Mister D’Arcy North Beach

With successful venues like The Iluka in Burns Beach, Grafton Street in Mullaloo and Karrinyup and Jarrah Bar in Hillarys Marina, anyone might be tempted to rest on their laurels. But not Wes and Cara D’Arcy. The hospitality gurus opened Mister D’Arcy in North Beach at the beginning of September and it is already proving a hit with the locals.

Filling the space left by gourmet chef Stephen Clarke in vibrant Flora Terrace, Mister D’Arcy serves tapas style food. It aims to be a place where people can enjoy restaurant quality food in a bar-type environment.

Mister D’Arcy is fitted out with a lot of wood – wooden barrels, wooden chairs and tables and an eclectic mix of artifacts ranging from an old sewing machine to a Thai style blue and white elephant.

But it was the food that we were interested in – as always! Traditional starters mains and desserts are not on the menu in Mister D’Arcy; instead the food comes out from the kitchen when it is ready, which is how we ended up with three tapas plates at one time on our table. Tip: Order two dishes at a time then go back for more!

We ordered Crispy duck pancakes ($16) and were given two large pancakes stuffed with crushed peanuts, cabbage, red chilli, fried ginger and Kaffir lime, a plate of mini traditional cod and hand cut chips with malt vinegar and sriracha Kewpie mayonnaise ($16), Shark Bay popcorn prawns ($16) with wasabi Kewpie mayonnaise and fresh lime and our fourth dish was Rosemary smoked mini beef fillet ($18).

The crispy duck pancakes were very good but full disclosure here – we were hungry so were halfway through the pancakes before I remembered about a photo – apologies!

Next up was the popcorn prawns – battered with the restaurant’s signature Kashmir fried chaat – another big tick from us.

The traditional fish and chips dish was larger than I had thought it would be and our least favourite as the fish lacked seasoning but still a good plate.

Finally, the beef. It was delivered to our table still smoking, under a glass, and it was 70 grams worth of cooked to perfection Black Angus. The accompanying Hakushu whiskey honey was so good that it could be drunk on its own!

We also had some excellent NZ wine. The wine list is comprehensive with wines from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Greece, Italy and France. Premium beer including Kilkenny and Guiness is available on tap and the cocktail list looks really good. Singapore Sling, Kashmiri Margarita and Pink Sunset caught my eye as well as the Gin and tonic cocktails reminiscent of offerings from an Asian strip bar!

The restaurant was not very busy on the Tuesday lunchtime we visited but staff were friendly and helpful with the menus – available via a QR code which can be accessed on a phone app or supplied I-pads. Meals are ordered at the counter and delivered to tables.

With its variety of indoor and outdoor seating, casual vibe, good food and cocktails as well as plans for further expansion including a garden and basement area – this is another winner for the D’Arcy’s.

Mr D’arcy North Beach

Address: 97 Flora Terrace, North Beach

Phone: 0419 269 472

Reservations: Yes but walk-ins are welcome.

Opening hours: Open 364 days (closed Christmas Day). Tuesday to Sunday 11am till late, Mondays 4pm till late

Gluten-free options: Yes – a gluten-free menu is available

Vegetarian options: Yes

Restrooms: Clean and accessible

Parking: Street parking and also a car park further down the road but parking could be a problem at busy times.

Website: misterdarcy.com.au

About Hazel Broomhead

My name is Hazel and I am a Perth senior!

Originally from Edinburgh in Scotland, my husband and I moved to New Zealand with our children in 1974. As my husband is in the oil business, we moved to several other countries including the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Russia and Kazakhstan during the next 36 years before retiring to Perth.

We have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who live in different parts of the globe – New Zealand, Scotland and Colombia - which makes a great excuse for us to travel and visit.

My career background is in radio and print journalism in Scotland and New Zealand as well as public relations in various other countries.

We love to eat out, walk, travel and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle here in Western Australia.