Barton’s newest wine bar and restaurant is not one that I found easy to find. From the street all that can be seen is big windows covered in dark shutters with virtually no signage. After calling them to find out where to go we realised it next door to Little Bird, in the same new building as Subway and Barton Flower Bar.
A friend and I arrived just on opening time of 4pm so we were the only two in the bar. The unique table arrangement means that each table is easily accessible from the bar and no tables can be left out and forgotten in the back. A sufficient food menu is complemented by a compact wine list featuring just 14 wines including champagne and muscat, all only available by the glass. According to co-owner Oliver, the wines were chosen to pair with the food, however we chose ours wines before the food so our choices didn’t all pair so well together. To drink I chose a 2013 Bouchard Red Burgundy ($9) while my friend opted for the 2014 Radio Boka Tempranillo ($8) and to eat we chose a Mini Lobster Burger ($6), Gnocchi with Goats Cheese, Pumpkin, and Pear ($17), as well as Lamb Rump with Date Chutney, Aubergine Puree, and Feta ($21).
The Mini Lobster Burger contained blanched lobster tail, turnip, radish, apple and japanese mayonnaise on a house made brioche bun, quite generous for the price. Whilst the ingredients all worked well together, I could barely taste the lobster over the mayonnaise. Despite that, the soft burger complimented the crisp textures of the apple, radish and turnip, making it a rather enjoyable burger.
The Gnocchi and Lamb both came out together, however I awkwardly had to send back the lamb as it was barely warm, let alone hot. Usually I would not send something back, mostly because I’m impatient and prefer not to wait, but since we were the only people there I knew it would be quick for the kitchen to fix. While we waited we both enjoyed the gnocchi, it was well cooked and the pumpkin was delicious. I had never had gnocchi with pear in it so I was initially sceptical, but it added a beautiful freshness to the dish.
The lamb came back out shortly and at a perfect temperature. It was tender and moist, with ample servings of feta, date chutney, and aubergine puree to complement the lamb. Fortunately both wines went well with the lamb, especially the Tempranillo, as they didn’t go so well with the other dishes.
To finish off the meal we were going to share one of the white chocolate mousses ($8), but to apologise for the cold lamb they gave us an extra one complimentary. It was fresh and sweet providing a perfect end to the meal without being too filling. Alongside the mousse I enjoyed a glass of the Muscat de Beaumes de Venise ($10) which came as a much larger serve of muscat than I’ve had anywhere else – no complaints about that though.
Vincent is located in the Governer Place development at the corner of Broughton and Macquarie St Barton. Open Tuesday – Saturday 4pm til late.
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