After a London barbecue pop-up called Burnt Enz drew the attention of restaurateur Loh Lik Peng, Dave Pynt was invited to Singapore to open Burnt Ends in 2013. Pynt had built the pop-up’s wood-fired oven himself and the restaurant received much acclaim, being a perpetually impossible to book restaurant for nearly a decade. Perhaps that has to do with the first iteration only seating 18, but availability became a lot better after tt moved to Dempsey during COVID, where the custom ovens and grills became the centre of a much larger operation.
Chef Pynt grew up in Perth. He started out washing dishes at a pizza restaurant, then learnt to make pizzas and trained in commercial cooking at TAFE. His early career took him to Tetsuya’s in Sydney and Amusé in Perth. In London, he worked with Fergus Henderson at St John and joined Nuno Mendes’ Loft Project. A short spell at Noma and time with Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri gave him a close look at two very different kitchens. Etxebarri’s wood-fire cooking became a major influence on the restaurant he would later build.
Burnt Ends brings those experiences into a restaurant that runs on fire, reminding me a bit of the late Humo. Nearly every dish on the menu passed through its four-tonne, dual-cavity oven and elevation grills. The kitchen writes a new menu each day, with plenty of off-menu dishes. Pynt has held on to one Michelin star since 2018, but the room still feels like a busy, high-volume grill rather than a hushed tasting-menu restaurant.
The dining room has a dark, warehouse feel, with a long counter facing the open kitchen. Two ovens roared behind it. At least 20 people worked the pass and kitchen, while servers moved around the room with clockwork timing. It was a big operation, and the counter gave us a close view of it.
The chef recommended the tasting menu for first-time visitors. I had eaten a huge lunch, so I knew I would not get through it. We ordered à la carte instead. I just asked for the signature dishes, and added a few of the off-menu items.
The smoked quail egg with caviar was a classic opening bite. The grissini and flatbread were another house staple: crisp, light and topped with herbs, dill, cream cheese and fish roe. The roe brought salt, with a little spice at the end.
One of the off menu items, a deep-fried ravoli, topped with 80-day-aged striploin slices and leek ash came next. It was crisp and savoury.
The next dishes were Burnt Ends’ version of fish and chips and steak fries: steak tartare, then ceviche over potato terrines, covered with caviar. I was told this was a classic starter at burnt ends, but it was a bit underwhelming.
Smoked mussels with burnt butter brought more smoke and richness.
Steak is sold by the gram, and I wanted a small one. The smallest one was 180g, and when presented with the raw cut, it was quite a bit larger than I expected.
They did not ask how I wanted it cooked, but it arrived a perfect medium-rare. The cut itself was lean. Bone-marrow sauce added the richness, and a crisp watercress salad kept the plate in balance.
The orange-and-cinnamon marshmallow was one of my highlights. The outside had caught the heat and smoke, while the centre stayed cold. It tasted as if someone had taken a frozen marshmallow and passed it quickly through the smoke, really capturing the essence of smokiness without reducing the marshmellow to goop.
Burnt Ends has a clear identity because the fire shapes the whole menu, not just the meat. The meal moved between a variety of starters, the main and a playful dessert, and the busy kitchen gave the room plenty of energy. It very much does feel like an industrial operation, and despite a really amazing steak, I felt the starters were generally uninspired. I didn’t realize how small each starter was and the pricing was pretty extreme - I can see how the bill racks up quickly.
I found it a bit curious why this place is always fully-booked. I finally managed to make the reservation so I went, but for the amount of hype and a Michelin star, I thought the restaurant was a bit overrated. Perhaps it’s because there aren’t many amazing BBQ or steak-forward restaurants in Singapore. That said, tried it, service was good, food was pretty good, didn’t really think the value was there. Not really in a rush to return.
Total damage: 500 SGD/2 people