Is Shio & Sato The Best Shio Pan Bakery In Singapore?

Shio & Sato opens cafe at The Centrepoint till January 2026

The name is Genevieve Lee: Masterchef Singapore’s runner-up and the brainchild of the popular sourdough doughnut brand, Sourbombe Bakery. Her love for baking doesn’t stop at sourdough doughnuts, though—it’s only the beginning, as proven by the birth of her second brand, Shio & Sato. 

This up-and-coming bakery specialises in shio pan, AKA Japanese butter rolls. You would have seen snaking queues at their pop-up events, previously held at Takashimaya and The Star Vista. This time, they are at The Centrepoint for a longer period, till January 2026. I’m not one to believe that long queues equate to good food, but seeing how each of their pop-up had garnered so much love, I wanted to try the bakes to decide if they were worth the hype.

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Food at Shio & Sato

Out of the 10 different flavours available during our visit, we tried a total of six: Sea Salt ($3.60), Kombu ($4.80), Garlic Herb Cheese ($5.50), Green Chilli ($5.50), Tamago ($5.50), and Hokkaido Milk ($5.80). 

Starting with the original Sea Salt, this artisanal bake had a slightly crisp exterior contrasted with chewy insides.  

My gripe with most shio pan in Singapore is that the exterior isn’t salty enough, but the one at Shio & Sato was nothing like that. You get a good amount of savouriness in this bun, with a buttery mouthfeel as you bite into its core.

It was delicious, yes, but something was lacking texture-wise. I wished the top was as crispy as the bottom, a beautiful burnt brown beneath, to better contrast against the airy and light dough within.

I quickly forgot about the original shio pan when I tried the Kombu, which is made using seaweed typically harvested off the coasts of Hokkaido. This flavour was easily my favourite; the umami-rich aftertaste, accompanied by a slightly briny and vegetal flavour from the seaweed, was incredibly delicious. If you appreciate these flavour profiles, the Kombu is a must-try. 

The Green Chilli was a close second, filled with smooth cream cheese and finished with finely chopped green onion bits. If you thought the cream cheese looked a tad much and heavy, it really wasn’t—and this is coming from someone who’s not the biggest fan of milky, cheesy things.

I liked that the cream cheese was slightly tangy with a hint of sweetness, quelled by refreshing bits of chopped green onion. The contrast in textures—crispy and chewy shio pan, matched with the creamy cheese—made this a delicious pick for brekkie or teatime.

Since we’re on the topic of creamy fillings, let’s talk about the Hokkaido Milk shio pan. Japanese milk, which is richer and creamier than regular dairy milk, was used here. I’m not usually fond of overly milky flavours, so thankfully, there was a faint vanilla fragrance that helped to mellow down any excessive milkiness in the cream.

The light and almost airy filling was a fantastic pairing with the salty and crunchy shio pan. I recommend this instead of the Green Chilli for those who prefer sweet to savoury snacks!

While the former four flavours were great, the Tamago and Garlic Herb Cheese buns, unfortunately, paled in comparison.

There wasn’t much to shout about the Tamago flavour: think egg mayo spiked with pepper, held in a sesame-crusted shio pan. The Garlic Herb Cheese was decent, but I felt it was a bit ambitious. There was too much going on, so naturally, it didn’t taste much like a salted butter roll. Instead, it tasted more like a herbaceous cheese bread.

Ambience at Shio & Sato

Conveniently located at The Centrepoint, Shio & Sato operates as a bakery slash cafe. There are dine-in seats here, fitting no more than 20 customers at once. The bakery exudes a warm and cosy atmosphere, mainly adorned with wooden accents throughout, from the counter to the dining area.

For easy access, the bakery is a quick four-minute walk from Orchard MRT Station. While it opens at 12pm, do note that queues usually form before business hours. I encourage you to make a trip down early, as the bakes sell out pretty quickly. 

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My colleague and I joined the queue at about 11:50am, and waited 45 minutes to place our order and get our goods. Given the not-so-affordable prices and long waiting time, I understand it’s a stretch for most working adults to get their hands on these shio pan, especially on a weekday. But the saving grace is that there are so many flavours to choose from, and I believe there’s bound to be something that tickles your fancy. 

In related content, read our guide to the best Japanese bakeries in Singapore. Alternatively, check out our Orchard food guide for handmade mee hoon kueh, famous warabimochi and more.

Address: 176 Orchard Road, #01-33F/G, The Centrepoint, Singapore 238843
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 7pm (or sold out)
Website
Shio & Sato is not a halal-certified eatery.

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Photos taken by Nabila Malek.
This was a media tasting at Shio & Sato.