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'Freakshakes' and Burgers With Indian Twist Coming to Rego Park

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | August 31, 2017 4:50pm
 Sugar N Coal is slated to open at 63-42 Woodhaven Blvd. sometime in September. 
Sugar N Coal is slated to open at 63-42 Woodhaven Blvd. sometime in September. 
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DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

QUEENS — The Rego Park dining scene will soon gain more variety with the addition of two new eateries.

Aroma Progressive Indian Cuisine and Sugar N Coal, a shisha lounge that serves desserts, are slated to open at 63-42 Woodhaven Blvd., between 63rd Road and Dana Court, sometime next month.

Both venues are the brainchild of Razib Hasan and Jashim Ullah, who also own Nur Thai, a popular Thai restaurant that opened on the same block about two years ago.

At that time, the strip had been nearly vacant for several years, but has since seen a number of new businesses opening up, including Mexican restaurant La Gringa.

Photos: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

Hasan and Ullah teamed up with two additional partners, Akmol Hussain and Sazzad Hussain, to open the new venues, which can seat about 60 patrons each, and will be connected, but at the same time they will offer entirely different menus and ambiance, they said.

Aroma Progressive Indian Cuisine will serve traditional Indian dishes, like chicken tikka masala and vindaloos. The menu will also feature classic American items like burgers, steaks and mac and cheese, but they will be "made with Indian spices,” Ullah said.

While working on perfecting the menu, they are also planning to include several Indian dishes with an Italian twist, they said.

Most of the entrees at Aroma will be in the $14 to $35 price range, they said.

Meanwhile, Sugar N Coal will be primarily a dessert spot during the day, turning into a hookah lounge in the evening.

The owners said they are currently working on the pastry menu with the executive chef from Fred’s at Barneys. 

It will include items like crepes and waffles, as well as chocolate spiral dome, a dessert with chocolate poured on top of it, and several “freakshakes,” milk shakes with numerous toppings like chocolate, candy, even entire pieces of cakes.

“You can get a strawberry cheesecake shake and then you actually have a large piece of cheesecake and strawberry syrup on top,” said Ullah. “So you will have a dessert as well as a drink, all in one.”

Most pastries will be made on the premises, they said.

In the evening, Sugar N Coal, which features a VIP room for private events, will offer a variety of shisha flavors and “hand crafted mocktails,” tasting similar to popular cocktails like mango mojito or whiskey smash, but containing no alcohol, the owners said.

Most shisha flavors will be available for $14 to $30, while most desserts will cost between $10 and $25, they said.

“Rego Park needed something like this,” Hasan said about the two eateries.  “This is something that Woodhaven Boulevard was missing.”