Roppongi

Nation's Restaurant News, June 21, 1999 by Amy Spector

The cross-cultural mix that defines Tokyo's Roppongi nightclub district finds its way onto the pages of the menu at Roppongi restaurant, the latest creation in the northern San Diego coastal town of La Jolla from restaurateur Sami Ladeki. He is the owner and creator of Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza, which has nine branches in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.

Ladeki says an agreement to license his pizza concept to a Japanese firm took him to Tokyo on numerous occasions, where he found himself at home in the Roppongi district, the site of numerous American-branded foodservice operations, such as Spago, Tony Roma's and Starbucks. Ladeki eventually halted his overseas pizza project, but the Eastmeets-West appeal of the Roppongi inspired him to create the 200-seat La Jolla restaurant that now bears its name.

The restaurant's two-page menu lists an extensive range of "Asian tapas," which Ladeki encourages diners to eat with their fingers. "This isn't a stuffy place," he insists. Many items have an Asian flair, but some, like one night's special of cured salmon and ciabatta, are just popular finger foods to which the chefs will add a unique touch, Ladeki says. "This is meant to be like the Roppongi; it doesn't have to be Japanese food."

Ladeki invested more than $1 million to transform an Italian disco into the spare, clean-lined restaurant. "I wanted this to be a casual place, but it turned out a bit more elegant than I expected," he says of the space that features exotic wood finishes, a limestone hearth and an aquarium-wall in the main dining room.

An avid restaurant researcher and cookbook reader, Ladeki admits he enjoys the creative side of the business. "I grab opportunities; I don't seek them," he adds. Ladeki, in fact, will open a boutique hotel in La Jolla later this year and has secured a site for his next restaurant concept -- for which he has a Latin fusion concept brewing -- to open by 2000.

He says the Roppongi venture has been much more challenging than Sammy's Woodfired Pizzas. "[Sammy's] was easy to do; it didn't need super chefs," he explains. "Roppongi is very detailed. It has a $35 check average, a larger wine list and mix of different cuisines. It requires talent in the kitchen."

Ladeki, a German-schooled restaurateur who spent years as a hotelier in major American markets before settling in La Jolla, says he enjoys being the "architect" for the menus at his restaurants but lets chef Stephen Window, a 20-year culinary veteran, fill in the details. "I told Stephen that I wanted an egg roll, a pot sticker and a won-ton dish on the menu. But he decided what type they would be," Ladeki says.

How to word the menu has been a learning process. "We put shu mai on the menu, and no one ordered them. So we changed the name to dumplings, and now they are a big seller," he says.

Ladeki says sometimes he's embarrassed to see his customers so often at his restaurants -- the same clientele frequents his pizza restaurants -- but he's delighted to see Roppongi tracking $3 million in sales for its first year.

Concept: Asian fusion restaurant and bar

Opened: October 1998 Location: La Jolla, Calif.

Capacity: 200 seats

Size: 6,000 square feet

Food cost: 25 percent

Labor cost: 33 percent

Typical customer: Professional, upscale adults and families

Top revenue-earning item: Polynesian Dungeness crab stack

Best-selling item: Chinese pot stickers filled with shrimp and scallops

Menu maker: owner Semi Lodeki and chef Stephen Window

Asian Tapas

Crispy Buttermilk Onion Rings with Wasabi Garlic Aioli $6.50

Polynesian Dungeness Crab Stack, Mango, Pea Shoots, Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado, Peanuts Served with Ginger-Lime Dressing $14

Chinese Pot Stickers Filled with Shrimp & Scallops $8.75

Korean Barbecue Spare Ribs, Asian Slaw with Ponzu $9

Chicken and Porcini Mushroom Dumplings, Chili-Scallion Sauce $7.50

Pan Seared Foie Gras, Japanese Pear and Orange Tamarind Sauce $20

Mongolian Shredded Duck Quesadilla with Spicy Asian Guacamole $9

Barbecue Mini Lamb Chops, Crispy Potato and Cilantro-Hoisin Sauce $11

Soup and Salad

Thai Curry-Coconut Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds $6

Roppongi Organic Greens, Tomato, Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette $5.75

Wok Fried Rice and Noodles

Vegetarian Fried Rice, Roasted Peppers, Tofu, Macadamia Nuts, Eggs, Green Beans, Bok Choy and Wild Mushrooms Topped with Onion Rings $14.50

Seafood Specialties

Atlantic Salmon, Pan Seared with Egg Shoyu, with Wasabi, Capers and Sea Urchin Brown Butter $20

Crispy Whole Striped Bass with Cucumber Salad, Soy Vinaigrette $25

Meat and Game

Tender Braised Lamb Shank with Parmesan-Panko Crust, Lemon and Rosemary $17.50

Chinese Duck Confit, Star Anise, Roasted Garlic Sauce with Oven-Roasted Potatoes $19

Szechwan Peppercorn Crusted New York Steak, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Cognac Sauce $25