Butter Town — Restaurant in Singapore

🥐 A Second Helping of Hype: Checking Back in with Butter Town Sometimes, a second chance is all a place needs to redeem itself. My initial foray into Butter Town's famous baked goods left me a little underwhelmed, but with the persistent buzz and the memory of previous sold-out attempts lingering, I felt compelled to give them another shot. I'm genuinely glad I did, because it seems Butter Town has been busy in the interim. My recent visit revealed a bakery that has significantly refined its game, particularly with its much-hyped shio pan (salted bun).

🥖 Atmosphere and Setting: The Quest for the Salted Bun Butter Town’s reputation precedes it, often manifesting in disappointing queues that end in "sold out" signs. I had previously abandoned two attempts mid-queue, so I was prepared for a challenge. This time, I planned my visit for the early part of the lunch hour and was rewarded with a surprisingly manageable line of only about four people. The swift 5 to 10 minute wait felt completely justified.

However, the rapid-fire pace of sales is a spectacle in itself. The bread flies off the shelves, with many customers wisely purchasing multiple bags. I managed to snag one of the last original shio pan loaves from that batch, though it's reassuring that the staff quickly moved to restock, with a fresh batch ready and the queue reopening about 30 minutes later. It’s clear this is a place where you need to time your visit right!

🧈 Food and Drinks: The Refined Salted Bun Experience The star of the show, the salted bun, truly shone this time. The previous iteration hadn't quite hit the mark, but these recent buns had a much-improved, satisfying texture. More importantly, the buttery and savoury fragrance was perfectly balanced. It was a complex, inviting aroma that promised a delicious bite.

My main takeaway, and a crucial tip for all patrons, is the importance of toasting. The difference between a cold bun and a properly warmed one is night and day. In fact, I suspect these shio pan are intentionally made a little oilier than usual with the expectation that customers will toast them at home, thus preventing them from drying out. A cold bun can feel a bit hard and slightly lacking in that essential exterior crispness.

This leads to the only real flaw: the exterior texture straight out of the bag needs work. It lacks that satisfying, shatteringly crisp crust one craves. It's a minor point, easily fixed by your toaster, but an area for potential improvement nonetheless. Toast it to unlock its full potential; that warmth brings out the rich flavour and improves the bite dramatically.

👨‍🍳 Service and Value: Worth the Reasonable Wait The service was efficient and pleasant, managing the fast-moving queue and the high-demand product with professional ease. Given the sheer volume of customers and the repeated need to restock, their organization is commendable.

As for the price and value, an 8/10 overall rating indicates that I felt the quality of the now-improved product justifies the cost, provided the queue is reasonable. Would I wait an hour? Probably not. Would I snap up a bag or two if the wait is under 15 minutes? Absolutely. The experience of finally securing and enjoying a well-toasted shio pan is certainly a delightful treat.

⭐ The Verdict Butter Town has demonstrably turned a corner with its signature salted bun. While my first impression was disappointing, this second visit revealed a bakery that has significantly elevated its craft. The shio pan, when toasted, is a beautifully balanced, buttery, and savoury treat.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend a visit to Butter Town, but only if you are lucky enough to encounter a short queue and are prepared to toast your buns at home before eating. This spot will particularly appeal to lovers of rich, Japanese-style baked goods who don't mind a little strategic timing to catch a fresh batch. If you've been before and were unimpressed, it's definitely worth...

Edited after liaising with owner, I accept the sincere apology but I think stall should make it SUPER CLEAR that

Second batch is not a “preorder” (but your own sign said “preorder ready at 11.15am”).

“Second batch” is not guaranteed. Because I asked both you and the cashier earlier if “there’s really enough for me at Position #10”, you both said YES.

Seeing as how I’ve already waited 30 min in queue, 45 min for “preorder”(or second batch), I don’t have an incentive to “not come” after the buzzer rings. You need to check this please

1 and 2 would inevitably give one the wrong expectation.

Hey - I know we spoke earlier but I’m leaving a review here again because that’s how DISAPPOINTED I am.

Many reviews below complained about the long wait, that’s not really an issue because they do give a buzzer, and I believe good fresh bread deserves the wait.

No, my GRIPE was with how despite taking my “preorder”, waiting for a good 45 minutes, I still DID not get my “preorder” - which begs the question, then why even preorder??

You said “we rang the buzzer and you didn’t come, so we had to give your bread to someone else”.

I did not come because the buzzer did not ring despite me sitting

We finally tried Butter Town’s signature shio pans, and they lived up to the hype. There was a solid 30min queue on a weekday morning. Thankfully, the bakes were replenished regularly as they ran out of their O.G. shio pan original whilst we were queueing. Their sweet, and savoury shio pans are rotated daily, aren’t always available, so be prepared to try different shio pans every visit.

🥐 Shio Pans Their shio pans were seriously impressive. The breads have a soft, pillowy, fluffy inside, with a thin, crispy crust. The stretchy bread literally unfurls when you pull them apart. It’s so simple, and satisfying.

O.G. (9/10) - The original shio pan is topped with sea salt flakes, and filled with decadent, melted butter in the center.

Au Chocolat (8/10) - Filled with a generous amount of smooth bittersweet dark chocolate ganache. This version complements the light, salted bread. The chocolate filling oozes as you bite into it.

Mushroom (10/10) - My favourite. This umami bomb was filled with a generous amount of buttery, earthy diced mushrooms, and caramelised onions. It was deeply flavourful.

🍰 Sourdough Cakes Double Chocolate Sourdough Cake (10/10) The chocolate cake is soft, moist, and dense, topped with a layer of rich and decadent bittersweet chocolate ganache, and crunchy chocolate balls which add an additional layer of delightful texture to the cake. We loved that it was not overly sweet, but still very chocolatey.

Gula Melaka Pistachio Pandan Sourdough Cake (7/10) The cake was like a panda chiffon cake, topped with gula melaka, and crushed pistachios. The texture was very soft, fluffy, moist, with fragrant and sweet with notes of panda and coconut.

We were thoroughly impressed, and would definitely love to return and try their other bakes. But we will definitely need to factor in the...