Born in Perth, Australia, Chef Dave Pynt has worked with a host of legendary chefs like Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s in Sydney; Waku Ghin in London), Rene Redzepi (Noma in Copenhagen), Fergus Henderson (St John and St John Bread and Wine in London) and Nũno Mendes (Viajanteand The Loft Project, London).
It was at Bittor Arginzoniz's Asador Etxebarri in Axpe Achondo, Spain, however, that he truly transformed himself. There, Chef Pynt started to realize the true potential of cooking with fire and wood.
He then started a pop-up restaurant in London in Spring of 2012. It was hugely successful and served up to 350 guests a day on weekends.
After the pop-up ended, he traveled and keep learning around the world, before settling down and opening Burnt Ends in Singapore. It entered the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at #30 in 2014 and has held a Michelin star since it was first awarded in 2018. The restaurant has continued to climb to new heights: as high as #15 in Asia's 50 Best and #68 in World's 50 Best. In 2026, it was named #9 in World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list.
As the accolades and customers came piling in, the location soon outgrew itself. So, in 2022, Chef Pynt moved Burnt Ends from Chinatown to the historic 40-hectare site known as Dempsey Hill.
In this episode, Chef Pynt talks about being cussed out early on in his career, cooking with fire, opening a restaurant in a completely foreign place and more.
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