Ha-Lu

Perfect little stop for the Unilocal catch up dinner.
The service here was incredible. Authentic Japanese cuisine AND the waiters were so attentive, anything you were meant to mix or eat a certain way or that was served in a certain way was explained — rather than those times you go to a restaurant and are served a dish you’ve no idea what to do with!
They make most of their dishes with soy sauce but when I explained that I’m a coeliac they were more than happy to make my dishes separately and prepare them with tamari (GF soy sauce). They also brought me over my own small dish of tamari to accompany my food.
I had the wagyu beef tataki and the sashimi of the day. The beef was so tender and delicious, the perfect size to share between two. The sashimi of the day was unreal! The waiter told me what each fish was — that day there was fresh salmon, kingfish and scallops.
I would definitely go back again, I can’t wait to try out some more of the menu. The only downfall may be that the décor could do with some updating, but with food of such a high quality, it doesn’t really matter all that much.

What a great spot for a Unilocal catch up dinner! Authentic Japanese cuisine with beautiful friendly service! I love how the staff go out of their way to explain each dish (making each dish user-​friendly for all levels of Japanese foodies!)
For starters I had the ebi-​mayo deep fried prawns in a wonton basket with poached egg. wow! This was absolutely delicious and jam packed with large tiger prawns. Id come back just for this dish time and time again!
For mains I had the duck with aubergine. Although a relatively small serving it was absolutely delicious and the perfect way to end the meal.
A very enjoyable quality dining experience!

Really great authentic Japanese food at affordable prices. It’s a bit small on the inside but that makes it feel a little more intimate.
I ordered the sashimi sampler to start which had two generous portions of fish and delicate scallops that they cleverly placed on thin slices of lime so it had a subtle hint of lime when you ate it. For the main I ordered the Agedashi Tofu which was understated and delicious — silken tofu gently battered and fried in cubes that someone I was dining with accurately described as «fluffy little pillows.» The tofu was stacked atop a rich tentsuyu sauce (dashi, miri and soy sauce) with little cubes of eggplant floating around it.
Ha-​Lu has a great selection of sakes, even unfiltered sake («Snow Beauty») — my favourite!

This is one of few dining establishments that actually lives up to its hype. I was worried that I would be disappointed as it came so highly recommended by fellow Unilocalers at a previous CMYE Japanese dinner. But no, Ha-​Lu lives up to all the high reviews it has received.
I dined with fellow Unilocalers here recently (I think there were about 10 of us on a Wednesday night). We did have to pre-​order our meals by the Sunday prior because we were a large group to ensure they had the dishes we wanted. This took a little of the spontaneity out of the evening, although I think half of us had forgotten what we had ordered by the night. Spontaneity returned!
Each dish was amazing. The dishes are designed to be shared and with 10 of us dining, we shared a lot of food! Highlights for me:
— «Toro» and poached onsen style egg. This dish was a real highlight for me as I really wasn’t sure what to expect. It is one I would order again in the blink of an eye. A generous serving of finely chopped sashimi tuna sat atop a slow cooked egg. I was advised to mash all the flavours in together. It was delicious.
— Sashimi of the day — I shared this with Just A. What can I say? Fresh, delicious options. Always a fan of sashimi.
— Grilled Fremantle octopus. Hooly dooly this was incredible. The most tender, succulent octopus I have ever tried. I didn’t know it was possible for octopus to melt in your mouth, until now.
— Duck, aubergine, madeira sauce and whole grain mustard — this combination was a hit.
The food presentation, the service and the atmosphere was truly delightful. I’m definitely joining all the other reviewers in highly recommending this Japanese. Can’t wait to go back.

Continuing with the Japanese themed UYEs, I’m definitely adding Ha-​Lu as one of my favourite establishments for Japanese in Perth. Our selections for the night were the scallops, sashimi of the day, duck aubergine and the Fremantle octopus.
The surprising stand-​out of the night for me was the octopus. I’ve never had octopus like it before — light, crunchy crumb on the outside, the octopus was pretty much melt in the mouth and absolutely delicious. I don’t think there were any disappointing dishes for the group, but the duck and seemed to go down pretty well, and I loved my scallops as well.
The prices were reasonable and it’s one of those places I felt like I’d never be let down at :)

How have I not ever written a review for Ha Lu? I’m almost a regular.
Recently, we, that is the Royal We (AKA a likely bunch of Unilocalers) descended upon Ha Lu for a UYE. In the end, our crowd wasn’t so big you couldn’t speak to everyone in the group, so that made it perfect. I’d give it 9 out of 10. No, wait, that’s how many of us there were.
We were asked to pre-​order and thankfully *someone* had the wherewithal to keep a list of who ordered what. If you couldn’t remember, then your what arrived, it was a surprise. Bonus.
In the end, there were a few dishes that were common across the whole party, with a couple of single orders. And, being the cheerful, generous group we are, everything was shared.
I ordered the sashimi, the duck and the scallops on the lotus chips. They are my standard go to dishes. They were triffic. As usual.
But the stand out dish of the night was Veronica’s Fremantle Octopus. I have to admit to doing a Maggie Beer as soon as a piece of that delight hit my mouth. Gob immediately flapped back open, eyes soared to the heavens, I made a spontaneous utterance of ecstasy and then gob closed, for fear of some neighbour poking in and scooping out that which should be revered. I saw similar actions of my dining companions.
Service was polite and almost seamless. It took a little while to get the attention of staff some time after all our dishes had arrived, to get the bill. But that just allowed us to linger.
The premises needs a good paint job and a removal of some of the shabbier décor. However, when you are presented with such flavourful food in a professional manner, you mostly don’t notice anything else.
I highly recommend Ha Lu.

So here’s the deal.
I go to Ha-​Lu to meet other fab fellow Unilocal food critics (do you know that it is really hard to say FAB FELLOW Unilocal FOOD CRITICS three times without re-​reading what I just wrote, blowing air through your teeth, or saying the world «yellow» and breaking your jaw from laughing) and bingo, you walk into one of the best Japanese restaurants in Perth.
(Did you re-​read it?)
There’s nothing pretentious about Ha-​Lu which is magnificently great when you just want to eat and not be distracted. Mind you, there were two pictures (not paintings) that loomed above my right ear that looked like… well…two «paintings» that I’d seen in every Japanese restaurant I’ve ever gone to!
The sort of Geisha-​look from the girl and the Samurai look for the man, both of which were token attempts at authenticity that made me go, «Damn, I’m in a Japanese restaurant!» And then assume my best Ninja look.
Joking apart, the food was impeccable and amazing. I must have been the only person to have not tried the Sashimi (i had eaten and tried so much this week at other places), but thanks to the «Just» neighbour on my right, I snuck in the most delicate scallop, lightly tinged with lime.
Now that was heaven.
My first order of thinly sliced Wagyu Beef Tetaki with soya beans and fried onion was wonderful, but didn’t smack the ball out of the park. I wish it had. But the roster of other goodies hit the bullseye, including those that I ordered and sampled from my willing neighbours:
* The grilled duck breast with aubergine and Madeira-​Tamari sauce was gorgeous with its dash of mustard to keep it edgy
* The char grilled octopus with garlic panko crumbs and shallots saw all of us acting like starved heathens
* The slow cooked pork belly Kaku-​ni I nearly ordered but thankfully one of my cohorts picked it because I sampled and loved it. My first impression that was what is was slightly fatty… but then the after-​taste grew on me and I went from, «Okay» to «Wow!»
* The deep fried Hokkaido scallops on deep fried lotus root chips with chilli mayonnaise I expected more from, but that’s only because I had tried the sashimi scallop earlier… and I’d been deluged with too many sushi/​sashimi plates the entire week. I was not in the mood for a dressed up rice roll drizzled in spicy mayo.
I did try the ebi-​mayo (lightly fried tiger prawns) with mayonnaise sauce but they were prawns. Even in their wonton basket. Disguised. Still prawns!
Eating out is not always about the food; it is about the company. And that was great.
Ha-​Lu is somewhere you could miss if you blinked, but don’t. It is absolutely worth a preamble to Mt Hawthorn. Staff were great, chef was great, and guess what… food was really great.
And that old adage would you go there again?
For sure.
Can’t wait.

Yes. This place is as good as everyone says it is.
What I like most is that I feel so warm and fuzzy after every meal… that may be largely due to the consumption of sake… but the food is fresh and fantastic also.
I consider it reasonably price, between my boyfriend and I the bill never exceeds $ 100 and that includes sake and beers. We find sharing 1 starter, 3 mains and 1 side of ramen is sufficient for our appetites :)
I had never tried sake before eating at Ha-​Lu and I recommend asking the staff about which one to try if you’re not sure where to start. Sake=happiness.

Holy shiiiiiiippy.
What just happened? I think I passed out from pleasure.
I’ve been Ha-Lu’d. To the max.
What’s in your food? Crack?
The Agedashi Tofu is the definition of transcendence. I slurped my plate clean. People were staring. Like I care…
The Ebi-​mayo and scallops were also noteworthy. The only think I didn’t care for was the toro and poached egg.
Amazing. Just amazing. The food, the booze and the service is just outstanding. I will be back. Tomorrow.

Believe the hype!
I had been meaning to check out this Japanese restaurant for some time, it’s much loved by the most well respected Unilocalers.
The fiancé and I got a last minute booking on Sunday night. Every single dish was fantastic! We had:
— Fremantle Octopus with panko crumbs and shallots (one massive tender tentacle on a skewer)
— Tempura vegetables (the batter was perfectly light)
— The karaage (amazing, and let’s be honest how can you get Japanese without getting karaage)
— Prawns, placed on a runny egg and bed of lettuce in a wanton basket. Sounds terrible, was incredible.
Deep fried Camembert looked tempting, but we resisted! It would be great to go with a group and get to try all the dishes.
Staff were great and the food arrived quickly. My only criticism would be that the place could so with a bit of a facelift, the fabric chairs have seen better days with stains on them, and our table was a little sticky.

Oh you Unilocalers sure know how to pick the good places to eat!
This Japanese treasure is a stone’s throw from my house and it was too long until I finally got to try it. I would say it is a place best to share food among friends and be open to the different flavours on offer!
The table next to us couldn’t stop their skepticism to themselves and I heard so much complaining and confusion from their end. Boy did they change their tune once it came to tasting! They were loving all their dishes!
My table had the
— Sashimi of the day (salmon, scallop, kingfish)
— Potato dumplings with a beef and onion filling
— Wagyu beef tataki
— Fried tofu
— Wagyu beef hot pot (this flavour combo was melt in your mouth delish!!)
— Salmon, edoki mushroom and scallop hot pot
Excellent range of options and the food was delicious! My only complaint was the atmosphere was a little odd, mainly due to other patrons and not the restaurant themself.
It all came to about $ 40 each– not so bad! :) Definitely can see myself returning, it was all so delicious.

A few years ago I was a regular at Ha-​Lu it was our go-​to restaurant when we were after great food and excellent service. After a hiatus I returned to Ha-​Lu for dinner.
A few minor things have changed since I last went to Ha-​Lu, the bento boxes are non longer on the menu, but a lot of the staple dishes still are. The focus now is completely on a shared tapas style menu.
On my recent visit we chose a selection of dishes the fresh spingrolls, wagu beef tataki, vegetable tempura, teriyaki chicken, the sashimi of the day, wagu beef grill with fried onions and of course the deep fried camembert cheese! This was more then enough for the two of us.
The drinks list is fairly extensive and there is a great selection of sake if you are game! They also stock both Japanese and local beer.
I was not disappointed with my return to Ha-​Lu. Over time they have maintained their excellent and fresh approach to Japanese fusion food. The service is also still outstanding all these years later.
If you are planning on a visit to Ha-​Lu make sure you book in advance, this place does get busy and they often do not have the capacity to do walk in bookings.

I’ve been to Ha-​Lu twice, and have thoroughly enjoyed my meals on both occasions. I met a friend here last week for a catch up dinner, and she ordered an array of dishes for us to share: two salads, salmon tartar, sea bass and fresh spring rolls.
The salads were perfectly balanced with elements of sweet, salty, sour, spicy and something crunchy. The fresh spring roll was a delicious surprise, and very well flavoured. My friend loved her salmon tartar with crispy wanton crackers, and the sea bass was cooked to perfection, she said.
This is the perfect example of how Japanese food should be. I love a good sushi train, but this is an experience you won’t soon forget. The food is outstanding, and the service is friendly and professional.
The only downside is the small restaurant space, so you need to book ahead.

Ha-​Lu is heaven on earth! The food is soooo delicious and beautifully presented and the service is fast and sweet. I’ve only been here twice cause it is a bit pricey, but for the quality and service you get, I think it’s worth it! The highlights for me was the beef tataki, the pork belly, assorted pickles and the crumbed camembert. I could have a whole plate of the camembert and be very happy! :)
The only dish I didn’t like was the Ebi-​mayo (king prawns in mayo and poached eggs) Something about the dish just tasted a bit off. They’re only open Wed-​Sun and they can get busy, so make sure you call earlier to make a booking.

Intrigued after we were turned away on a rainy Sunday night because the restaurant was booked, we decided to come back a few days later and see what Ha-​Lu had to offer.
Unfortunately, the meal was a disappointment. Salty, flavourless, and drenched in sauce.
The greens were fresh in the fried root vegetables and slow poached egg salad, and the root vegetables were just what we needed on a chilly, weeknight. However, the salad was drenched in dressing – and normally, I am not too picky about how much dressing is on my salad.
The chicken kara-​ge tasted comparable to fried chicken anywhere. It was salty and greasy, but lacked any other kind of flavour – frankly, I enjoyed the chicken at KFC better. The accompanying mayo dipping sauce was heavy and also lacked flavour.
The scallop nanban was one of the best items ordered. The scallops were delicately flavored and the accompanying lotus root chips and soy vinaigrette balanced out that flavour.
The Ebi-​mayo was entirely too heavy and almost inedible. The prawns were over-​fried in the same unfortunate batter as the chicken kara-​ge and again, to keep up with the theme, over-​drenched in sauce.
The foil baked salmon and scallops was pretty good. The salmon did not taste the freshest, but the scallops, mushrooms and ponzu were tart, sweet and sour all in a good way.
All in all, the meal was fairly disappointing, however. Certainly not worth the «fuss.»

I love Ha Lu, after a couple of year absence I am still a fan, chef’s passion to highlight contemporary Japanese food is still a delight; and it reminds me of when I put aside my fears of having moved to the west ;)
The food is truly excellent and you can sample a number of unique dishes that really highlight different aspects of this cuisine; and there are constant attempts to change your perspective of what to expect which is nice to see.
The layout and staff are consistently good and this is a place I would comfortable take visiting friends or family too to show them a true Perth hidden gem.

I’ve been here twice and each visit has not been a disappointment.
Sashimi of the day (scallops, salmon and snapper (i think)) — fresh, not sinewy (yay!).
Agedashi tofu — lightly crispy and wonderfully soft inside. I gobbled up the tentsuyu sauce.
grilled pork and miso egg yolk — a little underwhelming
miso toothfish — cooked perfectly but not my favourite miso toothfish in town
teriyaki chicken — deeeeelicious. not sure why there was some potato chips served with it but i gobbled it up anyways.
duck, aubergine, madeira sauce and whole grain mustard — this was beautifully cooked with a lovely sweetness combined with the pungent mustard was a treat.
ebi-​mayo — loved the prawns and must be eaten as soon as possible, esp dipping the wanton bits in the remnants of eggs at the bottom of the wanton basket thingy
karaage chicken — nice but not amazing. not grossly oily.
Make sure to call for a reservation a few nights ahead to save yourself any disappointments. Service could not be faulted.

You know a Japanese restaurant is good when all the staff and most of the guests are Japanese.
I visited one Friday night with my sister and Mum. The décor is nice, and it was easy to get a booking for three on short notice. Ha-​Lu does takeaway too, and the place was busy!
We all got dishes to share, so we got to try quite a lot! Not a dried out sushi roll in sight. We asked our waitperson for some recommendations and they were right on the money. Highlights included the duck, and the grilled Fremantle octopus, yum yum. We even had miso soup for starters — I don’t even LIKE miso soup but this one was delicious. The servings are small, but if you do what we did and get a few plates to share, you’ll fill up quickly. I also had the homemade cream caramel for dessert, another home run. Service was friendly, prompt, and as previously mentioned, the recommendations were great. I would really like to go back when I’m not knocked up and can eat the sashimi, and the slow-​cooked poached egg.
The only reason why I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I’ve also been to their sister restaurant, Satsuki in Subiaco, and they are slightly better with a wider range on their menu, in my opinion.
This place is still pretty awesome. You need to visit today.

Ha-​Lu… you never disappoint me! Always up to high standards. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Ha-​Lu is a modern Japanese cuisine, food is served like tapas, small dishes perfect for sharing and tasting.
I was starving and we ordered about 7 dishes between the two of us, managed to power through it all! But I reckon 6 + deserts next time.
They offer a variety of Japanese drinks, my partner had plum wine and I had Asahi and Sapporo beer.
My favorite of the night was the Hokkaido Scallops Namban, duck aubergine and scallop sashimi. It was sensational!
Like most Asian restaurants the desert is never the highlight but my partner really enjoyed her white chocolate roast tea pannacotta, my green tea ice cream was a perfect way to finish.
Service is lovely, friendly and knowledgeable. Food is elegant and clever, we were impressed with every dish we ordered. I wish I could give more stars!
PS: The take away menu looks awesome!

We actually drove past Ha-​Lu as it is tucked away amongst the Oxford st buildings, but don’t let that deceive you, as you step inside you are transported toa whole other country. We ordered approx 2 dishes each plus sashimi. Each dish had perfectly cooked elements, that were presented to appease the eye. One of the many highlights was the sashimi scallops, the wonderful sweetness is engrained into my memory, and I can’t wait to have more of the wonderful white discs. The general consensus when each dish arrived was how the flavour balance was spot on, how well cooked they were. It was refreshing to have each dish impress without a single laggard. The service throughout complimented the food, with kindness and knowledge being their strong points. Overall a fantastic evening with beautiful food and attentive service
Food 8.5÷10 service ⁹⁄₁₀ décor ⁷⁄₁₀