to the local chippy due to the cost. A portion of fish and chips in Birmingham has rocketed (as it has elsewhere in the country) - with some chippies charging £10 and more.

So I was quite surprised to discover that a new upmarket fine dining restaurant - which has recently opened on Colmore Row in Birmingham city centre - is offering a six course fine dining chippie tea for £39.

A quick check on my calculator shows that this is 65% cheaper per course at Six by Nico than one portion of fish and chips in the local chippie! 

But is it worth it? Does a fine dining version of the nation’s favourite takeaway offer the same delicious satisfaction? Should we all be ditching our local chippie and heading off to town?  

There was only one way to find out - so I booked myself and a friend into Six by Nico to discover their six course chippie tea.

It was quite an adventure - full of surprises. Marketed as an ‘affordable fine dining’ concept, I kind of expected the restaurant to be a trendy, open space. Maybe chic, but minimalist - to complement the economical theme.

Instead we discovered uber stylish, plush surroundings glowing with welcome in gorgeous warm, luxurious, orange furnishings and subtle lighting.   

The service complemented the upmarket vibes with friendly, front of house staff ready at the door to greet us upon arrival, taking our coats and ushering us to our seats.

You definitely don’t get that in my local chip shop (although the staff are perfectly friendly and welcoming!)

We had a dedicated waiter who explained the concept to us - Six by Nico serves fixed six course themed menus which change every six weeks. In addition to our dedicated waiter, he explained that members of the kitchen would also serve us and talk us through each dish - just like they do in Michelin starred places.

I was all at sixes and sevens for a while, but it all made sense when I thought it through properly. The six course menu comes with wine pairing for an extra £30 - and you can order a pre-dinner cocktail as well. So, all in the name of research, we decided this was the best not to miss out on these opportunities.

But let’s not get side-tracked - we were here to discover how you can muster up six courses based around fish and chips! Well, you’d be surprised at just how many connotations can be created from our traditional dish. 

We began with Cheese & Chips. It was phenomenal - a beautiful souped up, frothy potato and cheese delight with a side potato crouton topped with shavings of parmesan. Light, with a tangy cheese taste it was packed with flavour.

Dish number two was Scampi. A colourful plate with a single coated portion of flavoursome fish served on a bed of buttered peas. I love mushy peas from the chippy, but I also love this.

In at number three, we were treated to Steak Pie. It was a real melt in the mouth sensation as I forked the 24-hour beef shin into my mouth. It was served with burnt onion ketchup, mushroom duxelle and ‘meaty salsa’. Amazing - texture and powerful flavours ensured this was another winner.

We were just over half way with three more dishes to go - it was a gift that just kept on giving! Dish number four was Fish Supper - and it was served amid a theatre of dry ice. It really was a full evening of entertainment. As the clouds settled we discovered scrabster coley, pickled mussels, confit fennel, samphire and beer emulsion packed full of protein and flavour. 

Our penultimate dish was smoked sausage - if you love pork belly, you’re in for a treat. It was another melting meat delight, topped with salt baked celeriac and served with apple, crispy crackling and choucroute. What a magnificent tribute to the traditional chippie savaloy.

The finale paid tribute to Six by Nico’s Glaswegian origins. We were served a take on the world renowned Deep Fried Mars Bar. I’ve never had one before. It was quite an experience to enjoy the chewy, chocolate favourite encased in batter. I must admit, I did prefer the chocolate pave it came with - and the Irn Bru sorbet was a real taste sensation I would like to try again!

It certainly was a wonderful experience - and a testament to the brilliance of our local chippies that they can inspire such culinary wonders. It’s a shame chip shops are having such a tough time to survive amid the cost of living crisis - and it’s always important to support local businesses. But it’s also worth checking out the phenomenal  Six by Nico six course chippy tea - and it won’t break the bank.

Six by Nico chippie tea is available until the restaurant updates its menu to the Best of 2023 on December 18.