Food trends. With the recent passing of the summer fairs, I always feel overwhelmed with the repurposing of my favourite food into carnival fads – fried mac’n’cheese, churros cones, chocolate covered bacon, and so forth. I’ll try them, but they rarely win me over.

When I was found out that pizza cones were available in Brampton, I was highly skeptical. It took a considerable effort from my team to convince me to try this new menu item, especially as it is a rare find across the GTA, with only one other location serving Toronto.

Nom Nom’s is a recently opened frozen yogurt and Panini shop in downtown Brampton, and now, the only remaining location from the Italian family owned franchise from Vaughan. The first floor is dedicated to fro-yo, but the lower floor is where you will discover the pizza cone.

Introducing Guido and Pietro; these two line chefs carry a delightful bounce in their step with a slightly dominating assurance that you will enjoy the cone. They show a subtle excitement when they introduce a customer to their first experience. In semi-confidence, Guido mentions he has only had two cones despite selling them for a month. He calls it a rare treat for himself; secretly, I call it an unnerving premise for an upset lactose-sensitive stomach. I’m still doubtful.

As pizza cones are new to the café, the fillings include the standard pizza toppings – pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, olives, etc. Inside, Guido mixed pizza sauce with grated mozzarella cheese for consistency throughout the cone.

Without asking for advice, I went for a regular pepperoni. As cheesy tomato sauce smothered my teeth midway through the cone, it was recommended to always have two to three fillings, with at least one chunky topping to take space and create a blockade from the overabundance I experienced. Think peppers or pineapple.

Baking is always an important process. The goal is to melt the cheese-tomato sauce and bake while the cone hardens, without burning the tops. The cone makes its way through an Italian-imported pizza cone oven for four and a half minutes.

The process is simple, but it required a lot of practice, testing and balance of flavours prior to the launch. And I have to admit – I did enjoy it.

Demolition.

As a slow eater, I understand the difficulties of solidifying cheese, soggy cones and cold food. Time poses a challenge to the pizza cone, where you have to wait at least a minute and a half to avoid mouth burns.

But imagine my excitement when I took a respectable ten minutes to eat the cone while watching a football game, only to get to the bottom and still have ooey-gooey cheese sauce running down the sides with an intact, thin crispy bottom.

At the time I visited, a stream of kids waited slightly impatiently for the cones during a birthday party, while a few college students came for their first discovery. I’m not sure if the pizza cone will be a Brampton fad, but I hope it is long-standing.

The flavours are rich, and the cone is a fun substitute to the traditional slice. Furthermore, Guido, the owners and the team are discovering new formulas and additions, including a potential jalapeño pizza cheese-tomato sauce. I wouldn’t consider the cone for a weekly meal, but for the occasional treat, it is well worth the visit.

Price

One pizza cone, one topping and a can of pop: $7.33

Operating hours

Tuesday 11AM–8:30PM

Wednesday 11AM–8:30PM

Thursday 11AM–8:30PM

Friday 11AM–8:30PM

Saturday 11AM–8:30PM

Sunday Closed

Monday 11AM–8:30PM

Nom Nom’s Frozen Yogurt

23 Queen St E, Brampton, ON L6W 2A7

[mappress mapid=”46″]

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