Dave Pynt’s New Cookbook ‘Burnt Ends’ is Absolute Fire
The firebrand chef’s open-flame cooking philosophy takes centre stage in this limited edition hardcover.
The kitchen is alive with heat. At Burnt Ends, the open flame doesn’t just sear and sizzle; it tells stories. And for founder Dave Pynt, fire is as much about memory as it is taste. Crafted over two years, his new cookbook, eponymously-titled after the one Michelin-starred restaurant, captures the heart of his professional journey. It is a distillation of the influences that have shaped his approach to modern barbecue, with 70 recipes from his repertoire and a showcase of the 16 key techniques he frequently adopts.
“People adapt dishes to whatever ingredients are available. That gave me the freedom to make food my own, without guilt.”
“Australia was probably the biggest influence,” Pynt says, reflecting on his roots. For him, Australia’s food scene thrives on the interplay of global influences, where familiar dishes are transformed with local ingredients. Think of the classic meat pie, infused with native spices. Or Asian stir-fries enriched with local character through kangaroo or barramundi. “People adapt dishes to whatever ingredients are available. That gave me the freedom to make food my own, without guilt.” Pynt’s upbringing in Perth was marked by this playful approach to food, which he carried over into his career — and clearly, it was what gave him the creative license to explore new techniques and flavours.
But it wasn’t just Australia that shaped Pynt’s cooking. The book takes readers on a journey through his global experiences, from street food stalls in South America to Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe. “The smoked quail egg with caviar is a perfect example,” he explains. “It started as a humble street snack: quail eggs boiled and sold by vendors in South America. We smoked it, refined it, and turned it into something special at Burnt Ends.” The dish is now one of the restaurant’s signatures, emblematic of Pynt’s ability to elevate ordinary ingredients through fire (and play).
In the book, Pynt shares not only recipes but also the stories behind them, giving readers a glimpse into the world that inspired Burnt Ends. “It’s not just a restaurant; it’s a collection of everything I’ve learned over the years,” he says. The cookbook, with its brazen illustrations and photography, reflects the raw, elemental nature of cooking with fire — an approach that Pynt honed during his time working under the legendary Chef Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri in Spain.
The main challenge of writing the book was adapting Burnt Ends recipes for home cooks. “We use custom-built ovens and grills, as well as techniques that take years to master,” Pynt admits. “So, while the recipes are authentic, they come with a warning — you’ll need to adapt them based on what you have at home.”
“[Barbeque] is about understanding how fire behaves and how to work with it.”
One recipe customers constantly ask for is the beef marmalade. “We get requests for it all the time,” Pynt laughs. “But replicating it exactly as we do in the restaurant is tricky without our ovens.” Nevertheless, Pynt promises that the book gives home chefs everything they need to create something close to the real deal.
Central to the book are the techniques that define modern barbecue, from direct grilling to cold smoking. It even goes into the science behind different types of heat. “Barbecue is often seen as rustic, but there’s a lot of technique involved,” Pynt explains. “It’s about understanding how fire behaves and how to work with it.”
The journey of Burnt Ends — from its pop-up beginnings in London to its current home in Singapore’s Dempsey Hill — is also detailed in the book. Pynt recalls his early days working in Europe, where he learned to appreciate the complexity of beef through dry aging, something that wasn’t common in Australia at the time. “My time in London was a real eye-opener. I was introduced to dry aging and the incredible variety of beef cuts in English cuisine.” Today, Burnt Ends is ranked No. 68 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurant and No. 15 on The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant lists. It has also clinched and kept its one Michelin star since 2018.
Pynt’s philosophy has always been about more than just following tradition. His aim is to push boundaries, creating a new language around barbecue that fuses influences from all over the world. The result is a unique dining experience that’s ever-evolving, just like the flickering flames in his kitchen. For Pynt, cooking is never static, and the fire never dies. Rather, the fire adapts with every dish, shaping stories as rich and layered as the food itself. And now, with this book, those stories are being told for the first time.
