In 2024, “Nong Noey” or Butterbear from the titular pastry shop (backed by industry legend Thanawan “Boom” Vongcharoenrat from the likes of Coffee Beans by Dao and Skinnylicious) has breathed new life into the character craze. Everyone knows Butterbear, but what about the actual food?

 

 

Catapulting to stardom after Butterbear’s dancing clips went viral, the mascot has garnered a music career, fashion deals, and celeb meet-and-greets. But, before you take time to queue up for her pastry, know which edible merch to buy and avoid. 

 

First tip: hit up the Emsphere shop on the weekdays so you don’t have to push and shove the legions of fans waiting to see Butterbear. Even on a Wednesday evening, BK still had to queue up for 15-20 minutes and some dishes had already sold out. 

 

 

As you approach, you’ll find a line of preserved treats like tin cookies, pre-packaged palmiers, brownies, stickers, prints, and shirts. Once upon a time, this space was all about pre-packaged treats, but now there are freshly made selections.

 

Some of their drinks, for example, still come in a can but we went straight for their sugary Thai milk tea slushie (B149).

 

Despite the queue, the first few sips are refreshing but sickeningly sweet—and hardly worth the price. This drink sneaks in a squeeze of fresh cream in the middle and some buttery cookie crumble along with jelly-like crystal pearls.

 

 

Butterbear is known for donuts and bagels, so we opted for a classic garlic butter bagel (B95) to test out their savory style. This is not your usual New York-style bagel; it’s fluff. The dough itself is slightly sweet (obviously) and well buttered, but the filling is almost non-existent and unevenly spread. It’s definitely more butter bagel than garlic bagel.

 

 

For their juicy butter bun line up, we selected the crunchy cocoa (B120) dip. The pillowy buns glisten with a generous layer of rich salted butter and the spread is reminiscent of Ovomaltine. 

 

As for the pre-packaged bite, we recommend the red velvet cream cheese brownie (B95). With its mousse-like consistency, it’s still quite rich but the tiny bulbs of cranberry break up the intensity.

 

 

Finally, we tried the butterfly palmier (B95) in lemon, chocolate, and strawberry. Out of the three, the lemon comes out on top with a zestiness that balances out the buttery pastry. The chocolate and strawberry are similar to the flavors you’d find on Pocky sticks. 

 

Butterbear stayed true to its name when it comes to dessert—heavy on the butter. Sure, it’s a kitschy viral gimmick, but maybe Nong Noey’s not just a pretty face after all.