ROY'S BRINGS NEW TASTE TO VALLEY.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - An island of Hawaiian flavor just breezed into the Valley with the opening of Roy's, heralding the return of a well-known restaurateur to the area.

Phones were ringing off the hook before the much-anticipated eatery even opened its doors last week, said Mark Damico, managing partner for the Woodland Hills location.

``We were booked solid through Valentine's Day three weeks ago,'' Damico said.

Roy's was founded by Los Angeles restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi, who opened 385 North in the city in 1984. Yamaguchi uprooted to Hawaii, where he opened the first of the now 30 Roy's locations around the world.

Another Roy's will open in downtown Los Angeles this summer; locations in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica are in the works as well.

Although this is Roy's first foray into the market, many people in the Los Angeles area are familiar with Yamaguchi's Hawaiian fusion cuisine, said Tim Matousek, partner at Roy's Restaurants.

``This doesn't fit the profile of typical dining in the Valley. It goes against the traditional market in the area,'' said Andrew Harris, a marketing consultant in hospitality field.

There are just a smattering of high-end dining options in the area, but more have been moving in recently, Harris noted. Yamaguchi's reputation and the growing demand for more fine dining options will likely make the restaurant a success.

The Westfield shopping centers and towering hotels nearby made the location on Topanga Canyon and Victory boulevards a prime spot for the first Roy's in the region, he said.

The area is ripe for new ventures, with the recent announcement of the $300 million redevelopment of the Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga next door.

That project will include the Valley's first Neiman Marcus, a new Target store and an additional 100 new specialty shops in the shopping center. The development is set to bring an additional 9,000 daily vehicle trips to the area, an increase of about one-third the current traffic flow.

Developers say the final product will be one of the largest shopping centers in the state, generating more than $620 million in annual sales.

``We're excited to be close to the mall without being in the mall,'' Damico said. In turn, he said Roy's name will only add to the stature of the new Westfield center.

The staff - which includes 22 servers, 15 assistant servers, 12 cooks, six hosts and five bartenders - is still getting accustomed to the 7,100- square-foot operation and the menu, which includes roasted macadamia nut mahi mahi in lobster butter sauce and misoyaki butterfish in sizzling soy vinaigrette.

Damico hopes to bring longtime customers who are familiar with the restaurants in Hawaii and to add to Roy's fan base of ``professional diners without being categorized as too snooty.''

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Roy's restaurant chain has just opened a location in Woodland Hills, at the corner of Victory and Topanga Canyon boulevards, with plans for more in the L.A. area.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer