I recently moved to Tanjong Pagar in Singapore and have been exploring the area for the past few weeks. While on one of my lunchtime strolls, I saw a smart-looking gym on Cecil Street named, TSquared Lab, which I later discovered is a personal training gym. Little did I know that shortly after this I would receive a message from an Instagram follower about a meal-plan provider they'd tried but would like to read my opinion on named TSquared Lab Eat (T2eat) – what a coincidence!
Of course, I was happy to try a new meal plan, so I froze my weekly Green Kitchen order and headed over to their website to order a week's worth of meals.
Before we look at the particulars of the meal plan, I think it's remarkable that T2eat seems to be just one part of TSquared Lab's fitness ecosystem. Their website is separated into 6 categories: Train (personal, group and online training), Eat (meal plans), Recover (therapy services), Mind (yoga, meditation and pilates), Learn (useful articles), and Total (a 5-phase fitness transformation programme that combines all of the above). This holistic approach to fitness, all provided by one company, isn't something I've seen before and I think it's a cool idea.
Plan overview
T2eat offers 4 types of meal plans: Sculpt (low carb, high protein), Balanced (nutritionally balanced), Plant-based (for vegetarians) and Custom (a way to mix and match meals). I'm currently trying pescetarianism and wanted to receive a mix of plant-based and fish meals, so I chose to "customise" my week of meals.
I could select 1 of 3 meal sizes depending on what calories I wanted to consume each day: Regular (averaging 350–400kcal per meal), Large (averaging 450–500kcal per meal) or X Large (averaging 550–600kcal per meal). I was also asked whether I wanted to subscribe to a 1 or 2-week plan and asked how many meals I wanted to receive each week (you can choose to receive 1, 2 or 3 meals per day).
Based on T2eat's average calories per meal, 2 X Large meals per day best suit my needs (averaging 1,100–1,200 calories each day), so I ordered 1 week of lunches and dinners.
I'm going to assume you go for the same plan as me, so here is what you can expect to spend if you choose to receive 1 week of X Large meals:
10 meals per week for S$226 (S$22.60 per meal)
12 meals per week for S$271.20 (S$22.60 per meal)
15 meals per week for S$333 (S$22.20 per meal)
You receive a marginal discount on these prices if you go for a 2-week plan (around S$0.50 per meal) and free delivery is included.
I was then presented with a menu for the following week that displayed all the meals I could pick from the Sculpt, Balanced or Plant-based menus. Similar to other meal-plan providers, I was able to add or subtract meals each day, which, when selected, were added to my shopping cart until I reached 10 meals total. Finally, I was asked to confirm when I wanted my meals delivered (7–10:30am or 6:30–9:30pm), where they should be delivered, and how I wanted to pay for them.
The nitty-gritty
Here are my observations and opinions on some specifics that contribute to the overall experience: user experience and customer service, packaging and delivery, and cost and rewards.
User experience and customer service
Packaging and delivery
Cost and rewards
At a glance
In my last meal-plan review of Nutrition Kitchen, I adopted a bullet-point format for meals, which received positive feedback, so I'll do that again in this blog. I think it makes it easier for you to gauge how I feel about each meal at a glance.
I have a couple of criticisms that relate to all the meals I received. Firstly, I feel that protein-macro estimations were often too high. I commend T2eat for being upfront about calculating calories and macros from the weight of raw ingredients, but proteins can shrink up to 25% when cooked, which could significantly impact these numbers.
Secondly, and this is something common in most meal plans, there is a noticeable absence of fresh vegetables in T2eat's meals. Based on my experience so far, this is the real differentiator between meal plans that aim for cost efficiency and those that focus on meal quality. Most T2eat meals have little to no greenery apart from a garnish.
Monday
Full-day calories and macros: 1,160kcal, P106, C103, F42
Lunch – [Plant-based] Japanese Spiced Teriyaki Ball (620kcal P51 C66 F22):
A great portion of food and a good start to the week.
The Teriyaki Balls had an interesting and enjoyable numbing-spice sensation.
The Teriyaki Balls were made from Quorn, which I knew T2eat used as their plant-based protein and I was surprised by how tasty it was (it's certainly better than some other plant-based meats, such as YoloFoods' Earthmeat).
Dinner – [Sculpt] Cinnamon rubbed salmon (540kcal P55 C37 F20):
The quality and portion size of the salmon was fantastic, I was pleased with how the fish looked and tasted.
The meal only had a small number of carbohydrates; I know this is the "Sculpt" menu, but I feel more should have been included to make it satisfying.
Tuesday
Full-day calories and macros: 1,160kcal, P108, C90, F41
Lunch – [Sculpt] Ginger cumin seared swordfish (530kcal P57 C35 F21):
Possibly the worst piece of fish I have ever received in a meal plan.
While the portion size was large, the fish was exceptionally fishy and not pleasant to eat. It had a rubbery texture and the taste was sickening – it tasted like it was off (yes, I've had swordfish several times and usually enjoy it).
This meal repeated on me for the rest of the day and I did not feel well afterwards.
Again there was a very small number of carbohydrates included.
Dinner – [Plant-based] Paneer dahl kebab (630kcal P51 C55 F20):
This meal illustrates why I critique the calories and macros listed on meal-plan labels. I was so frustrated by this meal that I made a spontaneous Instagram reel – check it out below. I simply cannot fathom how this meal was 630 calories and 51g of protein. There was barely any food in the box and the meal wasn't filling at all.
The annoying thing is that it tasted really good. The sauce included had a sharp tangy taste and the Dahl Kebab had a comforting texture.
Wednesday
Full-day calories and macros: 1,180kcal, P114, C66, F43
Lunch – [Sculpt] Thai Style Tom Yum Seabass Fillet (530kcal P51 C43 F20):
I was worried about how the Seabass Fillet would taste after yesterday’s terrible swordfish but thankfully it tasted great.
I didn't taste a strong Tom Yum flavour and feel that could be amped up in the meal.
Everything was well-cooked but the whole thing lacked texture.
Dinner – [Plant-based] Mattar Paneer Masala (650kcal P63 C23 F23):
Finally, a decent amount of carbohydrates in a meal.
The meal was OK but my issue with these curry-type meals is that they all end up tasting the same. It's almost like the chefs make a big batch of sauce and then use it for multiple meals throughout the week.
The Masala had barely any spice or flavour at all.
Thursday
Full-day calories and macros: 1,270kcal, P108, C167, F44
Lunch – [Plant-based] Crunchy Thai Vegan Salad (630kcal P51 C88 F22):
This meal's textures were nice and it included a great-tasting and zesty dressing.
The portion size was generous and the meal was very filling.
The ingredients that weren't covered by the dressing were bland, I would have liked more dressing to coat everything.
Dinner – [Plant-based] Veg Coq Au Vin with Sweet Potato Mash (640kcal P57 C79 F22):
There was no real "bite" to the meal.
The Sweet Potato Mash was a good consistency.
I feel that 57g of protein is very high for the amount of plant-based protein in the meal, which made me question the macro calculations.
Friday
Full-day calories and macros: 1,170kcal, P112, C125, F41
Lunch – [Plant-based] Vegan Red Thai Coconut Curry (620kcal P53 C84 F21):
There was no spice in the curry and I couldn't taste any coconut flavour.
The rice was a little overcooked.
I was happy with the large portion size of Quorn – it made me feel like I got better value for my money.
Dinner – [Sculpt] Goan Fish Curry (550kcal P59 C41 F20):
At least this meal included a small number of fresh peppers – a rarity in T2eat meals.
The protein portion was great but it lacked flavour.
Again, the quality of the fish wasn’t great but it was certainly better than Tuesday's swordfish (I still have nightmares).
Overall review
Full-week calories and macros: 5,940kcal, P548, C551, F42
Average daily calories and macros: 1,188kcal, P110, C110, F211
There's a lot to like about TSquared Lab: its holistic approach to fitness and wellness, its ease of use, its customer service and its generous portion sizes. I would order from them again although I wouldn't be in a rush to do so.
If I had not ordered and reviewed several other meal plans, I would probably rate T2eat much higher than I have. Unfortunately for them, their price per meal (S$22–23) means that I must compare them to similarly-costed meal plans, such as Green Kitchen (S$23). When those two companies are stacked up against one another, there's a clear winner in terms of value for money and overall meal quality and that's Green Kitchen.
While I am not 100% certain, I think that T2eat is a relatively new arm of TSquared Lab and I look forward to seeing how it develops and grows because it is one of the better meal plans I've tried in Singapore.
T2eat, just in case you're reading this, here are some areas where I think you could improve:
Make meals better or lower your price per meal. I rank your current meal quality in the ballpark of a mid-tier meal plan, such as FitThree. The big difference is that their price per meal averages S$15–16 and what you're currently offering doesn't justify an extra S$5–7 per meal.
Can we get more greenery? While your protein portions are among the most generous I've seen, there's a noticeable absence of vegetables in your meals. It would be great to see more fresh vegetables, which would add flavour, texture and essential micronutrients to your meals.
Review your numbers. I appreciate that it is far easier to calculate calories and macros from raw ingredients (it's how most nutritional-information databases work), however, it would be great if you could work out more accurate numbers for your ingredients after they've been cooked.
Add a "hot to handle" warning. Your packaging and labelling are great but your containers do not insulate heat well, so a warning to be careful when removing them from a microwave would be appreciated.
Ratings
Price ⭐️⭐️☆️☆☆
Taste ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆
Meal variety ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
Plan options ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆
Packaging & delivery ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of use ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
Thanks for reading and I hope you find this review (as well as the reviews of other meal plans I've tried) useful when choosing your plan. If you'd like to keep up to date on the workouts I do and the meals I receive, you can follow me on Instagram.