Butterfly Bakery

A bit of an up and down experience at the Butterfly Bakery during our recent trip to Toronto and the Spadina St Chinatown area. Nice overall selection of baked goods and a small case of steamed dumplings and buns to choose from. The sesame ball we ate fresh was pretty fantastic but they didn’t hold up over time at all unlike others we have had. The other reviewer that mentioned the shrimp and chive dumplings was spot on. Great price and one of the better dumplings I’ve had the pleasure of eating. Really simple but very well executed with a whole shrimp and fresh chives inside the perfectly tender wrapper.
The remainder of what we had (red bean pineapple bun, red bead mochi bun) were middling at best. Not a bad showing overall but the star was definitely the shrimp/​chive dumplings… you have to go try these when you’re sampling the food of the area!

Great dumplings!!! 4 shrimp/​chive dumplings for only $ 2 and each dumpling had a whole giant shrimp in it. Hate getting shrimp dumplings that skimp on the shrimp, not here. Their buns while large were not very flavorful. Had the assorted veggie bun that while only 80 cents, was nothing more than the dough with some scallions on top and mixed in. Would definitely go again for the dumplings. Would order more than 4 next time. Mmmmm.

Not my fave place to go, but I do come when I’m too lazy to walk to Mashion Bakery.
The buns are bigger than the other HongKong bakeries in the area, but the prices are much more expensive as well (Usually $ 0.70/bun as opposed to $ 0.33/bun). It’s really more worth it to go elsewhere.
Quality varies from poor to mediocre. Because the bun-​size is different, the bread to filling ratio is not as great compared to other places. The bread isn’t as airy and light and can be a bit dry at times (I think it has to do with the freshness…) Also they decreased the varieties of buns they have now because they turned half of the store into a hot food area.
Plus side? The cashiers are nice, they’re open later than DingDong/​Mashion, and no tax!
If you do want to give this place a try, get the BBQ pork ($ 0.70/bun) or Pineapple coconut buns ($ 0.50/bun). However, I’d rather take the extra steps to go elsewhere.

As I sit here eating one of the 6 (YES SIX) eggtarts I purchased at Butterfly Bakery, I have to say, I’m impressed.
Ok, not impressed enough to give this place 5 stars, but enough to say that these eggtarts are delicious.
The place itself is quite small, and their selection isn’t as great as other places, but where they excel in is the quality of the baked goods they sell. Pretty decent mix of savoury and sweet and everythign I’ve had has been tasty.
The steamed buns looked delicious and I was tempted to pick some up, but my mission was egg tarts and egg tarts is what I got. I will, of course, return to try their steamed buns… OMG, they did look good.
Their prices are a smidgeon higher than other bakeries in the area, but the difference is so small it’s negligible.

The second best spongy cake I had in years!!! :-) I never tried anything other than spongy cake here… but seriously, their spongy cake is a must try :-D but, this bakery is a little on the pricey side of Chinese Bakeries in Chinatown.

At long last, after nearly 7 years of living in Toronto, I have found IT!
In San Francisco there are a lot of Northern Chinese bakeries. For just $ 1, I could get a steamed vegetarian bun on practically any street corner.
There is a texture and flavor that just can’t be copied without making steamed buns at the bakery. I’ve bought some at the Chinatown grocery stores frozen, but they were small and not nearly fresh and chewy enough.
Over the last 7 years, I’ve walked into Kim Moon, the biggest of Dundas –Spadina bakeries, and they look at me funny if I ask for a steamed bun. I eat at Yung Sing every now and again, but it’s wheat flour buns filled with tofu. I stop in at other bakeries up and down Spadina. If they have a steamed bun it’s always filled with bbq pork. Always the same story– nothing!
Finally, after spending a relaxing morning working at a coffee shop, I had to return to the office. I decided to get a Banh Mi for lunch, but saw a new bakery just east of Spadina on Dundas, so I walked in.
Cue the Hallelujah chorus!
$ 1 Vegetable Steamed buns with rice flour, the size of my face!
I took it to work, heated it up and savored the black mushrooms, onions, carrots, and other bits of veggies that filled this sweet, chewy doughy handful. There is nothing like it.
I’ve also tried the lotus bean and red bean buns and they are just like I remember from SF.