MARKETBASKET
BYDAVID PYNT
LEEK
“LeeksnevercomeoffthemenuatBurnt
Ends.Wesimplythrowthemin theoven
andburnthemandthat’saboutallthere
is toit.Theoutsideturnscompletely
blacksowestripthispartoffandthen
you’releftwiththissoft,sweetfleshin
themiddle.Weservethestemswith
brownbutter,choppedcapers,lemon
juiceandtoasted hazelnuts.“
PUMPKIN
“Whatreallyattractsmetopumpkinis
howtoughit is.AtBurntEnds,wethrow
a wholepumpkinonthecoalsandjust
letit burn.It’slikea littlepressure
cooker.Youendupwiththischarred
crustontheoutsideandthisbeautiful
concentratedflavourin the middle.”
PORKTOMAHAWK
“Theporktomahawkcutis an
extensionoftheloinstotheribs.
WhatI likeaboutit is yougeta variety
oftastesandtexturesandthisnice
competitionbetweentheslightly
tougherloinmeattothereallyfatty
bellymeat.If youcan’tgetyourhands
ona tomahawk,youcansubstitutefor
a standardbone-in pork chop.”
MUSHROOM
“I reallylikethetexturalcomponentof
pinemushrooms.Theyhavea relatively
subtleflavourthatis nottoo
overpoweringwhengrilledoverthe
coals.Thewaythemushroomsare
designed,withallthosetinypores,allow
themtoholdthesmokequitecleanly,
makingthema reallygoodmediumfor
transferring those flavours to a dish.”
cooking,beforebeingtransferredto
thehotovenfora charringofthecrust.
Theporkshredsarethenloadedinto
briochewithcoleslawandchipotlemayo
tocreatethefamousBurntEndsSanga.
Andthere’smoretothemenuthanjust
meat.Mushroomsaresmoked,lettuceis
grilledandfennelbulbsarecaramelised
overthecoals.“Vegetablesareactually
oneofmyfavouritethingstocook,”
saysPynt.“Avegetarian has never left
thisplacehungry.”
Anddespitetherestaurant’srecent
closureduetotheCOVID-19pandemic,
PyntassuresBurntEndsfanscanstillget
theirfix.“We’velauncheda subscriptions
andonlineplatformforfooddelivery,
includingallourAustralianwineimports.
We’veturnedthatintomoreofanonline
shopanddeliveryservice.We’rejust
pushingeverysortofchannel that we’ve
got available to us.”FEWMEALSSPARKjoylikethosecooked
overa fire,saysDavePynt,theAussiechef
behindSingapore’sBurntEnds.“It’sa
kindofmagic.I don’tknowwhatit is butit
justmakeseverythingtastesof***ing
good.”ThePerth-bornchefstartedhis
careerat Tetsuya’sin Sydneybefore
chasingtheflametoNomain Denmark,
thenAsadorEtxebarriin Spain,wherehe
trainedunderthegreatgrillmaster
himself,VictorArguinzoniz.
In 2013,Pyntmadetheleapto
Singapore,whereheopenedhisfirst
venue,thenowMichelin-starredmodern-
barbecuerestaurant,BurntEnds.Like
Arguinzoniz,Pynthaskittedouthiskitchen
withanimpressivearsenal.A custom-
made,four-tonnedual-cavityovenaswell
asa seriesofelevationgrillsformtheheart
oftherestaurant,wheredelicateflavours
aregentlycoaxedoutoverthecoals.
Manyofthedishes,liketheWestern
Plainsporkshoulder,startoutin the
cold oven, used for slow and lowWithtimespentin someofthe
world’sbestrestaurants,Dave
Pyntis firedupaboutshowing
hisskillsin hisSingaporean
outpost, Burnt Ends.ETERNALFLAME@dpynto20 delicious.com.au
IN SEASON.