Beloved bakery Butter Town unveils shio pan vending machine at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre

Foodies will recall that homegrown shio pan bakery Butter Town made waves on social media last year for its Japanese-inspired shio pan. 

Run by two close-knit sisters, Serene and Danielle Tan, the bakery’s claim to fame is its fresh and pillowy shio pan crafted in a delicious, diverse assortment of flavours. 

Butter Town’s shio pan rolls are “Asian croissants” (their riff on the classic French pastry) with a light and fluffy texture, injected with flavours tailored to the local palate. 

However, the salted butter rolls at Butter Town’s Holland Drive and CT Hub stores tend to sell out by noon, so you’re unlikely to get your hands on them, unless you head down early in the morning.

A unique shio pan vending machine concept

For those who haven’t had the time — or accessibility — to check out Butter Town’s shio pan at its outlet in Holland Drive yet, Butter Town has set up its first-ever shio pan vending machine at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre! 

Butter Town’s shio pan “ATM” launches today (January 17), and is the sisters’ innovative solution to introduce their well-loved bakes to more Singaporeans. 

On why Woodleigh was chosen, it’s because they realised that the bulk of Butter Town’s fans lived in the northeastern part of Singapore. 

“We want to share our bakes with as many people as possible,” says Serene. “But we hear feedback from customers that we’re a bit too far for them, especially those who stay in the east side.” 

So, Serene and Danielle decided to work on a convenient way for those customers to access their bakes.

Why an “ATM”? 

Serene says the idea for a shio pan vending machine came to mind randomly, one day. 

“It happened when we were withdrawing money,” she says, laughing. “We were wondering how the banks owned main branches and so many ATMs around the island.”

Serene adds: “That’s when we thought: ‘Why not have shio pan ‘ATMs’ instead’?” 

Much like bank ATMs, Butter Town’s patrons can grab a bun or two at any point of the day. 

Both sisters intend to gradually grow the vending machine concept and set up more stations across different locations.

Flavours at Butter Town’s shio pan “ATM” 

Six yummy flavours — including signatures and seasonals — are sold at the “ATM”. They’re packaged in a sealed bag of two or three shio pan rolls, depending on the flavour. 

At present, the vending machine carries Butter Town’s special Chinese New Year line-up: Pineapple bolo shio pan (S$8), apple cinnamon bolo shio pan (S$8) and pistachio cranberry bolo shio pan (S$8).

Packaged in sets of two, these three flavours are limited-edition and available until the end of February.

Of these, the pineapple bolo shio pan is the sisters’ favourite. It’s their rendition of pineapple tarts in a shio pan and has sweet and tangy pineapple bits folded in buttery shio pan bread. The roll is then finished with a golden-brown, biscuit-like crust — just like a bolo bun. 

“Most places sell pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year,” Serene says. “So, I thought, ‘Let’s do something different from other bakeries, such as having pineapple in a bolo shio pan’.”

The vending machine is also well-stocked with three signature flavours: Original (S$7.20), au chocolat (S$8.40) and garlic cheese (S$8.40), which come in sets of three. 

Note that the flavours are restocked twice a day at 12:30pm and 5pm, so your best bet on snagging one is to pop by during then. Only three signature flavours are sold during the 12:30pm launch, while the 5pm restock features all six flavours.

If the flavours that you’ve been eyeing are all fully sold out at Butter Town’s shio pan “ATM”, you can still purchase them at the stores at Holland Drive and CT Hub 2.

For the latest eats, read about new back-alley cafe Bee Hoe Coffee, and artisanal gelato brand Momolato’s newest outlet in Bugis. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Butter Town’s shio pan “ATM” to check out its vending machine.