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.