Butter Town Review: Long-Queue Shio Pan Bakery In Holland Village

Butter Town has viral shio pan by young hawkers in Holland Village

For those of us who are #teambread, Butter Town needs no introduction. Their outlets at Holland Drive, CT Hub, and the newly opened Butter Town Breakfast Club at Maxwell see sprawling queues daily, and their shio pan vending machine at Woodleigh is often sold out. I get Butter Town’s shio pan at least once every two weeks, so when I say I know their standard and offerings well, I mean it. So when I was tasked to head back to their Holland Drive outlet for this review, I didn’t need to be asked twice.

Some background: Butter Town was a former home bakery set up by sisters Serene (left) and Danielle (right), Butter Town offers shio pan, chicken curry sets, sourdough mantou, and cakes, which the hawkers make from 5am till 5pm every day, hours after their stall has closed! Impressively, everything here is made from scratch by the young hawkers, from the fillings to their unique sourdough starter that uses apples instead of grapes. 

Food at Butter Town

Before we get into the food, it’s worth noting that prices have gone up across the board since our last visit to their OG outlet at Holland Drive Market and Food Centre in 2023. The Original Shio Pan, which used to be $1.90, is now $2.40. Most flavours have seen an increase of about 30 to 40 cents. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but worth knowing before you queue up.

All of their bread is made with premium Japanese bread flour and high-quality butter, and when ordering, you get asked if you’d like your bread warmed up for you, which we appreciated greatly.

Golden brown with a few salt flakes sprinkled on top, it produced a beautiful cracking noise as we tore open the crust to reveal a soft, fluffy inside. We loved the contrast in textures, with the crust being one of the best I ever tried on a shio pan, though it was a little oilier than usual this time—oil was literally dripping down the sides when I tore it in half—though I’d chalk that up to a one-off. Generally, their shio pan lean a touch oily at the crust, but nothing a quick dab with a tissue can’t fix.

Along with the plain shio pan, Butter Town sells other unique flavoured shio pan, with the flavours rotating daily. Of these, the Au Chocolat Shio Pan ($2.80) was our favourite, made from a smooth spread of 44% Belgian chocolate. 

We liked that the filling was spread evenly inside the bread, neither too sweet nor too bitter, with just enough to ensure you had some chocolate in each bite without being too cloying. 

The most expensive shio pan on offer that day was the Black Sesame Mochi Shio Pan ($3.20), which has gone up by 60 cents since our last visit.

The housemade sesame filling has improved—less dry and gritty than before—and this time, the mochi was perfectly stretchy. I liked that it wasn’t overly sweet, and the sesame fragrance came through well.

Image credit: Butter Town

The Garlic Cheese Shio Pan ($2.80) was another one of my favourites. It’s not for the faint-hearted though, as the bun is filled with fresh, crunchy garlic bits and minced parsley in melted butter, with baked cheese on the crust that gives it a light, crispy finish.

The garlic aroma hits you immediately, and the chunks inside can be pungent when you bite right into them. Fair warning: you’ll need to brush your teeth after, but I personally think it’s absolutely worth it.

Ambience at Buttertown

Butter Town is located in Holland Drive Market and Food Centre, about a nine-minute walk from both Buona Vista MRT Station and Holland Village MRT Station. They open at 10am, but when I arrived at 9:58am on a Wednesday, there were already six people ahead of me in the queue. Come early, and come with a plan, as they sell out within a few hours of opening, and popular flavours go first.

The verdict

Danielle and Serene’s efforts have clearly paid off, delivering delicious baked goods that, save for a few kinks that could be easily remedied, are more than worth the price they are available for. I’ve barely scratched the surface too, with the Mentaiko Shio Pan and Chicken Floss Shio Pan both firmly on my list for next time. If anything, this visit reminded me why I keep coming back every two weeks. The hype around Butter Town is, without a doubt, well-deserved.

For more unique baked goods, check out Baker RST‘s “boat” pizzas and unique muffins, or read our Holland Drive Food Centre guide for more good eats in the area.

Address: 44 Holland Drive, #02-35, Holland Drive Market and Food Centre, Singapore 270004
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 10am to 2pm (or sold out)
Website
Butter Town is not halal-certified.

Photos taken by Aldrich Tan.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg