Vincent is retiring and Muk Bar is taking over
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When it opened in 2016 with its moody dark interior, communal bar seating and Scrabble wall tile menu, Vincent rightly earned a position among the city’s top clutch of restaurants.
With a tight and crafted menu paired with top wines, it made a quiet commercial corner in Barton a place to see and be seen.
Now owners Hanna Kim and her husband, Minjun Kim (head chef), feel it is time to level up again, making way for something new for the city and something unlike anything else in Canberra. So say goodbye to Vincent and hello to a whole new venture – Muk Bar!
Based on the Korean concept of “Anju”, which is to pair food with alcohol, Muk Bar is the result of a lot of soul-searching from Hanna and Minjun, who have loved every moment of bringing Vincent to the public but feel it is time for a change.
“The industry is competitive, and we just felt it was time to challenge ourselves and to do something distinctive for Canberra. We have a lot of Korean restaurants here, but none of them are the Anju style, so we feel confident the concept will draw a crowd, and we are spending a lot of time finalising our menu and making it work best with wine and cocktails,” says Hanna.
And before you ask, yes, there will also be a mocktail list to bring out the distinctive flavours of favourite dishes cooked up by this accomplished couple, who have been with Vincent from the start.
The menu is a bespoke take on Korean favourites such as Burnt-on Fried Rice (which every Korean knows is the best part of the meal—scraping up the crispy rice stuck to the pan. Sounds weird, tastes amazing. Trust them.) There will be Korean Beef Tartare, a go-to with soju. Fresh beef, cut like sashimi or diced, dressed up Korean style. If you like French tartare, this will float your boat.
Falling off the bone Korean Pork Ribs in a special sauce and Buttery Chargrilled Squid (Loligo) – a perennial favourite with beer – are also likely to go down a treat.
And for something completely different, there will be Sashimi in Cold Soup, or Korea’s “water sashimi,” a refreshing dish from the south, light, zingy, and full of seaside vibes.
“Our joy is playing with our national cuisine, and we are also excited about all the cocktail options that the younger generations of Koreans are drinking. The trends are crazy, and we are genuinely excited about bringing this to Canberra,” says Hanna.
She is taking charge of creating the new drinks menu, while Minjun and sous chef Ian Lim will focus on the food menu.
“Muk Bar certainly won’t be a place where you order kimchi chicken with rice, we will be doing things differently. In fact, in Australia we are always surprised that people drink at bars and don’t really eat. In Korea you always eat with your drinks!”
The cocktail list is under careful construction, going far beyond soju territory and again referring to the couple’s extensive research in Korea. Hanna says it will include many drinks to surprise and delight.
As for the beautiful interiors we have grown to love, Hanna and Minjun are upgrading things for the relaunch, but promise the communal bench style of seating will remain.
“We will be refreshing the restaurant, but not changing things drastically.”
Meanwhile, for those who love nothing more than a cosy corner position under the Scrabble tiles and some of Vincent’s excellent French/Italian fusion food, it’s time to book a farewell meal.
The team will be serving all the favourites until last service on 19 July. Then a few weeks later, Muk Bar will be opening and Hanna and Ian hope to bring a whole new energy to the space.
