Vincent St Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in New South Wales

(3.5 stars) Vincent St. Kitchen & Bar is located inside an old ex-services club on the main street of Cessnock. It’s a bit of an odd situation, with all club branding removed, but the sign-in process still remaining. Making enquiries about what we’re actually signing into with the friendly, welcoming staff, gets us an explanation that it’s actually a fourth building owned and run by the Cessnock Leagues Club (who also have a motel, leagues club and the Paxton Bowling Club).

While the architecture and walled-off (perhaps former) smoking courtyard here feels a bit dated, they’ve gone to some lengths to spruce up the interior and branding, kicking off with white neon signage set on a fake green feature wall. It’s clean, modern and very spacious inside – the furniture they've selected swims in the cavernous spaces – pitched at a younger market than the usual all-ages leagues club affair. You also won't find any Cessnock Leagues Club branding anywhere, perhaps because they're trying to shake off any daggy leagues club association.

We’re here because the menu read as interesting, and Cessnock was well placed for a lunch stop on the drive back to Sydney from the New England region. Some of the beers we’d been drinking further North have also made the trip to Cessnock, with the interesting on-tap list boasting a New England Rypper Pale Ale ($7.90) that’s amber in colour with a hops-dominated palate. It makes the uncomplicated Mountain Goat Beer Goat Lager ($7.90) seem a bit pale and insignificant by comparison. These prices are for visitors by the way, besties (how the club refers to their younger members) pay a little bit less.

With dishes like Crispy Korean Chicken Bao ($18/3) the menu comes across as bold and trend driven. Three soft steamed bao are loaded up with fresh sprouts and vegetables, topped with a hunk of fried chicken, a tiny pinch of kimchi and a scattering of crispy garlic crumbs, all glued together with Korean barbeque sauce.

A well-priced Cider-Braised Pork Cheek ($22) is presented with a pat of corn puree dotted with kernels, purple heirloom baby carrots and some puffed crackling pieces to make up for a rubbery skin. It’s missing the menu-promised salsa, and I don’t get anything from the Sichuan pepper, though I do still like eating the blander than expected dish.

What the kitchen did get right, is a great herb butter, presented against slices of House-Made Sourdough ($9) with a pile of dukkah. To my eye, a bolder hand is needed with ingredients like kimchi and Sichuan pepper to get the balance of flavours right here, ensuring that dishes actually eat as well...

Went here for my friends son’s stag supper. Three of us in our 60’s with 5 boys, youngest being 35. Met at the door by a bearded man with an absolutely terrible attitude. Was a Tuesday evening and place was very quiet. Almost empty actually. Two of us are from Canada and five from UK. First thing he belts out is HATS OFF!! After that he said no ID - no entry. Was no respectful asking whatsoever. We have no idea what Australian rules are but we are not here to break any rules either. Just a simple ask would be sufficient. Politeness is enjoyed by everyone. This guy put a real damper on our evening I have to say. So since two of us had no ID and we’re in our 60’s he still didn’t want to let us in. We had to get our wives to send pics of our passports to get in. Then when he discovered we were from Canada he went on to say how he wished that Canada and Mexico would invade the US. Totally unacceptable. Oh ya forgot another detail. When my friend tried to pull up the picture of his ID a pic of his grandchildren came up and he said oh that’s my grandchildren sorry, and the guy says oh my kids are much better looking.

After our meal we played some pool for a little while and one of the boys who flew in the day before from Canada and is on a 14 hour time difference dozed off in the chair for a few minutes, the same guy comes over and threatens us that if he is sleeping we will all have to leave. Would never recommend this place to anyone visiting. Not a friendly...

Took ages to be bothered to leave review, but still cannot get over how disappointing this place was, I looked forward to going here for ages, finally booked new yrs eve, i ordered the 2 vegan salads and they managed to give me food poisoning, i spent my new years day on my bathroom floor crying. So thanks for that. They cook or re heat the vegies for salads with meat, I've not had meat in 10 yrs and it tasted so gross, the other salad was un edible because of it being what i can only say is off or rotten. Seriously, even my partner said something was wrong with it. Now i know, it was off or rotten veggies in it. Or maybe the cooked blood poured into it from the gill, who knows, either way, 20 bucks ea salad was a complete waste.

Not to mention how gross the cocktails were, its actually why we went there. 1 from the bar, unable to drink because it was littereraly alcohol and soda water. Then had something passionfruit i think in the restaurant made by the incredible woman who served us, she was brilliant, and it was brilliant also, couldn't believe how good it was, left restaurant and ordered the exact same drink at the bar, once again, it was so bad i couldn't drink it.

Will never go back, i lost my new yrs to this place and will never...