Burnt Ends

At Burnt Ends, Dave Pynt and his team of “slayers” move with calm intensity around the restaurant’s formidable four-tonne, dual-cavity oven and elevation grills. Fire anchors the menu, but the cooking balances precision with a streak of mischief. The experience opens with a flat bread stick paired with a creamy, briny roe spread. Potatoes, fried to a moreish crunch, arrive topped with raw beef or pristine fish and finished with caviar—playful, sophisticated riffs on steak frites and fish and chips. That same restraint carries through to delicate plates, including Western Australian marron glossed in a kombu-scented beurre blanc. Steaks remain popular for a reason; the dry-aged Blackmore’s striploin is grilled to diners’ preference and delivers depth and clarity of flavour. That said, it’s no surprise why Burnt Ends continues to command near-mythical demand.