Roppongi
by Paisley Wood

Located on the east side of Prospect Street, a bit away from all of the hustle and bustle of the more touristy part of La Jolla, Roppongi, an Asian-fusion restaurant, has quietly built a loyal and enthusiastic following.

The brainchild of Sami Ladeki (known initially for his successful chain of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza Restaurants), it opened in 1998 as the first of what are now considered Ladeki’s boutique line of restaurants.

Ladeki, obviously an astute observer of restaurant trends and one who seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to jumping into new concepts was the first to bring the Asian-fusion concept to San Diego, years before it took hold nationwide.

Ladeki smartly recruited Stephen Window, who at the time was working for Roy Yamaguchi, considered by most to be the innovator of Asian-fusion cuisine, as executive chef. This was quite an undertaking as the restaurant was only in the conceptual stages and Window had the task of building out the kitchen from scratch and designing a menu that would be new to San Diego diners.

The concept has been a resounding hit — it’s often hard to get a reservation and Window and company have not only received national awards for excellence, but have also been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York.

The menu is designed for tasting and sharing. Although there is an entree section on the menu, I’m usually too full by the time I get there to have one — I’m one of those people who loves to order lots of things and experience many flavors when dining out, so I usually wind up over-ordering. Needless to say, Roppongi’s tapas-style menu makes me very happy.

Dishes are garnished well and most come with a fabulous sauce, but don’t fret, they’re not over-sauced, they’re just accented with a squirt here and a squiggle there, so no worries about the calorie count.

I never dine at Roppongi without ordering two things: the Chinese Potstickers and the Pan Seared Scallops — both are outrageous tastes. The potstickers are filled with minced shrimp and scallops, then steamed and served with a Tobiko caviar sauce. The scallops are seared, served over fried potato pancakes, and accompanied by a Thai-basil hollandaise.

Another tapa I can’t resist is the Korean Barbeque Spare Ribs. Window braises the ribs before marinating them for 24 hours in soy, sesame paste, Szechwan paste, and sesame seeds. They are grilled to order and served on wasabi mashed potatoes.

The menu also offers Chinese wok specialties. Dishes like Wok Garlic Shrimp with Lo Mein Noodles or the Pineapple Egg Fried Rice make nice side dishes and are served family style — again, perfect for sharing.
One of the most popular dishes on the menu, and Ladeki’s personal favorite I’m told, is the Whole Striped Seabass, served for two. These bulgy-eyed boys, weighing in at two and a half pounds, are gutted, scaled, dipped in a tempura-style batter, and flash fried until the fleshy meat is snow white and flakes off the bone. It is de-boned tableside and served with a citrus-based ponzu dipping sauce.

Roppongi has a wonderful wine list, curated by wine director Megan Burgess, that includes some special bottles and some great values as well.

Roppongi, 875 Prospect Street, La Jolla 858/551-5252 www.roppongiusa.com