Love Bites Elite Event @ Arka

Such a great event! The food was amazing! Had an intense amount of heat, and only made me want to come back to try the amazing happy hour (I definitely will).
The cocktails were strong and yummmmy. I loved the wine, especially the pinot grigio. Henna was amazing as well! I loved the intimate feel of the event, with the dim lights, it was great!
Thank you Unilocal,Abby, Arka for such an amazing event!

… Umm. so I thought I was familiar with Indian food, but apparently not. Practically all the dishes we got to sample were unique and of course, delicious!
First off, I have to say: Who knew broccoli tasted so good. Okay maybe it was because they were fried, but omg. Best. Broccoli. Ever. I need to come back to Arka just for the broccoli. As crazy as that sounds.
Anyway, my +1 and I had a blast at the Elite Event! It was very laid back, and definitely got to meet other Unilocalers! I’m really happy that I left Arka super full! They had a LOT of food. Yum. And drinks, too.
Major kudos to Abby for such an awesome event. She never fails! :)

I’m going to be the one honest and dissenting voice here. I think most people are afraid to say anything negative about events, but if we don’t, how will they be able to improve?
This was not one of the better events I’ve been to. (No disrespect to Abby at all, she’s lovely.)
The food didn’t seem to be replenished consistently, and didn’t taste very fresh.
I had a small bite of most of the dishes and took off early to grab dinner nearby.
I would never base my opinion on a restaurant solely on an Elite event. I think their regular menu is probably very good, (given the resume of the head chef and consulting chef.)
People weren’t as friendly as they were in the old days, (although, not as pushy either.)
The wine I tasted was good, and the woman pouring was very pleasant.
The staff seemed to be trying to keep people happy and bring drinks out, but always looked harried and disorganized.
After the AMAZING X-​mas parties, maybe my expectations were set too high.

What a lovely evening we had at Arka! It was such an intimate setting and great for getting to know new Unilocalers. The food was exception

Yay. My 300^th review! I decided the only review worthy of this spot was my first YEE which it would be rude to rate it any less than 5 stars.
My +1 and I arrived at around 6:40 to see the party already pretty packed with people enjoying themselves in the rather swanky looking Arka, it’s certainly more upmarket looking than most of the other Indian restaurants along the Peninsula and a great place to host this awesome event.
Décor and lighting has a romantic feel to it with plenty of seating and a large bar in the entrance.
FOOD:
Arka were kind enough to put on a nice spread for us including Avocado and walnut Kebab, Beef Kebab, Coconut Chicken (spicy!!) and my favorite of all Sesame Broccoli. The Rose water Pana Cotta for after was also delicious, I loved the subtle flavors.
COOL:
Everything about the event. The theme, execution and even the chocolates laid out on the tables was great.
— Love Heart conversation starters. Admittedly I didn’t find my matching hearts and neither did my +1 although through no fault of his own, I think he must have gotten the only 2 that were illegible. [sad face]
— The CD exchange. Apologies to whoever got my lame looking sticky heart covered compilation! It was a seriously hard and lengthy task going through my collection to find any love songs. That being said I think I did an ‘ok’ job. If you got stuck with it maybe drop me a message and let me know what you thought anyway :)
— Farrah and her fantastic Henna tattoo skills. She was super quick but still managed to keep my design detailed and looking awesome.
— Alcohol! Not being a big drinker I put my hand up to not actually trying any of the wines from Tamas Estates. but a nice addition to the event nonetheless. I did get to sample the Solerno cocktail though and woooah it was strong! Any more than one and I would have been *that* person that ended up on her a$$.
— Our hostess with the mostess Abby of course, looking lovely as ever.
NOT COOL:
The 2 girls that decided to jump the line for food after having their Henna done. I won’t call you out by name as you know who you are, just a request that you’re a little more courteous at future events as it wasn’t just my +1 and I you jumped in front of but also the 30 or so other people behind us too.
Thanx again Abby & Arka for setting up this Valentines event!

What a Great Event my 1^st South bay one of the year. I rolled to Arka in my Work Whip and stashed it in the back parking lot. I strolled in to Arka and was impressed with what I saw. Its a Nice Swanky place. I was greeted and signed by the lovely Miss Nique.
Arka had a nice Buffet Area set up with-​Avocado and Walnut seekh, Coconut Chicken, Broccoli with melted cheese and sesame .
And for Dessert-​Rose water pannacotta.
Arka did a great job keeping the Buffet stocked so the Unilocal Elite could get their grub on. I thought the food tasted fantastic and will have to come back for lunch.
I saw the lovely Miss Abby stunning in her Gold dress, she did a great job planning and executing this YEE just the right amount of people, food and drink.
There was a Henna Artist laying ink on Cute Elite Women.
I also enjoyed seeing and meeting New and Old Unilocal Elite friends.
Thanks Abby, Nique, Arka for an Awesome and Tasty Unilocal Event.
I rolled off in my Work Whip.
2012 The Year Of Human Nature and The Good Life.

Arrived at Arka half hour early before the YEE started. Noticed the establishment is very visible from the street. Easy parking and nice glass double door. I like that it’s elevated from the street. You go up a few steps to the actual restaurant. The elevated position gives it that separation from the main street.
Sat at the bar and ordered the following drinks. Calprinha and the Pisco Sour. With it we also ordered Calamari and the Chili Onion Rings. Two Pisco Sours and two Calprinhas later I was very entertained with their very awesome menu book. IT LIGHTS UP when you open it:) how cool is that?!
Adam and I were very pleased with the food that we ordered and the drinks that we had. Nice start!
Abby–
What a great venue for a YEE. The food was awesome. Thanks to Tamas Winery for their Blood Orange Liquor cocktail. My new friend Jen C and I enjoyed it. Coconut chicken with bell pepper with an added hint of lemon grass was also a hit with both Adam and I. Broccoli with melted cheese and sesame was hands down my favorite of the night!
Arka’s open design can at the same time offer some privacy in their well appointed use of the space. A booth in between a walkway is a potential romantic spot. Scattered tables offers some privacy and for catching up with an old friend or just two lady friends on a Tuesday night taking advantage of the Ladies night special priced drink menu.
Very graceful staff. Friendly and quick bartender. Good food. I’m a fan at first meeting.
Special mention to Farrah for her artsy henna tattoo. Not only is she fast but she’s very professional while remaining friendly:)
**Met some really wonderful new Unilocal friends. Jen C + Chris and Sandra D+ Nico. The most fun event by far!**

My first Unilocal ELITE Event and it was FUNTASTIC! Lots of food! Lots of drinks! Lots of cool people!
FOOD:
I’ve only experienced Indian food years ago from one Indian restaurant and I’m glad I got to experience different dishes at Arka. Everything was spicy, spicy, spicy! There was coconut chicken, avocado and walnut seekh, beet shammi kebab, and sweet chili broccoli with sesame. The broccoli was THE BEST! It was a good combination of spicy and sweet. For dessert there was rose water panna cotta and it helped soothe my mouth from all the spicy food.
DRINKS:
Wine tasting was awesome! I tried the cabernet sauvignon and pinot grigio. I enjoyed drinking both with my dinner. The waiters were serving cocktail after cocktail. The Blood Orange cocktail was super sweet, super yummy!
VENUE:
Spacious and very cool! I don’t think anyone had trouble finding seats. The bathroom is very clean, just in case you would like to know. I always feel safe eating in a restaurant when the bathroom is clean. Staff was friendly and always smiling.
This event was really fun, especially because I met so many wonderful people — Janet O., Adam, Sandra D., and Nico. They were so fun we stayed 2 more hours after the event laughing, drinking, and chatting. Yay for new friends!
Thank you, Abby for this magnificent event!!! I am looking forward to the next awesome YEE!!!

Another great Elite event with a lovely atmosphere, fellow wonderful Unilocalers and good food and cocktails!
I enjoyed wine tastings, tequila cocktails and vodka concoctions from the restaurant staff that was conveniently passing them around at the individual tables and booths.
Food:
Coconut chicken with red bell pepper and a nice note of lemongrass — tender, spicy and extremely flavorful
Avocado and walnut seekh — juicy lamb which was even better dipped into the mint sauce
Broccoli with melted cheese and sesame — yummy!
Rose water pannacotta for dessert — the favors were very subtle yet very nice and light after some of the heavier dishes.
Arka has a great open space with a nice bar area and the Unilocal staff made sure we had an amazing private space while dining, drinking, and listening to love tunes in preparation for Valentine’s Day!

First off, THANK YOU ABBY & ARKA for hosting this wonderful event.
My friend and I got to try the following:
1) Coconut chicken — So flavorful, addicting, with a bang of spice!
2) Avocado and walnut — I really liked this combination because it was really different due to the unique texture.
3) Fried Broccoli — MY FAV! It was sweet and slightly fried.
4) Rose water panna cotta — Creamy with a touch of rose flavor. It was very lovely and refreshing.
To end the night, we got henna tattoos from Farrah, who was super awesome and sweet!
I will definitely be back to have dinner here!

Abby and Unilocal did it again! Another fabulous event in a huge back room of Arka! Wine and cocktails around with a yummy buffet! The broccoli in chili sauce was by far my fave!!! The ambience was great, to put everyone in the pre valentine mood, single or not!
Thanks again Unilocal,Abby, and Arka!