D’s Authentic Japanese

It is really nice to see more fine dining restaurants north of the river. This small restaurant makes you feel at home while serving you amazing dishes like this one. This meal is one of 7 dishes served in their new Christmas menu.

Tucked away in the heart of Joondalup is D’s Authentic Japanese. My first visit to D’s was for lunch before Christmas shopping at Lakeside Joondalup. With a few row of shops located in the neighbourhood, D’s is not hard to locate. During the day, it’s bright and airy with plenty of natural lighting coming through the glass windows. Although the restaurant may be small, but it’s cozy and comfortable.
Mum had the special of the day which is the Kingfish Teriyaki set ($ 20) and I had the Sashimi Set ($ 20). All set meals come with a salad, an appetiser, rice and miso soup. The kingfish teriyaki was delicious and flavoursome, marinated well with teriyaki sauce. My sashimi was very fresh too. For dessert, we shared a Wasanbon Caramel ice cream ($ 8). Wasanbon is one of the best quality brown sugar in Japan and is only used is high-​class Japanese style sweets. The ice cream was delicate in flavour and sweet, making it a refreshing summer’s treat.
The very next day, I had a booking made for Elwyn, mum and I at D’s for dinner. This time we pre-​ordered the Shoukado Bento box with miso soup ($ 40), a traditional Japanese bento box comprising of seasonal ingredients. What’s in our Shoukado bento box? Sashimi (salmon, kingfish and yellowtail), Japanese style simmered vegetables and our mains consisting of tamago, prawn, unagi, Japanese roast pork belly and octopus. We enjoyed the Shoukado Bento box very much and thought that each of the elements from the Shoukado Bento box were delicious from mains to miso soup.
For the table, we shared a sukiyaki hotpot ($ 30) comprising of wagyu beef, tofu and vegetables. The wagyu beef was tender and juicy and the hotpot bursting full of flavour with the combination of wagyu beef, tofu and vegetables.
Last but not least, we had two desserts, the homemade green tea pudding with red bean paste ($ 7) and homemade Yuzu (Japanese citrus) ice cream ($ 8). The green tea pudding was smooth in texture with a strong green tea flavour. The yuzu ice cream was refreshing and bursting full of tangy textures with a hint of sourness. It’s a dessert which definitely shouts summer.
What I loved about D’s Authentic is not only about the authentic Japanese food but the personalised and friendly service we have received from the staff and meeting the chef behind the beautiful food, Chef Koji Harada. I love it when the chef of a restaurant comes out from the kitchen and interact with customers. From the start to the end, Koji and his staff made sure we had a great dining experience. We highly recommend D’s Authentic. It’s a true hidden gem!

The most beautiful Japanese you will enjoy in Perth! Tasty, delicious and perfectly crafted Japanese food, our daughter loved the beetroot butterflies. Amazing chef and staff. Can’t recommend highly enough!

A good start. After seeing so many failed restaurants in this location, it’s good to see someone else not be challenged, especially with good Japanese cuisine is under-​represented in the northern suburbs.
I’ve gone with a takeaway order of Wagyu Beef Teriyaki with rice, and the Homemade vegetable croquette 3pcs. Service was prompt, with the order being ready in 10min as promised by phone.
Portion sizes were spot on for the price point, with the rice perfectly cooked, and the Teriyaki tasting well.
The vegetable croquettes were perfectly round, but I felt were a little too soft — with too much potato and not enough other agents or vegetable to help hold the shape while eating. None the less, they were perfectly fried in panko crumbs as expected.
The owners themselves are very pleasant people, and living nearby I’ve been able to watch them prepare to open despite several frustrating delays. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with them a couple of times, and they are really committed to delivering quality food. I do look forward to getting to know them more over the coming months.
Several restaurants in this location have failed due to a number of factors. The dining area inside is quite small, with barely room for 10 – 12 people at once. For those wanting to try some of their speciality dishes in a more intimate setting — this will be suitable.
The other major factor is marketing. Whilst having good signage and menus available is important, the location — being a residential street that lacks heavy traffic — means that they can’t rely on passing trade to notice they’re there, particularly given how well serviced the surrounding 1 km is with other dining establishments. I do hope the proprietors take the time to learn from the mistake of previous occupants here and ensure they look for opportunities to market and raise awareness locally.
This was a really good first visit, and I’ll be back. Let’s hope the owners do enough to turn their business into a viable operation that’ll be around for many years to come.