New York, May 21 (AP/UNB) — Coca-Cola drinkers will get a chance to relive one of the company's darker chapters as New Coke makes a comeback under a partnership with the Netflix drama "Stranger Things," the companies announced Tuesday.

Season 3 of the show will take place in the summer of 1985, when Coca-Cola changed its formula for Coke. New Coke was considered one of the biggest marketing blunders of all time and the new version was dropped after 79 days, though sales of the original Coca-Cola rebounded.

"The summer of 1985 did in fact change everything for us with the introduction of New Coke, which was also arguably one of the biggest pop culture moments of that year," said Oana Vlad, director of Coca-Cola Trademark, Coca-Cola North America.

Workers had to retrieve the New Coke recipe from the safe for the "Stranger Things" partnership.

"All told, everything took about six months and was top secret," said Peter Shoemaker, director of sparkling category commercialization.

Workers also had to recreate the logo and the slightly different Coke red for the cans from more than 30 years ago.

"The partnership with Coke gives Netflix the opportunity to reach a massive audience via one of the most recognizable brands in the world in a deeply authentic way," said Netflix Head of Global Partner Marketing Barry Smyth.

Beginning Thursday, Coca-Cola will release a limited number of cans of New Coke as part of a "Stranger Things" package. An "upside-down" Stranger Things-inspired vending machine will also pop up in select cities this summer to dispense free cans of New Coke for a limited time.

With the flourishing of new restaurants and cafes, we at times tend not to visit our old haunts, those timeless places. One of those for my generation is Tastebud restaurant. This place has been well-known for its exceptional custom-made cakes and its variety of cheesecakes particularly the Nutella Cheesecake as well as their platters. I remember it was one of the first places to have its own Red Velvet Milkshake. I loved it ! In addition to this, their ambience and interior design is always a favorite. 

As we were going through offers in various restaurants on Facebook, we came across what Tastebud has to offer. The 'Oven-Baked Platter' caught our eye, and we placed a reservation with our choice of platter, although not before some interchanging with the drinks and desserts offered with their 2 other platters (I’ll list them at the end of the article). 

As we entered, we found that it was ‘house full’. We were served our platters few minutes before the azaan for Maghrib. It included BBQ Chicken Pizza, Spicy Bruschetta, Lasagna, Poutine, Nutella Mini Cheesecake, Watermelon Juice, Dates and Water. As it arrived, the fantastic smell of cheese in particular was turning those last few minutes into an agonising wait for my senses I must admit. Food can be sinful at times.

All the items tasted at least satisfactory, as one would expect at Tastebud, but undoubtedly the best time I had was with the pizza. The strong flavor of the barbecued chicken pieces rose above the walls of cheese to win the attention of my tastebuds. The lasagna was okay, not too cheesy. Overall the whole platter was decent. The only problem was that the poutine got cold as I was romancing the pizza. Couldn’t quite blame them for that either. 

Tastebud’s iftar platters are priced at Tk 550+ Deep-fried Platter contains Chicken & Wedged Sandwich, Fried Mushroom, Chicken Lollypop, Spicy Chicken Burger, Brownie, Coffee Milkshake. 

Stir-fried Platter contains Stir Fried Rice, Chicken Chili Mexicana, Mongolian Chicken, Cheesy Potato Wedges, Red Velvet Cupcake and Virgin Mojito.

Marjan Rahman

There’s probably no recipe that better showcases salt and pepper working in multiple ways and together than Chinese salt and pepper shrimp, an enticing dish of plump, moist fried shrimp with shells as shatteringly crispy_and appealing to eat_as fried chicken skin, and a killer savory-spicy flavor profile.

A quick salt-rice wine soak improved the shrimp’s texture, plumping them, as well as contributing flavor; the Sichuan peppercorns gave the dish sparkling spice and aromatic piquancy, while black peppercorns provided a straightforward hit of heat.

We added the black peppercorns and Sichuan peppercorns along with cayenne and sugar to the coating and then fried more of the same with ginger and garlic to make a flavorful paste that we tossed the fried shrimp in for great depth. For an extra jolt of spiciness, we also fried a couple of thinly sliced jalapeños.

We like to use frozen shrimp; thaw them overnight in the fridge or under running cold water and blot them dry. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe. Serve with steamed white rice.

CRISPY SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP

Servings: 4-6

Start to finish: 1 hour

1 1/2 pounds shell-on medium-large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound)

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

Kosher salt

2 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, coarsely ground

2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, coarsely ground

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups vegetable oil

5 tablespoons cornstarch

2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into 1/8 inch-thick rings

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 scallions, sliced thin on bias

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 225 F. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line large plate with triple layer of paper towels. Toss shrimp with rice wine and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Combine black peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, sugar, and cayenne in small bowl.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until oil registers 385 F. Meanwhile, drain shrimp and pat dry with paper towels; wipe bowl dry with paper towels. Transfer shrimp to now-empty bowl, add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon peppercorn mixture, and toss until well coated.

Carefully add one-third of shrimp to hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally to keep shrimp from sticking together, until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 375 F and 385 F. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to prepared plate and let drain briefly. Transfer shrimp to prepared rack and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 385 F and repeat frying shrimp in 2 more batches, re-tossing each batch thoroughly with coating mixture before frying. Line plate with clean paper towels as needed.

Return oil to 385 F. Toss jalapeno rings with remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch in separate bowl. Shake off excess cornstarch, then carefully add jalapeño rings to oil and fry until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer jalapeno rings to prepared plate. After frying, reserve 2 tablespoons frying oil.

Heat reserved oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and remaining peppercorn mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 45 seconds. Add shrimp, scallions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Line serving platter with shredded lettuce. Arrange shrimp on platter and sprinkle with jalapeno rings. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories; 251 calories from fat; 28 g fat (2 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 143 mg cholesterol; 729 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 16 g protein.
 

When foodies like me hear the area name Mohammadpur, they think about the famous places like Mostakim, Muslim, Selim, Bihari Camp and few others for Beef and Chicken Chaap, Luchi, Brain Fry, Tehari and Biriyani. Sad to say that over the past 10 – 15 years the quality of the food has deteriorated. Their exceptionality does not exist anymore in terms of quality but their names and the restaurants do. I never heard about any other cuisine restaurant in that area but to my surprise, during my recent visit to Mohammadpur, I came across this Korean restaurant named Cookers & Co.

Surprisingly they offer a wide range of ramen like Cold Beef Ramen, Saitama Ramen, Cheese Ramen and few others, flavoured noodles as well as dumplings. They have a BOGO offer for Cheese Ramen (costs around BDT 399+) till the May 15, 2019 so we thought of ordering that along with Chili Wonton (costs around BDT 299+).

                                                                Cheese Ramen

The dishes were served right on time before iftar. When served, the Cheese Ramen had two slices of cheese as well as a poached egg. The noodles of the ramen used was simply none other than the Maggi noodles. We were slightly disappointed with it even though our tummies were full after eating it. On the other hand, the Chili Wonton tasted remarkably delicious. Their specialty was the unique soy sauce which tasted tangy sweet. Hence it complimented well with the Chili Wonton.

Even though the quality of the ramen was not upto the mark compared to those of the other places where I tasted but I will still say that the existence of a Korean restaurant is indeed a wonderful surprise for the residents of Mohammadpur. I hope to see more Korean and Japanese restaurants there besides the famous Bengali cuisine food!

Marjan Rahman

Dhaka, May 13 (UNB) - Now that Ramadan has started, almost all the restaurants and cafes have good value for money offers for both iftaars and seheris. Even though it has not yet been a week since Ramadan started, I already had the chance to break my fast outside. Indecisive among all those attractive offers by the restaurants/cafes in the tristate, we decided to go for the safest option which was The Chef’s Table since it already has good food places under one roof. Since it was the three of us, we decided to have something light. After a 5 – 7 minutes’ tour of that place, we decided to go for MADCHEF X, a modified unique version of the popular Madchef restaurant.

(Photo: Oyster Fried Rice with Spicy Garlic Basil Chicken)

Launched in June 2014, I hope by now almost everyone in Dhaka, whether foodie or not has heard about Madchef Restaurant. Famous for its classical and gourmet burgers as well as their variety of wings, poutines and platters, they also offer mocktails and shakes which will leave you fulfilled every time you visit this place. You can taste the food from the Madchef restaurant in Chittagong and Sylhet also. Currently there is no other Madchef X in any other places of Dhaka except for the Chef’s Table.

They had a platter for one which included Slider, Sesame Sausage Roll, Kala Bhuna Wrap, Achari Fried Rice with Sunny side up Egg and Chicken Satays all for BDT 599 (vat exclusive). Since it was the three of us, we chose the platter for 2 which included 2 Sliders, 4 Sesame Sausage Rolls, 2 Kala Bhuna Wraps, one Oyster Fried Rice with Spicy Garlic Basil Chicken, one Garlic Rice topped with Sunny Side Up Egg, 4 Chicken Satays and 4 Fried Shrimp Katsus along with 4 dates all at the price of BDT 1264 (BDT 1099 without vat) (also since we made the payment via bKash, there was 10% instant cash back). You have the option to choose any flavoured slider from the Classic Burgers. We chose Naga Blast and Tandoori Chicken flavoured sliders. It took almost half an hour to get the meal. We were lucky as we placed order at the right time and got served few minutes before the iftar. I must say that it was the most satisfying and fulfilling meal we could have for iftar. All the food items tasted equally good. No complaints regarding anything. Usually in case of platters, you don’t find all the food equally delicious but this platter was indeed a rare find.

(Photo: Garlic Rice Topped with Sunny Side Up Egg)

You cannot get this same offer but a modified one in the Madchef Restaurant. They have two offers – one for takeaway and the other is a platter which includes Slider, Chicken Ala Kiev, Chicken Cheese Bombs, Sesame Sausage Roll, Cold Potato & Sausage Salad, Achari Fried Rice with sunny side up Egg, Chicken Satay, Strawberry lime coolie and Mad Malai Kulfi at the price of BDT 649 (without vat).

By: Marjan Rahman