Eat clean. Train Mean. Get Lean.

Fitspo and healthspo has been all the rage lately, with a rising obsession with eating clean, whole foods and working out. Not that its a bad thing of course. Often, in a bid to eat healthy, eating out is a big no-no, especially since the food is often prepared with unnecessary amounts of oil, salt and sugar.

Thankfully, we have healthy eateries like Cedele to provide wholesome goodness at affordable prices. Who says we can’t eat out without ruining our diet?

I have been to Cedele several times, and I love their sandwiches, freshly baked goods and cakes. What’s even better is that I know that what I’m eating is good for me! With a wide variety of sandwiches, often stuffed with ingredients (it varies across outlets unfortunately, and they have been skimping on the ingredients lately), and delectable soups to choose from, no wonder they have such a strong following.

Of course, there are hits and misses, so let me share with you what I’ve learnt so that you can have the best experience at Cedele.

The sandwich above it the Chilli Lime Tuna Sandwich on the Foccacia Bap. I wasn’t too pleased with this sandwich though. It was dripping in chili oil and there was very little filling. The bread-to-filling ratio doesn’t look very good in the photo… I’ve learnt that the secret is to order the sliced breads like Wholemeal LInseed or Rye, so that the bread is thinner, as compared to the buns, like Foccacia Bap, Walnut Bap or Pumpkin. But that’s just my personal preference.

This is the Rosemary Chicken Sandwich on Wholemeal LInseed, supposedly their best seller on the menu! I must admit that I was extremely disappointed after the many recommendations I was given about this sandwich. My sandwich had a measly amount of cold, shredded chicken, with sparse pieces of lettuce that were falling out of the messily assembled sandwich. Further more, the cranberry jam was found in a single dollop in the centre of the sandwich. Not a pleasant experience for me. I’d like to give this another go though!

Thankfully, I didn’t give up hope on Cedele. On yet another occasion, I went back for their Chicken Peperonata on Rye bread. Now, this was good. I fell in love with in immediately. The sandwich was generously stuffed, and the chicken patty was so delicious. The honey mustard and perfectly melted cheese definitely paired well adding a sweet-savory touch to the sandwich. I definitely recommend this sandwich. I feel hungry just thinking about it!

Cedele offers set lunches with the choice of a sandwich and a soup (small/large) or salad and a soup, and several more other dining promotions like tea and breakfast sets. That day, I had the Roasted Vegetable Soup which was the ideal pairing with my sandwich. There is nothing more comforting slurping on a piping hot bowl of soup on a cold day.

Another awesome sandwich I had was the Roasted Vegetable Sandwich on Rye Bread. Ooh yeah, this was really good stuff. The hot roasted veggies went extremely well with the fruit chutney, and they were so generous with the roasted vegetables! Loaded with pumpkin, mushrooms, eggplant and bell peppers, this was a scrumptious way to get my serving of veggies in for the day. 

Ah yes, not to forget the roasted onions! Just look at the picture above, and marvel in its glory. That’s what a sandwich should look like. Who’s says eating healthy isn’t tasty?

Cedele is one of the more established healthy eateries in SIngapore, since it has been around much longer than most of the new ones which have been sprouting up. Well, basically if a restaurant survives, you know its good enough. Their cakes are rather spectacular as well, with the carrot cake being my all time favorite. You can even request for dairy free or egg free cakes in advance. They also have freshly baked breads, muffins and even ice cream to cater to your sweet tooth. With chillers well stocked with salads and juices, Cedele also makes a great place for healthy grab-and-go lunches. What’s more? They also sell healthy dine-in meals like pasta, quinoa and the like, so you can have a healthy fine-dining option as well.

I have yet to try the endless array of sandwiches, but what I do know is that I’ll be going back for more despite the few disappointing sandwiches. I guess its time to sign up for a Cedele membership card! If such a position existed, I would gladly be a Cedele Ambassador…advocating healthy yet delicious eating to the world. Delish.

Well, what are you waiting for? Kickstart your healthy lifestyle today by heading down to Cedele.

Rating: 7/10 (+1 for health factor)

********************************UPDATE 20 OCTOBER 2013*******************************

Cedele’s prices have been rising steadily, and unfortunately the standard of their sandwiches have been moving in the other direction.

Recently, I had the Grilled Veggies Chutney again, and it was disappointing. With little grilled veggies, and barely any chutney, the sandwich was dry and lacklustre. Another thing was that the sandwich definitely shrunk in size. Today, I had the Mushroom Overload Burger. It was by far the most unimpressive sandwich I have ever eaten. The description said that there were 3 kinds of mushrooms in the patty, and it would be topped with more sauteed mushrooms… but what I was served was:

One measly piece of lettuce, two slices of tomatoes, and barely any mushroooms. Sandwiches between two small and dry pieces of rye bread was an equally dry, salty patty made of 99% potato. I found maybe 2-3 tiny pieces of mushrooms falling out of the patty. And that was all. So much for a Mushroom Overload. There weren’t any sauteed mushrooms either. Definitely not worth $8.50. Their prices have skyrocketed… with the vegetarian sandwiches coming in at $8.50 and meat sandwiches at $9.50, compared to $7-8 previously.

To rub salt to the wound, the service wasn’t particularly impressive either. The service staff took really long to write down my order, as in literally write it down, and then she took awhile to find out which button to press to key in my order. As I was going back to my seat, I could hear her calling out, “Which is the Mushroom Patty? Where is it?” At the very least, I would expect the staff to at least know what the sandwich is made of. Closing hours are clearly stated as 8pm, yet they began mopping the floor and shifting tables around at 630pm, before telling me that they were closing at 7pm. This is not the first time they have closed early. Perhaps its time for a quality check, to make sure the staff aren’t slacking on the job, and are well-trained to match up to the steeper prices. (If the bosses of Cedele happen to read this, this was at the Tanglin Mall outlet)

Higher prices, stingy fillings, and dry bread? I’m no longer impressed.

New Rating: 5/10

You would be better off with fishball noodles, or fish soup for a cheaper and healthier meal. Even better? Put together your own sandwich… it’ll be more satisfying, and less painful for your pocket.