Mulhoe is a traditional cold seafood dish with a spicy broth. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Muk Bar is the new concept from Hanna Kim and Minjun Kim. The couple decided to close the longtime Barton wine bar and restaurant Vincent in Barton after 11 years cooking modern Australian bites, and transform the menu into something that celebrates their Korean heritage.
The result is Muk Bar. The black-clad interior is functionally unchanged, retaining Vincent’s spiralled floor layout with a central bar. This gives us an excellent view as Hanna whips up cocktails for other customers. The drinks list combines classic cocktails with Korean spirits and flavours. I enjoy a chilli sour, which is a whisky sour with the addition of Korean gochujang (fermented chilli and soy paste). It’s less spicy than I anticipated – Hanna tells me they’ve compromised on spice levels overall to keep the menu accessible – but the gochujang imparts a richness to the drink.
Other options include Soju bombs (a shot of distilled rice spirit mixed with beer) and Makso, a traditional blend of Makgeolli (fermented rice beverage) cider and soju. There’s a creative list of highballs – including plum, Earl Grey and pomegranate – as well as non-alcoholic options.
Hanna explains that they wanted Muk Bar to showcase a different side of Korean food.
“I think more people go to Korean restaurants in Canberra now, so they are familiar with dishes like Korean fried chicken, but we wanted to do something totally different and unique.”
The menu has a few traditional Korean dishes, but many are modern creations that blend Korean flavours with different cuisines. The dining style here is anju – snacks and dishes you share while drinking with friends. It’s part fusion, part evolution, following the trends of popular Korean cuisine.
There are several set-menu options, or flip through the menu and see what takes your fancy. Each dish is accompanied by a photo and a detailed description.
Muk Bar is the evolution of Vincent from Modern Australian to Modern Korean cuisine, but the restaurant retains its dramatic black palette. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
First up is a bowl of mulhoe, a traditional cold seafood dish. Slices of sashimi are beautifully spiralled with super-thinly sliced cabbage and herbs bundled around. It all sits atop a spicy broth, and we’re encouraged to mix the flavours together. It’s fresh, clean and would be the perfect snack for a hot summer day.
Hanna tells us that the tacos have been a best seller, so we try the K-fried chicken taco and duck bulgogi taco. The generous servings are accompanied by fresh avocado, mango puree, and salad. The kimchi nachos come next: crispy kimchi pancake topped with potato chips, melted cheese and beef bulgogi. For me, the beef feels like an afterthought, and I would have enjoyed the dish equally with or without it. It’s crispy and spicy, and I love the combination of kimchi and melted cheese.
This feels like the kind of food that the cool kids in Seoul are snacking on while they gossip about the latest K-pop sensation. It’s modern, it’s irreverent, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Don’t be put off by the word ‘intestines’, this dish is seriously delicious. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Our next dishes are beef yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare) and spicy beef intestine rice. Yukhoe is made with long, thin slices of beef which we mix a raw egg yolk before wrapping the tasty mix up in sheets of roasted nori seaweed (preloaded with slices of sweet pear and shiso micro herbs).
The fried rice is a much more substantial dish, served with garlic chives, finely sliced onion and a drizzle of mayo.
Hanna tells us that this dish took three months to perfect as they balanced exactly the right timing and temperature to achieve the right texture in the pieces of intestine. Even diners who are squeamish about offal should give this dish a try: the pieces of intestine remind me of the crackling on a piece of pork belly, crunch followed by fatty softness. The fried rice is spicy and delicious, and the whole dish is so moreish that I keep going back for one more spoonful despite feeling very full at this point in the meal.
Fans of Vincent’s crème brûlée will be delighted with this sweet corn evolution. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
As a nod to Muk Bar’s predecessor, the Vincent crème brûlée has been reimagined with a sweet corn garnish. It’s beautiful, as expected. There’s also a chestnut tiramisu, inspired by a dish made popular on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars.
Hanna and Minjun set out to offer a totally new Korean culinary experience in Canberra, and it’s mission accomplished! There’s so much to be surprised by, and plenty to love about the latest iteration of this Barton venue.
Muk Bar is located at 48 Macquarie St, Barton. They are open Tuesday to Friday from 11.30 am to 2 pm, and 4:30 to 10 pm, and from 6 to 10.30 pm on Saturday. Visit Muk Bar and follow them on Instagram.
