Progressive Indian restaurant opens near Forest Hills

  • 2017-11-13
The owners of the new Aroma Progressive Indian Cuisine in Rego Park, near Forest Hills, wanted to do something a bit different.

The restaurant serves traditional Indian dishes, as well as what might best be described as Indian fusion dishes. The quartet of owners – Akmol Hussain, Jashim Ullah, Razib Hasan and Sazzad Hossain – also decided to open a dessert lounge in the space next to their new restaurant.

The dessert space, called Sugar N Coal, opened a few months ago. Now that its sister restaurant, Aroma, is open, the owners foresee customers coming for dinner before heading next door for dessert.

The focus is on creativity at both spaces; for example, the pastry chef at Sugar N Coal has recently created a dessert called ‘Freakshakes’, which are milkshakes with additional sweet toppings.

At Aroma, one of the more popular dishes so far is a twist on fried chicken, featuring garam masala (a spice mixture) and onions. The menu's traditional fare includes chicken biryani and chicken vindaloo. The chefs are considering expanding the progressive side of the menu to include dishes, such as one that blends chicken alfredo and chicken tikka.

Aroma and Sugar N Coal are not the group's first foray into restaurant ownership. Hasan and Ullah own Nur Thai, which is just down the block. The four have also recently opened a second Aroma in Spain.

To promote any new restaurant concepts, owners can use postcard printing to spread the word to area residents.