This is the 4th time I bought Hiap Joo banana cake. Taste has always been consistent for the last 3 purchases, with my last purchase being Jul 2023. Sad to say that they've finally lost it this time. They've tried to improve the operations with the set-up of a glass counter where you place your orders and make payments, also covered up the main entrance where you used to be able to see part of the kitchen and smell the banana cake baking. But whatever the management that took over did, unfortunately also included total change of the banana cake recipe and baking process. Too bad I don't have photos of how the cake looks like last time. It used to be a bit more yellowish, soft, definitely more fragrant and you can taste that home-baked taste to it, and a little of that charcoal oven that differs from conventional ovens.

Now it's just like any other banana cake, no fragrance at all, and tasteless with a weird sweet aftertaste - like added too much of something. Very clumpy texture as well. Customers who have eaten their banana cake in the past will probably start feeling the difference soon too. I wonder if the taste has changed too for their oven-baked coconut and red bean buns. It's a pity. I won't be going back to them unless someone feedbacks that the old standard is back. Though a good find is another Indian (?) shop nearby selling fruit cupcakes (the non-icing and cream type) at just 3RM for a pack of 5. Surprisingly tasted better than Hiap Joo's banana cake and made my trip not wasted.

UPDATE: I just saw Google reviews that it seems like their banana cakes have not been baked on-site since post-Covid. Is outsourced and delivered. No wonder the huge huge difference in taste. Total 360 drop in standards.