Six by Nico, the restaurant chain that opened with a bang on Union Street in April, has secured planning approval for what is likely to be a steak house in Aberdeen city centre.
The company, which is owned by Scots chef Nico Simeone, on Friday got the go-ahead from Aberdeen City Council to redevelop The Academy on Belmont Street into a restaurant.
The building is the former home of men’s clothing store Jack Wills.
Mr Simeone’s Six by Nico group has remained tightlipped over the identity of the new restaurant.
However, an earlier planning application for the redevelopment included the name Chateau-X, which is the group’s steak house brand.
In the documents that came with the new approval, Aberdeen planning chiefs said the Six by Nico building will bring “increased viability and vitality within the city centre”.
If confirmed, the Aberdeen Chateau-X would be Six by Nico’s second restaurant under the brand.
Chateau-X first launched on Six by Nico’s Home-X home-delivery platform in 2020. As the name suggests, it deals only in Chateaubriand steak, which is considered one of the highest-quality cuts of beef.
Last year, Six by Nico opened its first – and currently only – Chateau-X restaurant, in Glasgow.
Six by Nico is shaking up Aberdeen’s restaurant scene
Mr Simeone already caused a stir in the city with the opening of Six by Nico, which has branches across Scotland and treats diners to an ever-changing six-course themed menu.
Past menus have featured Ancient Roman-style dishes and Hollywood motifs.
And Chateau-X is not the chef’s only Six by Nico spin-off – other venues related to the group including the charity-focused Beat: 6 and seafood bistro 111 by Modou.
Six by Nico has kept Aberdeen guessing before. The chain was tight-lipped ahead of the opening of its flagship restaurant on 367 Union Street.
The branch eventually opened on April 28 to strong reviews.
Diners welcomed the experiential-style restaurant, which serves up a six-course tasting menu based around a theme.
The theme for the launch was ‘The Chipper’ to pay homage to the north-east’s fish and chip shops.
For dessert, diners were served a small deep-fried Mars bar with an Irn-Bru-flavoured sorbet.
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