Muk Bar now serving up all the cocktails and K-noms (Korean deliciousness)

Posted on 6 August, 2025

For all those obsessed with Korean style (music/food/skincare – you know, all the important things) it’s time to discover your newest, coolest place for a fix.

Muk Bar has opened its doors in Barton amid much anticipation from locals who have always held a deep affection for its predecessor Vincent.

Owners Hanna Kim and her husband, Minjun Kim (head chef) loved their time delivering classic modern Australian food with a European bent. But their hearts have always remained in Korea.

Hanna is a trained chef but is loving focussing her creativity on cocktails

And now they have created a fresh and utterly authentic new destination for the city, which needs to be experienced to be understood.

Muk Bar is based on the Korean concept of “Anju”, which is to pair food with alcohol, and is the result of a lot of soul-searching from Hanna and Minjun, who want Australians to adopt a new approach to dining, particularly after a long day at work!

Anju means substantial eating must take place alongside the drinking. Several drinks over several dishes, communal dining, and lots of conversation. And of course the music is Korean.

Muk Bar has been given a makeover after Vincent and the room configuration and lighting is different while keeping that deep warm and moody vibe that we loved from the original space. We are particularly happy to see the signature-look wall Scrabble tiles have not been taken down; they just spell out a whole new culinary language.

Dishes are authentic Korean, from the tiny thin and ever-so-sweet spaghetti sticks which appear at the table as you sit down, to every dish that arrives as we enjoy our array of cocktails. Some dishes have a decidedly street food vibe, like the char-grilled pork belly skewers to the duck and bulgogi tacos and the kimchi nachos.

Other dishes are far more elevated, including the delicious trio of Korean spreads with baguette (mentaiko uses creamy pollock roe, there’s a a tofu cream with white soy and a garlic chive butter; need we say more.)

Mulhoe is a delicate cold sashimi soup featuring salmon, snapper, kingfish and roe, delicately floating in a gochujang-based broth, while the Beef Yukhoe is the Korean version of beef tartare, combining raw beef and egg yolk with soy, sesame oil, garlic and sweet pear which you wrap in sheets of roasted seaweed.

There is a beautiful seafood platter which steams in a subtle oceany broth over a small flame at the table. The seafood is unadorned, save for the broth and a home-made soy dipping sauce and would be a treat for any seafood lover.

We also sample a dish for the truly adventurous – Spicy Beef Intestine Fried Rice. Appearing at the table like a paella, there is one half crispy rice, the other half small bits of deeply caramelised intestine (looks like slices of sausage) with a perfect row of garlic chives and onion down the middle. The texture is gelatinous and crispy all at once – provoking much conversation while second and third helpings are served.

All of the food is enjoyed beside some utterly unique cocktails. A Matcha Martini is obviously the first order for the table, but there is also a Ginseng Margarita with a small root of ginseng as garnish, a Chilli Sour and a teapot of Makgeolli which is a low-alcohol and fragrantly sweet rice-based alcohol.

Non-alcohol drinkers are similarly catered for with a Yuzu Sunrise and a frozen strawberry concoction absolutely overflowing with fruit. Just like Vincent was lauded for its wine list, Muk Bar similarly remains wine-centric and Hanna is always on hand to ensure dishes and vintages pair well.

We are too full for desserts, unfortunately, because we were big fans of Vincent’s iconic Brûlée and Muk Bar delivers a riff on the concept with a Corn Cream Brûlée. It is also recreating a dish made famous by Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, the Chestnut Tiramisu. But honestly, it’s OK, because we will be back and will know to save room next time.

One final word, you  won’t find any Korean fried chicken at Muk Bar. But that’s the whole point.