Burnt Ends

Burnt Ends

Near Outram MRT

Couldn’t get a reservation a few weeks ago and I decided to postpone the dinner to a month later as we had some international test at work for two weeks. Yes, Burnt Ends is that busy and I think reservation should be made 2 weeks in advance. And I know why they are so busy after today’s dinner! I went in with the impression that the food will be good while servings will be morsel-like but charged at an exorbitant price. To my delight that was totally not the case as food was really good while serving is filling and reasonably priced.

Upon entering, a poised looking lady will be standing at the door ready to usher you to your seats. And I felt lucky to be able to sit in front of the luscious ingredients.

Beautiful artichoke, leek and fennel.

Pretty tomatoes on a bendable plate.

Delicious complementary doughy cookies that will be given to you when you leave!

And so the meal begins. We got the baby octopus. It may look really unappetising but it actually tasted pretty good. X and S loved this a lot while I find it not bad. The octopus is springy and has a heavy oak taste. I like the texture and it didn’t smell fishy at all but I wasn’t sure if I love the heavy oak taste. $12.

The sobradasa which is a minced beef spread. Bread was crusty while the spread is quite tasty. However, I find it slightly oily and thought it was just not bad. $10. I was hoping for more for these two starters and thought that this may be the standard of the restaurant which is quite a disappointment but my impression changed immediately when the next few dishes were served.

Jacabs ladder was the last starter we got. $12. This is really some serious beef served over here. While the outer layer tastes fragrantly burnt, the inner meat was totally impeccable. Very good texture and yet not too raw. I love these few slices of beef over here. And together with the mayonnaise, it is really delicious.

We then moved into our first mains. Jamaican chicken bap which costs $20. Fillings are chicken, mashed avocado, parsley and cucumber. I love this burger a lot. It’s really interesting to add such pungent vegetables into your burger such as parsley (which is subjectively fragrant) but it worked really well for us as it makes this burger interestingly tasty and refreshing. Chicken was delicious and has quite a bit of fragrant chicken skin in it. The mashed avocado is creamy, smooth and gives the extra oomph when eaten together with everything else. Cucumber is pickled. Super delicious.

Dissect the burger and it looks like this!

And then the sanger burger which is really a must order. While most of the dishes are regularly changed, this has been on the menu for really long and I think it’s one of the signature dishes that will stay forever. Really fragrant shredded beef in it while the cabbages were coated with delicious mayonnaise. I think it is paprika mayonnaise as it is slightly spicy and has a paprika taste. $20. In contrast to the lighter tasting Jamaican chicken bap, this is a heavier burger and We all loved both of them!

We got the baby snapper which was so deliciously cooked again. This baby snapper is huge. Really fresh and flesh was very tender. It is really fun to see how they grill the fish to prevent it from sticking onto the grills. The sauce beneath is made up of I think olive oil and definitely has lemon zest in it. That makes it really appetising. The salad by the side was really good and there are these interesting purple strands which are very crunchy and slightly chewy. Very interesting texture which I love a lot. $55. It’s really reasonably priced for such a big fish.

And we got our last piece of mains. a 230g Tri tip. I don’t know what does the name of the dish mean, but to me this last dish was really delicious. They will weigh the beef first and present it to you before cooking it.

And tada, our delicious Tri tip. There’s bone marrow in the sauce according to the menu but I wasn’t sure how bone marrow taste like as I haven’t had it before. Well, as long as the food is good who cares. sauce was delicious, thick creamy and super fragrant I felt. Which goes well with this beautifully barbecued slab of evenly marbled beef. Beef is really soft and melts in your mouth. The sauce gives it an extra oomph. The salad by the side was also zesty and clears your palate, so you can enjoy the next piece of beef. $23 for 100g.

Pineapple with almond nougats, rum and thick vanilla ice cream for $10. This dessert was pretty good. Thick and sweet sauce while the pineapple still tasted juicy though it was grilled.

And I think these are the two head chefs for Burnt Ends.

So did I enjoy Burnt Ends? Of course I did! Really good grilled beef and burger over here definitely. Service is kinda mixed though. The Singaporean guy serving was less professional I felt as he got wasn’t too nice when it got busier (no word of thanks after paying the bill), while the lady at the counter was always very smiley and would say a big thank you when you leave. It really isn’t that hard to give a smile I feel and that means a big difference to your service. Then again, food is really good and chefs are friendly. It is a place that I will consider coming back again. And they have no service charge here. We paid about $66 per person and I find that reasonable for such a great meal. Yums!

Verdict: An excellent restaurant.