Media Tasting: Arth Bar + Kitchen Brings Inventive Indian Dishes to Culver City

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Arth Bar + Kitchen, a new Indian restaurant opening doors Thursday, July 8th, 2021, is coming in at a perfect time. Downtown Culver City is currently over-inflated with pizza and tacos, leaving locals craving more diversity in our restaurants. Plus, with Amazon Studios, Apple and WarnerMedia opening soon in the 90232, we want to give these studio heads a good reason to dine locally and not feel like they’re working in a mundane suburb. I hope Culver City can keep the chains out, and focus on smaller, more diverse businesses.

Arth Bar + Kitchen, 9531 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Although Culver City is home to the beloved Indian restaurant Samosa House, and in close proximity to the popular Venice Blvd Indian spots Mayura, India Sweets & Spices and Tara’s Himalayan (technically all LA) I still feel like we just don’t have enough options for “date night” Indian dining. The Indian spots previously mentioned don’t offer a full bar, modern atmosphere and are in strip mall type locations. I adore all the spots mentioned but I feel like it’s a good time to switch up.

The Arth team is made up of Chef Sagar Ghosh, formerly Executive Chef of The Yellow Chilli in Tustin, CA and Founder and Partner Mihir Lad (Engineer by day, budding Restauranteur by night). Arth is taking over the former AR Cucina space, with an open kitchen, spacious patio, full bar and large dining room. They don’t appear to have done a drastic remodel but I notice the new wall decor and a new light fixture. But there is a newer warmth gained from walnut wood colored tables and plushy black leather seating.

For beverages, they’ve serving up cocktails, soft cocktails, wine and beer. Each cocktail features an Indian-driven ingredient to pair with their dishes, which is perfect for the upcoming Summer nights. Being a wino, I appreciate their options of wines, since they’re offerings are not the typical wines you see in Indian restaurants. I recommend the Davis Bynum Sauvignon Blanc, a zingy, zesty white, that will pair well with the spices.

East India Trading Company – Bacardi White Rum, Vanilla Liqueur, Lychee, Paan Leaf, Eucalyptus Bitters, Soda Water

Since this was a busy media soiree, I didn’t get to taste a huge array of the menu, but each bite I got was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. I’m definitely looking forward to revisiting in a couple of weeks once they get settled in. Welcome to the neighborhood Arth!

Kolkata Fish Fry Sample – Fried Asian Seabass
Garlic Naan Sample
Laal Mirch Ka Paneer Tikka – Paneer marinated in a red pepper and spice blend
Butter Chicken Dilli Wala and Palak Paneer Ke Kofte Sample

Thank you to Lawrence Moore and Associates for inviting me to this tasting.

Julianne

Actress and Founder of Girls on Food: I was born and raised in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. I grew up a typical “McDonald’s kid”. I was very picky about what I ate and refused to try new foods. No fun, I know. My Mom started taking me on trips to Europe when I was a teenager and that’s when my palate for finer foods began to develop. Some of my most memorable favorite meals include Veal Bolognese in Rome, Gyros in Athens, Paella in Lisbon and Duck L’Orange in Paris. While this helped me grow out of a fast food phase, I still eat out quite a bit. I know I should be at home cooking, but I love dining out. I started working in restaurants in various front of the house positions at age 15. Since my start, I’ve worked in every casual restaurant setting you can think of: a teriyaki stand, brewery, sushi nightclub, trendy Mexican, family-style Italian, American diner, pizza parlor and even a BLT themed food truck. I can't help but notice that many of the LA food bloggers don't have any sort of background working in a restaurant. A lot of my perspective on food and dining out comes from my years of experience in the biz. Since starting this blog, I have shot appearances on a couple of cooking competition shows as a taster (including MasterChef Junior and another upcoming show). We have also started producing a Youtube Channel. IMDb page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2023647/ For this site I contribute content from all over Los Angeles (and the world) to showcase my favorite fine-dining spots, steakhouses, exclusive supper clubs, Hollywood nightlife and our very own #GOFx events, which I plan and coordinate.

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