Comfort food has a place in the Atenean appetite. Soul Cone is aimed at giving customers a taste of Southern hospitality with one of the ultimate comfort food combinations: Fried chicken and waffles.

Taste

The Soul Cone is chicken in a waffle cone drizzled with maple syrup sauce. Funnily enough, this is their only item in a cone. The chicken is succulent and well-seasoned with spices that it has its own flavor even without the sauce. Sweet maple syrup sauce balances out the saltiness of the chicken. A soft and chewy cone wraps around the chicken, but a crunchier cone could have made for a better balance of textures.

The Motown Waffle with sriracha maple sauce is Soul Cone’s waffle sandwich. The sweet and spicy flavor palette coats every bite of chicken. Spice-wary individuals don’t need to worry, because the sriracha provides just a little kick of heat that isn’t too overpowering. Like the Soul Cone, the waffle is soft and soaks up just the right amount of sauce to keep the dish juicy and moist.

Soul Cone’s Sifra Sandwich is similar to the Motown Waffle with its chicken and lettuce filling, but it’s the smokey and slightly tangy cajun mayo sauce that sets it apart. This combination of flavors allows the chicken’s more savory notes to come through. Since the meal is served on sandwich buns instead of the thicker waffle, the chicken’s juices tend to seep into the bread and can make for a soggy sandwich.

Concept

Inspired by Cajun-style cuisine, Soul Cone focuses on comfort food and makes the familiar more unique. Their handmade cones and Southern flavors set Soul Cone apart from the other fried chicken or waffle stalls in JSEC. The owners wanted to combine the best of both worlds into one establishment, making Soul Cone the go-to stall for sweet and savory indulgence.

Value for money

Because of the smaller portions, the food at Soul Cone function as snacks instead of meals. However, their prices are fair. Solo meals are Php 90 for the Soul Cone and Sifra Sandwich and Php 100 for the Motown Waffle. Their combo meals are Php30 more expensive, but with it comes a side and drink of your choice. The food is served hot and fresh upon ordering and the three sauce options—maple syrup, sriracha maple, and cajun mayo—make for great flavor combinations. Best to ask for extra tissue, though, because the sauces and oils tend to drip and coat your hands.

Final Verdict

Soul Cone’s dedication to change up the classic chicken and waffles combination shows through in their products. They deliver in terms of quality and offer a flavor that is different from everyone else. Chicken and waffles might seem familiar to the JSEC scene, but Soul Cone makes it something worth coming back to.

Rating: 4/5

Editor’s note: This JSEC stall is co-owned by Apa D. Aquino, a member of The GUIDON’s Sports staff.