GOING LOCO FOR NOCO KIOSK: HALIFAX
- Trish Tothova
- Jun 14, 2017
- 4 min read
Nestled in the beautiful countryside of Yorkshire lies a small town called Halifax. To many there isn’t a whole lot of excitement or touristic enchantment in this town, however, as Noco Kiosk stands it’s boutique outdoor cafe in the city centre of the popular Westgate Arcade, it’s a given that it would attract some well deserved attention towards the town.
It’s one thing to crave Italian food, but after seeing what Noco Kisok has to offer on their Instagram page (@nocokisok) a strong madness over came me to run and grab a seat so I could try out their ever-growing, famous and quite frankly, magical looking milkshakes along with a true hearty Italian meal. It was also a weekend, so no sugar or carbs counting would get in my way!
When you arrive to take a seat at one of the quaint cafe tables dotted around the kiosk kitchen you don’t feel quite sure what you’ve let yourself in for. With only the arcade roof as a cushion over your head and no walls to establish the perimeters, its a free for all in friendly open air atmosphere. A menu was handed to us which informs you on choice, something along the lines of; panini’s, pizza, pasta and salads- all of which came with a choice of different fillings, styles and toppings. Then came a separate menu of amazing milkshakes or hot chocolates in Nutella, Kinder Bueno, Cookies & Cream, plus more. These shakes came topped with many sweets and chocolates for you to drool over.
What was on our menu;
CARBONARA
Carbonara is quite an obvious choice and can be sometimes turn out to be a bland Italian dish if not creatively concocted. When it arrived there was hope that it would taste as good as it smelled (which was phenomenal). After the first jab of the fork into the pasta you can sense the thickness of the carbonara sauce, which is promising as a pose to so many disappointing, more water based carbonara dishes I’ve tasted in the past.
I took my first bite…
For this next part there are almost no words to describe how marvelously rich and creamy the sauce was, the balance between cream, cheese and egg was flawless. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dante with small chunks of pancetta scattered into the sauce giving it that extra kick of flavour. You can tell the ingredients were fresh and sourced locally. It didn’t take me long to clear the plate, even though the portion was more than generous.
Filling, fresh and finely cooked- I can definitely recommend this to anyone with an appetite for rich, lavish sauces.
PROSCIUTTO PIZZA
This stone oven- baked style pizza arrived in a very traditional Italian form. Topped with cheese, prosciutto, rocket salad and balsamic vinegar, it was surprisingly light to eat. The dough base was thin and crispy with a soft- airy centre. Too many times does a pizza arrive with a thick doughy base which fills you up too quickly, leaving you feeling heavy and unable to enjoy the topping flavours.
This pizza was nothing of the sort, to no surprise these ingredients were also very fresh and full-flavoured. The combination of cheesy goodness with the light layering of prosciutto and refreshing rocket leaf, it was the idyllic Italian pizza. As for the balsamic vinegar drizzle, my partner commented and I quote; “One of the best balsamic vinegar’s I’ve had, it complimented the prosciutto so well.” He’s a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, so I’d definitely take his words for it in this area of expertise.
Travelling around Italy last year I had the fantastic opportunity to try some of the best quality and flavoured Italian dishes in the world. To have the pleasure of being able to say that Noco Kiosk delivers the same standard of food is a compliment in its highest degree.
THE MILKSHAKES: (LEFT: KINDER BUENO, RIGHT: UNICORN SPECIAL)
These are not for the faint hearted! If you love sugar, sweets and anything that gives you a sugary rush, you will love these milkshakes. Pick your flavour from the menu but you dont just get a simple bog standard milk and powder mixed drink, you get everything but the kitchen sink. As you can see above, the milkshakes are first topped with layers of cream and then to follow a whole range of sweets and candies which can almost certainly make your eyes bung out your head with excitement.
For the first time in a long time I experienced the same feeling as when I was seven and in a sweet shop with all my weekly pocket money to spend on whatever I liked- sheer happiness.
Unfortunately the milkshake beat me in the battle of woman Vs food but I certainly enjoyed a good portion of my shake which left me feeling crazily energized for a good few hours afterwards.
Noco Kiosk is an Italian joint, made and run by Italians giving it that real authentic atmosphere. If you are ever in the Yorkshire area or just passing through then get your phone out (or pull over), tap in the address and make a stop at this incredible find in the centre of Halifax.
CHECK OUT THEIR INSTAGRAM: @NOCOKIOSK
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