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An Encore Performance Roppongi Restaurant is returning to Prospect Street in La Jolla e new Roppongi, serving Modern Asian cuisine, will feature updated versions of many original favorites, along with nigiri sushi and specialty rolls. Here, Ladeki dishes on what's to come. You opened your first Sammy's in 1989. Why do I feel like everyone else is slowing down but you are speeding up? While it is becoming extraordinarily difficult to operate with the increasing costs and constant hits to our industry, it is not in me to be complacent. I continue to reinvent my menus, remodel my locations, and open new concepts. It is the way I have operated for the last 36 years. I don't know how to sit still. People tell me I'm crazy all the time but that's what I do. It's my passion. What is the secret to your unflappable drive? I am the American Dream story. I started as a dishwasher in Germany and then a busboy in London. I came here with very little and managed to build this restaurant group from the ground up. America is the land of possibility if you are willing to put in the work. is passion and ability to achieve is what drives me. I'm a creative guy and I enjoy what I do. What will be the same as and what will be different from the original version of Roppongi? e Roppongi of the '90s and 2000s was known for its delicious food with quality ingredients and chic design. ose will remain the most important things for the new version with both the ingredients and design updated for 2025. Will you be bringing back the favorites from the original menu? Did you save the recipe books? Yes! Every item will be brought back with updated presentations as well as new additions. What was your favorite dish at Roppongi and will it be on the new menu? e Mongolian Shrimp [photographed at top] was my favorite and will certainly be on the new menu. Now I have some new favorites for you to discover as well! Tell me why you are excited to bring this treasure back to La Jolla? I can't walk around La Jolla without multiple people stopping me and asking where Roppongi went and can it please come back. I am doing this for them. In creating a restaurant, you live every moment through the dishes, the presentation, the ambiance. It's a euphoric feeling when it all comes together successfully. Roppongi was a success story — it always had such a vibe and was full of excitement. I am looking forward to recreating that feeling. TERRYL GAVRE F or those of you who have been in the area long enough to remember when restaurateur Sami Ladeki — founder and CEO of Sammy's Woodfired Pizza — branched out and opened a series of high- end, boutique concepts, you undoubtedly remember Roppongi, the crown jewel of them all. It was the place to dine and be seen in La Jolla. We were all saddened when it closed in 2015, but we're in for a treat, as Ladeki is reopening Roppongi in the exact same location at 875 Prospect Street. ere isn't an exact opening date yet — Ladeki says only "before the end of summer" — as construction is still underway and the timeline remains tentative. Indulge dining COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHY ranchandcoast.com 68 AUGUST 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE