YEE: Taste of Tarakaan

Setup: checking out the new addition to the edge of midtown
The good: great vibe, good drinks, large turnout, origami, henna, friendly management and staff
The bad: a bit too crowded, food samples barely made it past the first couple groups near the kitchen,
Observations: definitely showing itself to be the next hotspot in the area
Overall recommendation: Always good to see old faces and meet new ones! Worth checking out Tarakaan on a regular occasion

What can I say? our CM Farrah A. did it once again at another successful YEE @Tarakaan. The entire event was put up very well together making it a fun night for the newly come Elite Unilocalers and the more «experienced» Elites.
First things first, I loved that there was valet parking, making our visit to Tarakaan with ease. As soon as we entered and our dearest Farrah said hi, I also greeted fellow Unilocalers!
The manager was so considerate the entire time during the event, we kept being asked if we needed anything else, the servers and bartenders were also up to par to their manager being kind.
The bites were delicious! I enjoyed them all! However just to get a bite was hard enough since as soon as they kept coming out everyone raced straight to them and did not give us all the opportunity to try them all but the ones I did try I was quite impressed.
The henna artists was a gem, she was kind and very patient as we had small talk throughout the masterpiece she made on my hand.
After this event, I cannot wait to come back and enjoy the «taste of Tarakaan» experience all over.

Hooray for my first Unilocal elite event! :) I came with high expectations, and this event at Tarakaan did not let me down!
Tarakaan is located on a corner lot near Capitol bar. Parking was through complimentary valet, however if you forgot to bring cash (seriously who carries cash anymore! :[) there’s still plenty of curb side parking around the building and surrounding streets if you can find some curb space! The atmosphere inside is dark and sexy with a cool mysterious ambience to it. Dark earthy tones and beautiful Asian décor add an exotic touch to the restaurant. In fact, if you go towards the back, there is even a giant statue of Buddha that oversees the room. Very impressive.
This was a light appetizer event so I came already fed since there was not going to be a lot of food to get incredibly full from. This method was actually pretty beneficial, as I was able to eat and slowly enjoy the intricate details of each pan-​asian dish instead of aimlessly gobbling food to fill an empty stomach! Waiters walked around with trays filled with bite sized portions of each appetizer as Unilocalers socialized around the restaurant. My favorite dishes were definitely the edamame croquettes and the one with the beetle leaf.
I really enjoyed this mix-​n-​mingle/​hors d’oeuvres style event. Although I did not get full, I was able to meet many Unilocalers and establish new friendships while sipping on several glasses of free wine!

I was feeling a bit under the weather before this event, so my time at this event may be a little biased due to being super high on cold/​flu medicine! We when arrived to Tarakaan, the valet took over my car, and we walked inside the establishment. Farrah greeted us near the front door and welcomed us inside where we were greeted to some free wines and a firecracker champagne cocktail. I opted for the red wine because hey, I was sick, and I thought the resveratrol antioxidant would cure me of my illness. Nope. We sat down on a couch near the bar and lounged out waiting for the servers to bring around food. The atmosphere at Tarakaan was pretty dope. There was a giant Buddha statue at the back which really stuck out, and the entire place was filled with Asian artwork. I hope I wasn’t just hallucinating these things…
I wished we sat more on the side tables because the servers ran out of food when they got near the bar area where we were sitting. We were told to eat beforehand the event, as Tarakaan were only going to serve small bites. As we mingled with the other Unilocal Elites, we were served some edamame croquettes and a smoked paan wrap. These were interesting, but didn’t satisfy our hunger. We did see the servers give out some pad thai dishes in white to-​go boxes, but these were gone in an instant. Since I was starting to feel really woozy, we decided to leave a bit early even though there were a lot of activities going on like henna tattooing and origami. I wish I could of enjoyed this event more, but the sickness took over! Even still, Farrah and the Unilocal team did a fantastic job with this event! We will definitely be back to check out this lounge again.

Thank you to Farrah and everyone at Tarakaan for the wonderful event! As a newbie to these elite events, this one really made a great impression. The place and size of the event was good enough for everyone to mingle and it was nice to meet new friends (shout-​out to Michelle B!) Décor was really nice and the lounge area was a nice area to eat and chit chat.
The firecracker champagne cocktail looked pretty and delish and which it was, I kept raving and telling people to try it out! (I don’t usually drink too much champagne, but this one was to rave about especially with the little bits of fruits on the bottom!) The best thing was the servers came back out with samples that they saw we never got and brought them out to our table. (Thank you to all the staff, you guys were awesome!!) The pad thai was amazing and will definitely head back for that — I really liked the sweetness and flavor! The steak cubes were really soft and shrimp had a good sauce to it. Thank you to assistant chef Micah for sharing his Thailand insights and bringing it to Houston! Also, if anyone didn’t notice, there was a private dining area in the back, be sure to check it out next time. there’s more than the lounge area!
Overall, fun night and great service, all I can say is I look forward to more events like this!

This place is super cute it feels like you are in a cute restaurant in NYC. The Asian theme is dripping with modernism in every corner, well done on the space execution.
We pulled in around 7pm and the Valet driver was soooo friendly which to me is rare for valet drivers. He took our car with a smile and welcomed us into the event and told us some things he liked the most.
We walked in and of course we were greeted by the gorgeous Farrah and then the manager James, who was really friendly and had a fantastic hand shake.
The reason why I only gave this event 3 stars was because although the interaction with everyone who worked in the establishment was extremely friendly it was hard to enjoy the event. It was so crowded because the space is so small and the lighting was very dim which typically I love but it made it hard to interact and meet fellow elites.
The one bite of food I got to try which was a smoked salmon I believe on a lettuce was delicious, however the server didn’t have any napkins so I had to just put it in my mouth and wipe my hands together. Also I didn’t receive a clear description of what I was eating so that made it very difficult. From there on I didn’t get anymore food because finding a server was a needle in haystack. Pretty much you had to stand by the kitchen and be ready to grab or you will miss it.
The White wine was super delicious and that was very accessible, the cocktails at the bar took awhile to get but I did try the champagne cocktail and it was slightly unbalanced for me. Just tasted like a mimosa with a lot of orange juice less champagne. So I went back to the wine and it was all good.
I then went to get Henna done but the wait was too long so we got tired and skiped it.
All in all we stayed about an hour just because we couldn’t get any little bites and it was hard to move around.
I would love to go back to the restaurant for a cute date night with my hubby and really try it out, I can tell their are good things there it was just hard to get to them.
However, It was awesome that they hosted this event for us and I will definitely go back and try it out, I have a feeling I will fall in love.

Another Unilocal event under my belt and I’m enjoying it! I’m loving how I get to explore new parts of the city and venues I probably would have never even consider going into. Even though this place is new, about a few weeks old, but if you’re around Midtown, this building is familiar, especially if you take the Metro. Entering the Tarakaan, it has a mellow vibe with a taste of classiness which is what most people are looking for, it’s perfect for dinner & drinks with friends. This place serves Asian fusion so with that comes an Asian theme. The geishas on the walls give off the sensual feeling while the Buddha around promotes chill and peace atmosphere.
When we entered the place, my friend and I actually went to the back room first before mingling with the crowd and we found the restaurant section and it was nice, we’re even considering a party there. While we were scoping out the place, we met Piran, one of the owners and he was super accommodating to answer our questions and telling us more about the place. His vision with his partners is that this place would be a place of refuge for the night owls, where it comes alive the later it gets. It was really nice of him to spend not only his day off but his birthday with the Unilocal squad!
After we toured, we parked at one of the tables near the lounge area and socialized with the crowd. Complimentary wine and light bites were served. Shout out to one of the servers who got the chef to make me my own plate of smoked paan wraps because I was allergic to something on the original menu, very sweet of him! The great part of the night was good conversations with new elites and newbies to the Unilocal community and then finding out you have mutual likings and as well the same friends, small world!
This was a Unilocal Elite event and we were able to bring a +1 and I brought my good friend Annalisa P. whom just got started with Unilocal and loves it. Her one comment to me after the event was that the Unilocal community is so friendly, down to earth, so true, ups to H-​town!
Overall, great event and an awesome location! Thanks again to our CM Farrah for the sweet setup!

I will start off by saying that this place is beautiful. Great lighting. Great seating. Great ambiance. Great ways to have fun in a place that can give you an intimate feel in a spacious surrounding. This place even started off on the right foot, with a valet that was a consummate professional. By the end of the night, he didn’t need my ticket because he ensured that my vehicle was in the front once a space opened up on the side of the place.
On initial impressions, the outside of the building does not do justice to the inside of the building. Once you go inside, there is a certain level of elegance that is surprising and inviting. The Asian theme is really pronounced and the service is top notch.
In regards to the event itself, this event made me think that I was preparing for the apocalypse. Farrah, Houston’s great community manager, told us that this was a light bites event, but I am not sure if people took her seriously. They had people that set up tents by the service doors to the kitchen… and once the servers came out — POUNCE!!! If you ever watched Tigger surprise Winnie the Pooh, then you have a general idea of how the food servers were attacked. Because I was already fed, I did not try to fight for every dish, but they definitely had interesting taste, textures and feels with their served light bites. There were dishes that ranged from noodles in a traditional American Chinese food take out container, to fish and some leafy cuttings on top of a singular spinach leaf. I do not think this business will have a problem with variety.
This place is not shy about alcohol by any means! I do not partake in spirits, and the manager and owner, at different occasions, saw me without a drink it my hand and had someone to make me something right away. The strawberry lemonade, virgin of course, was quite tasty and appreciated. You can’t replace excellent service! The owner and all staff were extremely friendly and accommodating.
I cannot wait to come here and try this place out again. My plus 1 enjoyed herself, and we both definitely plan on giving this business our attention whenever we are in the area.
Farrah put together another great venue.

My FIRST YEE! I was super excited when I arrived. It’s great that they had complimentary parking and we didn’t have to find parking because we all know that downtown parking is like finding a treasure. in a haystack. in the dark. with chopsticks.
The décor was amazing and it reminded me of John Wick (yes. the movie), not the theme, but the ambiance. I love the big Buddha statues and how they are the main focal piece when you walk in because the lights are dim, but the statues are lit up with bright colors. I absolutely love it!
The tasting went well, but I didn’t get to try everything because the food was always running away from me and going to other people. The servers didn’t know what they were serving either, which made it hard to remember what I was even eating. The complimentary white wine was too acidic and crisp for me; so I opted to get another drink at the bar.
One of the manager was very informative and friendly. He came and talk to us for a good 20 mins and described the menu to us and how Tarakaan got its inspiration. It was really nice to know the background of the restaurant and how the food came about.
I like to thank all of those who were involved in making this event happen. I had so much fun with the tasting, meeting elites, and getting a henna. It was truly a fun experience and I can’t wait to go to another YEE.

Another awesome event put together by our awesome Houston Unilocal CM, Farrah A. So, I’d like to extend my thank you for Farrah for putting this event together.
This was one of the bigger Elite Events this year aside from The Springbok and Prohibition. Wines were flowing and fun was had by all of the Elites who were in attendance. And this was also one of those events where a plus one was allowed, so it was doubly awesome.
Even though Tarakaan is located in the midtown area where parking is infamously difficult, this wasn’t the case. There was plenty of parking on the street, or you could use the free valet parking option. I opted to parking on the street about a half a block away from the venue.
Checking into the event was simple; just wait in line, show your party pass, get your name tag, and party on, dudes!
Immediately upon entering the dining area, you have a couple of waitstaff holding a tray of wines. Red and White. Your call. I had both and both were delicious. I might have had a one too many red wines at the event, but hey. Why not? They also had cash bar if you wanted to drink something else. I probably would have if the event had been held on a Thursday or a Friday. However, Tuesday is personally too early during the week for me to be drinking anything other than wine.
As for appetizers, they came in batches. And this was probably the only downside of the event. Too many people, not enough appetizers/​samples. Every time a waiter came out with a batch of appetizers, unless you’re hanging out by the kitchen, you better believe that you’re not going to be getting anything. I tried the shrimp, the pad thai (or whatever that noodle thingy was), the deep fried edamame ball, and the salmon wrap. All were delicious. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the salmon wrap. Too leafy, in my opinion. Reading some of the other reviews, apparently there was also some beef skewers that I didn’t get a chance to try. Honesty, I didn’t even know they had beef skewers at the event. But oh well, the more reason for me to go back, right?
There were also a henna tattoo artist on site, an origami lady who will fold your dollar bills into something that you would want to keep for yourself instead of spending, and a geisha lady who will gladly take selfies with you.
All in all, I had plenty of fun, met plenty of people, had plenty of drinks. I didn’t get enough to eat though since I seem to always had to chase down the waitstaff before I could try anything. But all good.
Thanks again to Farrah A. for organizing this awesome event. To Tarakaan for providing the venue, drinks, light bites, and just an overall awesome sponsor. To the Henna artist, origami artist, and the geisha girl for making an already awesome event even more awesome. I’m looking forward to more YEEs in the near future!

My first elite event. Definitely packed house when I arrived around 6:40pm. Immediately checked in and greeted by a member of management. Welcomed by poured glasses of red or white wine but went to the bar for the champagne option instead. Refreshingly good and loved the pearls at the bottom. By sitting at the bar we weren’t able to try as many food options so got up and mingled a bit with a familiar face in the crowd. We were able to nab the curry cauliflower, steak and frites, and I believe smoked salmon on a leaf. The server had no clue what was in it but my fav was the steak. Really tender and flavorful.
Amazingly friendly staff and management. They handled the large crowd well and were there to please. Definitely want to come back to try out the menu.

Yay for my first Elite event! I arrived a little before 7, didn’t want to seem too eager! But I was very excited! Farrah was super sweet and went over the ropes of how the event works!
The place was packed with people, I think the restaurant was not expecting this many guests! I wasn’t able to snag a drink from a waiter walking around. By the time he got to the other side of the restaurant all the samples were gone! We decided to migrate closer to the kitchen to catch the next round of food out! Unfortunately, I did not get to try any food! I waited in line for 15 minutes to get a henna tattoo only to find out there were 2 girls in front of me that had been waiting 30 minutes! It was totally the hot corner! Next time I would hope for multiple henna and origami artists to accommodate more people!
After hoping I could snag a glass of champagne from the waiter walking around and failed. I headed up to the bar… the man kindly gave me a glass so I did enjoy the free wine, champagne and company of my new elite Unilocal friends!
I ordered a drink off the happy hour menu and at the end of the night went to close my tab. Asked the bartender to close out, he asked if I opened my tab with him?, I replied «no should I go over there and close it out?» And he shrugs his shoulders and says to me «I guess I have to walk over there and get it for you» being like totally serious. (LIKE AN ENTIRE 5 FEET). That put sour tart in my mouth but overall this was great! So glad to be apart of this!
Overall I wish there were more servers and food in general. Will have to come back and order off the menu! I’m really looking forward to the second event tomorrow!