Barbecue and champagne on the beach: Chef Dave Pynt shares his favourite Christmas traditions

He is Australian, and she is British. Thus, the tale of two Christmases begins. The story begins with Dave Pynt, the chef and owner of Burnt Ends Hospitality Group, which manages the one-Michelin-starred modern barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends, its namesake next-door bakery, and Meatsmith, a smokehouse restaurant. 

Christmas for the Pynts differs every year, as they alternate the year-end celebrations between Perth, where Pynt was born and bred, and Brighton, where his wife, Katrina, is from. 

“Christmas for me was always hot because I’m, well, Aussie,” he says with a laugh. “Growing up, we would always start our Christmases with an early morning swim or surf followed by champagne on the beach. Then we’ll head to someone’s house for a barbecue.” 

The feast includes lots of fresh seafood, such as lobsters, fish, and nice, juicy steaks.

This year, it is Brighton’s turn to host, and in place of warm, sandy beaches, the Pynts will be treated to a pebbly, colder variant. “The missus still wants a morning Christmas swim, though,” Pynt says. “It will be f***king cold! But we are doing it anyway.” 

Pynt loves taking the time and effort to cook traditional festive recipes. “I love making all these things that involve a lot of work and are very traditional,” He says with relish. Take the Burnt Ends Christmas hams, for example — they take 24 days to brine and nine hours to slow-cook before being lovingly basted in their honey whisky glaze until perfect.

Likewise, the filling for their mince pies takes as long as two months to prepare. Both are available at the Burnt Ends bakery in Dempsey the week before Christmas. 

“Yes, you can always buy ready-made and take shortcuts, but you will lose the magic,” he insists. In his own words, “Effort and time equals magic. The magic comes out with the end result.” It is this exacting philosophy that Pynt applies to his restaurants, food and work ethic, which he shares in his self-published book, Burnt Ends Book, which was launched in October. 

More than just a cookbook, the 368-page book offers readers an intimate glimpse into Burnt Ends, the people who have contributed to its success and how it has cemented its position as one of Asia’s top restaurants since it opened in 2013.

The book also contains recipes developed and utilised by Burnt Ends, including its signature king crab and garlic brown butter and the highly popular doughnuts — recipes for fillings are included. 

Burnt Ends Bakery, which started as an online business in 2021, is also expanding. Slated to open early next year as a collaboration between Burnt Ends and Audi Singapore, the second outlet will be located within the Audi House of Progress.

It will feature a selection of German-inspired pastries and baked goods. Diners can expect fresh pretzels, black forest doughnuts and, of course, currywurst.