If you don’t spend half your life on TikTok, let me get you up to speed on the salt bread that’s taken South Korea by storm. Originating in Japan, the cult baked treat features a golden, crisp shell topped with salt flakes and a soft, buttery interior. It’s simple, delicious and comforting – and people are going nuts for them. Case in point: someone recently drove 1.5 hours from Illawarra to Chippendale just to get their hands on one. Where? Buttered – a new Korean bakery and café now open inside a heritage-listed building in Chippendale – one of Sydney's coolest 'hoods.
The bakery is by Vuza Hospitality’s pastry chef Philip Choi, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. “Salt bread was the treat I craved most when I was homesick,” Choi says. “It’s deceptively simple, but when done right, it’s magic.”
You can order the original – here called the ‘Salty Boi’ – or opt for a sweet or savoury filling, including almond, vanilla cream, roasted garlic, spring onion and bacon, or garlic cream cheese.
You may also want to come here for the tissue bread – a croissant-style cube of pastry filled with soft, layered folds that pull apart. Flavours include lemon meringue, matcha, pistachio and strawberries and cream.
We’ve also got love-heart eyes for the ’grammable waterfall cake – a light and airy sponge layered with whipped cream and pretty, seasonal fruit cascading down the centre like a waterfall.
“Asian café culture is leading the way when it comes to pastries and drinks, and I wanted to bring a slice of that creativity and comfort to Sydney – with a little twist,” Choi adds.
Plus, expect fun Korean drinks made with sparkling water and house-made syrups – yuzu, strawberry or green grape – as well as hot coffee brewed with beans from Bondi’s Will & Co.
Buttered is open every day from 9am until 5pm, meaning there’s plenty of time to get your Salty Boi fix.
Find out more here.
Address: 5 Central Park Ave, Chippendale NSW 2008
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