Restaurant Review: Starting the Day with Budda's Bakery & Breakfast 

• Courtesy photo
• Beef bulgogi sandwich

Though Utah can't necessarily claim dinner rolls as one of its contributions to the local food scene, the amount of affection Utah diners have toward dinner rolls is legendary. As a born-and-bred Utah boy myself, I of course understand this. If a Thanksgiving dinner didn't have a few dozen homemade dinner rolls dripping with butter, it was an abject failure.

Even when I put on my food snob hat—a lovely yellow fez with a hot dog embroidered on it—I have to submit to the power of a warm roll with a buttery crust. Utah's got a built-in market for good rolls, which is why Budda's Bakery & Breakfast is right at home.

Pronounced "buttah's"—the same way Tony Soprano would pronounce "butter"—Budda's culinary roots go back to Hawaii. When you enter this Pleasant Grove bakery, you immediately see a sumptuous display case of macadamia nut cookies—called Chunkys ($5.49), if you're truly embracing the Hawaiian vibe—slices of guava cake ($6.49), danishes ($6.99) and ube cheesecake ($6.99). The aroma of hot buttered rolls is ever present, as it inches in around you like a warm blanket. There's nothing wrong with loading up on these ready-made items, but you'd be remiss if you didn't grab a sandwich or two.

Budda's touts itself as a breakfast place, and it's not playing around. It's got a wide range of reasonably-priced breakfast sandwiches, as well as full bentos, which are breakfast plates that come with everything from Spam to Portuguese sausage. As I prefer my breakfast stuffed between toasty carbs, I went with a few of Budda's sandwiches.

I felt like it wouldn't be a true Hawaiian experience if I didn't try the Spam, egg and cheese sandwich ($8.99), so that's where I kicked things off. Spam is an oft-maligned meat in the realm of food appreciation, but if someone tells you they don't absolutely love grilled Spam served up with eggs, they are fooling themselves. For under $10, you get two thick slices of Spam, a fried egg and melty cheese inside one of Budda's freshly-baked buns. The bun is sliced in half, buttered and tossed on the griddle alongside everything else, imparting that lovely buttered toast texture to a gorgeous, pillowy soft roll. It's a true contender for one of the best breakfast sandwiches you can get locally; there's something endlessly comforting about those hot breakfast fixins served within a soft, buttery bun.

If you're the type of person who will deny their presence on the Spam bandwagon, you can always go with the bacon, egg & cheese sandwich ($8.99). It's possessed of some high-quality thick-cut bacon that is cooked to perfection—not too crispy, not too chewy. No matter what breakfast sandwich journey you take, Budda's secret weapon is that buttery homemade bun. It's a sinful texture as is, but mere mortals are powerless against it when it gets a little toasty on the inside.

As the breakfast sandwich menu is killer, it stands to reason that Budda's lunch menu would also be equally spectacular. Based on the success of the beef bulgogi sandwich ($11.99), I can confirm that lunch is also bangin' at Budda's. I hadn't thought of how well bulgogi would fit into the Hawaiian barbecue schema, but it really works here: the beef is plentiful, tender and extremely well-seasoned. The cabbage added a great crunch, and tied it back to its Korean bulgogi roots, all served on that miraculous homemade bun—so this one was a total hit.

Whether you're stopping in for breakfast or lunch, you should always leave with a box of Budda's famous rolls. They come in single orders ($2.50), half-dozens ($11.99) and dozens ($19.99), and there are around five or six different varieties, including seasonal offerings. The classic rolls are the ones you'll want to serve alongside your favorite meat-and-potatoes dish, as they're soft, buttery and absolutely decadent.

For dessert, the Sticky Budda and the Coconut Budda are excellent options. The Sticky Budda easily captures all the sugary charm of your favorite cinnamon roll. With a slightly hollow interior full of butter, cinnamon and sugar, these rolls can even re-create the satisfaction of biting into that interior cinnamon roll spiral. For a more tropical dessert vibe, the Coconut Budda adds plenty of coconut flavor to the existing buttery, sugary glaze. It's composed of some peak summer vibes, and really hits the spot for fans of coconut desserts.

I have to say that I was completely charmed by Budda's Bakery & Breakfast. It's got all the characteristics of a warm neighborhood bakery, but it can also hang with some of the best breakfast and lunch sandwich spots in town. On top of all those high-quality eats, I noticed a bulletin board near the cash wrap where customers can pin a prepaid meal receipt. The purpose of this is for those less fortunate; if someone comes in and can't afford to eat, they can grab a prepaid receipt and take someone else up on their generosity. It's a clever and considerate way to pay a good meal forward, and I hope more local spots follow suit.