–
I perked up when I first heard about a restaurant in Singapore named Burnt Ends. (For the uninitiated, burnt ends are those charred “bits and bobs,” or “bark” of barbecued beef brisket first made famous in my hometown of Kansas City – the undisputed capital of American barbecue).
I didn’t visit David Pynt’s restaurant when I was in Singapore in 2016. And I regret it. So I was very happy to see him on the roster of this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas at The Restaurant at Meadowood.
–
–
David Pynt knows what Kansas City burnt ends are. And he will eagerly acknowledge that his restaurant has nothing to do with Kansas City burnt ends (his restaurant concept started as a pop-up in an open archway in London originally named “Burnt Enz”). But it is a barbecue restaurant.
How do you barbecue – not just one course, but nearly a dozen of them – for 80 guests and maintain the integrity of the food?
For this year’s dinner series, The Restaurant at Meadowood departed from the previous, single-seating format in favor of a staggered seating, more akin to a regular restaurant service. This was a particularly great boon to Pynt’s style of cooking. A grill was set up outside on The Restaurant at Meadwood’s deck, and with the aide of walkie-talkies, the kitchen was able to fire orders throughout service. This minimized the time between grill and table, and ensured that the grilled vegetables and meats arrived warm and juicy to the guests.
–
–
An Australian by birth, Pynt’s barbecue doesn’t ascribe to any one culture. Borderless, his cooking traces the globe for flavors – sweet soy-glazed eel with whipped bone marrow on white bread; grilled leeks with hazelnuts and white truffles; squab (pigeon) with blueberries; and marinated pork belly with a compote of local (to Napa) pineapple quince.
Among my favorite dishes were the soy sauce-lacquered lamb ribs, which he served on the crumpled parchment paper in which the ribs had been held after grilling, coated in all of the lamb’s flavorful fat and juices. There was also a terrific black cod head that had been coated with miso and lemongrass and roasted until it became a skull of gelatin. This was butterflied and served for two.
–
–
For dessert, The Restaurant at Meadowood made grilled date cakes, which were presented whole and sliced table side. That was served with eggnog ice cream.
Afterward, guests were invited out on the deck to join chef Pynt at the grill for a marshmallow roast. These “Christmas marshmallows” were fragrant with winter spices – orange, cinnamon, and local spice bush. The sugar content was so high, and the grill fire was so hot that the marshmallows developed a beautiful, crisp, sugar crust quickly.
To accompany the outdoor roast, the Restaurant at Meadowood’s Bar & Spirits Manager Beau du Bois made a hot toddy of apple brandy, bourbon, lemon, orgeat, and Angostura bitters.
Following is the entire menu from the second night of the Twelve Days of Christmas with chef David Pynt of Burnt Ends in Singapore. Here is a link to all of the photos.
–
–
Canapés
“Steak Frites”
Foie Gras Parfait Tartlets
Glazed Eel
Bone marrow.
(Pynt)
Grilled Mackerel
Cabbage, unripe citrus.
(The Restaurant at Meadowood)
–
1st Course
Fall Leaves
Daikon, benne oil.
(The Restaurant at Meadowood)
2nd Course
Grilled Leeks
Hazelnuts, white truffle.
Pork Belly Chop
Pineapple-quince compote.
(Pynt)
3rd Course
Soy and Rosemary Lamb Ribs
(Pynt)
4th Course
Miso-Lemongrass Cod Head for Two
(Pynt)
5th Course
Beef
Smoked potato, chanterelles.
(Pynt)
6th Course
Pigeon and Berries
California Rice
Burnt ends, nasturtium.
(Pynt)
7th Course
Grilled Date Cake
Eggnog ice cream.
(The Restaurant at Meadowood)
–
Smoked Butterscotch Chocolates
Christmas Marshmallows
(Pynt)
Warm Chestnuts
(The Restaurant at Meadowood)
–
–
Wine Pairing
Alzinger Grüner Veltliner, Smaragd, 2017
Littorai “les Armes,” Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, 2017
Chappellet Chenin Blanc, 2017
Dominus Cabernet Blend, Napanook Vineyard, 1996
Henriques & Henriques Madeira, Terrantez, 20 Year
–
–
Below are links to my posts and photos from all Twelve Days of Christmas dinners I have attended. Each chef is listed with the restaurant with which they were cooking at the time they participated in the event (some have moved on to other projects and restaurants).
2012
Scott Anderson(Elements; Princeton, New Jersey)
John & Karen Shields(Formerly of Townhouse; Chilhowie, Virginia)
Phillip Foss(EL Ideas; Chicago, Illinois)
Stuart Brioza & Nicole Krasinski(State Bird Provisions; San Francisco, California)
Jason Franey(Canlis Restaurant; Seattle, Washinton)
Matthias Merges(Yusho; Chicago, Illinois)
Mori Onodera(Formerly of Mori Sushi; Los Angeles, California)
James Syhabout(Commis; Oakland, California)
Nick Anderer(Maialino; New York, New York)
David Toutain(Agapé Substance; Paris, France)
Josh Habiger & Erik Anderson(The Catbird Seat; Nashville Tennessee)
Christopher Kostow(The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
2013
Andy Ricker(Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon & New York, New York)
Rodolfo Guzman(Boragó; Santiago, Chile)
Carlo Mirarchi(Blanca and Roberta’s; Brooklyn, New York)
Tim Cushman(O Ya; Boston, Massachusetts)
Ashley Christensen(Poole’s Diner; Raleigh, North Carolina)
David Chang(Momofuku; New York, New York)
Matthew Accarrino(SPQR; San Francisco, California)
Mark Ladner & Brooks Headley(Del Posto; New York, New York)
Rasmus Kofoed(Geranium; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Nicolaus Balla & Cortney Burns(Bar Tartine; San Francisco, California)
David Kinch(Manresa; Los Gatos, California)
Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
2014
Matthew Orlando(Amass; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Frank Castranovo & Frank Falcinelli(Frankies 457, Prime Meats; New York, New York)
Kobe Desramaults(In de Wulf; Dranouter, Belgium)
Alexandre Gauthier(La Grenouillère; La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France)
Blaine Wetzel(Willows Inn; Lummi Island, Washington)
Joshua McFadden(Ava Gene’s; Portland, Oregon)
Virgilio Martinez(Central; Lima, Peru)
Grant Achatz(Alinea; Chicago, Illinois)
Corey Lee(Benu; San Francisco, California)
Esben Holmboe Bang(Maaemo; Oslo, Norway)
Ignacio Mattos(Estela; New York, New York)
Christopher Kostow(The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
2015
Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NoMad; New York, New York)
Nenad Mlinarevic (Focus; Vitznau, Switzerland)
Christian Puglisi (relæ; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Jorge Vallejo(Quintonil; Mexico City, Mexico)
Joshua Skenes (Saison; San Francisco, California)
Matthew Wilkinson (Pope Joan; Melbourne, Australia)
Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan ([One]; Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Isaac McHale (The Clove Club; London, The United Kingdom)
Kyle Connaughton (Single Thread; Healdsburg, California)
Atsushi Tanaka (A.T. Restaurant; Paris, France)
Justin Yu (Oxheart; Houston, Texas)
Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
2017
Mark Lundgaard Nielsen(Kong Hans Kælder; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Manish Mehrotra(Indian Accents; New Dehli, India; New York, New York; London, U.K.)
Jeremiah Stone & Fabián von Hauske Valtierra(Contra & Wildair; New York, New York)
Jeremy Fox(Rustic Canyon & Tallula’s; Santa Monica, California)
Ben Sukle(birch & Oberlin; Providence, Rhode Island)
Sean Brock(McCrady’s, McCrady’s Tavern, Husk, & Minero; Charleston, South Carolina)
Yoshiaki Takazawa (Takazawa; Tokyo, Japan)
Thomas Keller(The French Laundry; Yountville, California)
Eric Werner(Hartwood; Tulum, Mexico)
Jock Zonfrillo(Orana; Adelaide, Australia)
Alexandre Couillon(La Marine; Noirmoutier, France)
Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
2018
Jose Enrique (Jose Enrique; San Juan, Puerto Rico)
David Pynt (Burnt Ends; Singapore)
–
–
Photos: Leeks on the coals; chef Pynt putting leeks on the coals; grilled mackerel on cabbage; saucing the pigeons with blueberry sauce; miso and lemongrass-coated black cod head; Pynt slicing strip steak; pork belly with quince compote; grilled date cakes; guests roasting Christmas marshmallows on the deck; wine pairings; Pynt with the team at The Restaurant at Meadowood; menu for Day 2 and house apple brandy; pigeons on the coals.
–
