Wet Markets Are Declining, But This Australian Butcher In Toa Payoh Is Thriving

Outback Butchery is run by an Australian in Toa Payoh

When Adam Speering opened Outback Butchery in November 2024, it didn’t take long for the media to pick up on the Toa Payoh Vista Market shop. Local outlets all wanted to interview the Australian butcher, who decided to take his craft deep into one of the most Singaporean places imaginable: a heartland wet market.

More than a year on from the media frenzy, Adam, 43, acknowledged that the online fame gave his business a boost. “When I first came here, a lot of the stalls around me were closed. So it was a bit quiet,” he reflected. “Then suddenly the media arrived, and I started getting more and more regulars. It’s really turned our business around.”

Today, Outback Butchery is a key fixture in the Toa Payoh wet market. During our conversation with Adam, we were frequently interrupted by regulars, who would warmly greet Adam, his wife, and daughter, all three of whom run the stall together. These charming interactions felt almost surreal; it’s not every day you see aunties buying large slabs of Australian meat at the local wet market.

So how exactly did this Australian butcher end up here?

As Adam was born into a family of butchers, it was almost inevitable that he would end up as one, too. “I started butchering when I was around 12 years old. At 14, I went to one of those big city schools in Sydney, and decided that wasn’t for me at all,” he said. He dropped out shortly after and went into a butchery school, where he would refine many of the skills that now define Outback Butchery.

After meeting his Singaporean wife, Ann, Adam moved to Singapore and began working at a meat-processing company. He later struck out on his own, starting the first iteration of Outback Butchery at Katong Shopping Centre, before rent pressures made him move to the Toa Payoh wet market in 2024.

Today, it seems Adam has found his footing in the wet market scene. Not only is he thriving at his current outlet, but there are plans to open more Outback Butchery stalls at other wet markets across Singapore.

This is despite wet markets being alien to most Australian butchers. “Back home, meat is sold in brick-and-mortar stores”, Adam said. “It’s better here, you know—you’re outside, you can feel the heat.”

Aside from the “al fresco” aspect, Adam also loves the communal spirit of wet markets. “The feedback has been really good. Everyone’s been so welcoming.”

Still, wet markets are slowly disappearing in Singapore, and Adam agreed that such third spaces should be preserved rather than replaced by supermarkets.  “Wet markets are special,” noted Adam. “It’s good that people can come down, speak to vendors, and be a part of a community. It’s cheaper than supermarkets, too.”

Despite being fairly new to Singapore, I thought Adam was spot on with his analysis. For many of us, wet markets—messy and a little pungent, yes, but also warm, inviting and full of humanity—have gradually been replaced by the cold efficiency of supermarkets. As consumers, perhaps a return to wet markets could rekindle some of that “kampung spirit” that many find lacking today.

But it’s not just the consumer side of things. According to Adam, the older vendors at the market have no intention of passing on the business to their children. “They say it’s hard work, and there’s no MC, so they don’t encourage their kids to be like them,” he said.

Adam Speering sees things differently. Coming from a family of butchers, he followed in their footsteps and eventually became a butcher himself, so it’s only natural that his children might take up his mantle.

Remember the other Outback Butchery outlet that Adam plans to open? He hopes to one day have all five of his children run a branch of their own. In fact, one new location—likely to be run by his daughter—is currently in the works, with Adam hinting that it may be at another Toa Payoh wet market.

In a couple of years, you may see “200 Days Sirloin”, “Lamb and Rosemary Sausage”, and other Australian meats appear at a wet market near you. And behind the counter? Almost certainly, a Speering.

For a story about Singapore’s first sake brewery, read our Orchid Sake Brewery feature. For an intimate look at a Korean restaurant in Singapore, read our Hwang Sil Restaurant feature.

Address: 74 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #02-14, Toa Payoh Vista Market, Singapore 310074
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 5am to 11am, Sat-Sun 5am to 2:30pm
Tel: 8286 5359
Website
Outback Butchery is not halal-certified.

Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was an independent feature by Eatbook.sg.