For any new eatery, a soft-opening period is great for nailing processes and refining any rough edges before opening to the general public. But a soft opening is only soft when people haven’t been keeping tabs on your progress. Even before Butter Cafe opened quietly last week on Samford Road, Gaythorne locals had caught wind of the hole-in-the-wall caffeine and brunch dispensary. When co-owners Daniel Bowles and Chih-Wei ‘Tiger’ Hsu lifted the roller door shielding the cafe’s coffee machine and kitchen, folks were ready and waiting. “We were really overwhelmed by the response actually – we sold out of everything straight away,” recounts Daniel. “When we opened a lot of people were saying how they were driving past, seeing the signage and counting down the days until we opened. They were stoked that another quality cafe was opening in their suburb.”

A quick scan of Butter’s offering confirms that Gaythorne residents have plenty to be stoked about indeed. Though small, the cafe packs a tonne of quality into its easy-to-navigate menu, starting with light brunch bites like avocado toast topped with Persian fetta, warm banana bread soaking up a melty pad of espresso butter and a Japanese-style sausage muffin replete with a pork-and-fennel sausage patty, melted American cheese, gooey egg, and a dollop of Tiger’s special sauce. A big drawcard is undoubtedly Butter’s tight selection of drool-worthy deli-style toasties – a tidy list that ticks off evergreen favourites like pastrami (with American cheese, mustard pickles, kraut and Tiger sauce), thyme-roasted mushroom (boasting gooey mozzarella, pecorino, basil pesto and truffle mayo), a cheeky chicken melt (punched up with caramelised onion and Japanese sesame mayo) and a four-cheese toastie – a lip-smackingly gooey number that fuses mozzarella, aged cheddar, pecorino and gruyere. Superstar Sydney coffee roaster Single O is providing the all-important caffeine, with bags of its Killerbee blend on deck (the signature iced cappuccino comes highly recommended) alongside Hrvst St juices, Heirloom hot and iced chocolate, and Strangelove sodas.

For Dan, who has spent much of his cafe-owner career operating larger-scale brunch concepts (including Hawthorne stand-out Sister), Butter gives him the opportunity to tap into a more informal style of service while still delivering a quality product that hits the mark for locals. “What excites me about Butter is the vibe of it – it’s cosy, with a nice outdoor courtyard and lots of greenery,” says Dan, gesturing to Butter’s 25-seat alfresco patio, which is shaded by yellow-striped umbrellas. “We just want to become a part of the community, as cliched as that sounds, but I feel like every suburb should have a quality cafe and we really want to be that – somewhere for people to mingle.”

Butter Cafe is now open. Head to the Stumble Guide for operating hours and contact details.