Years ago, as a young college student far from home in Bengaluru, festivals meant one thing to me – a special lunch with fellow out-of-towners. And it almost always involved Chinese food. There is something about Indo-Chinese that is familiar and comforting, yet celebratory. Countless birthdays and Christmases were spent in the Chung Wah in Koramangala. The three storey restaurant had red lanterns and Chinese dragons on the walls, and Hakka noodles and triple Shezwan on the menu.
The legacy of Indo-Chinese restaurants of Bengaluru goes back decades, when a wave of Indian-Chinese families made their way here from Kolkata. Some popular names familiar to old Bangaloreans such as Taipan, Canton and Continental have now closed their doors. But restaurants such as Kim Lee, Wanelys, Bangalore Mandarin, and China Pearl, still loved by diners, are creations of the Indian-Chinese community.
It is the Chinese New Year on January 29. Let us meet some of these entrepreneurs behind Bengaluru’s favourite restaurants.
On Ling Chung, Chung Wah
The Chung Wah group has more than 10 outlets in the city today and sister concerns such as Chung’s Pavilion. I visit the one in Indiranagar late morning as the staff is getting ready for the lunch rush.
The restaurant was started by On Ling Chung, fondly called “Mister Chung” by everyone. He is now in his mid-70s and resides in Ulsoor. I meet with Steven Chung, his younger cousin, and Sujit Joshi, who is related to the family by marriage. They now manage the restaurants. They tell me that Mister Chung’s father, Chung Chin Fang, was born in Kolkata, and his father had migrated there from China as a young man. The family no longer remembers where in China he once lived.
On Ling Chung, the founder of Chung Wah chain of restaurants
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When Mister Chung first came to Bengaluru he worked in a number of hotels before starting the first Chung Wah on Residency Road in 1989. The iconic place is still standing and is a crowd favourite. Classics such as Hunan chicken, chilly chicken and American chop suey have been on the menu since the beginning, and continue to be popular. “Many people now are on the lookout for ‘authentic’ Chinese food and even request us for it,” Sujit tells me. But they continue to do what they do best. “We are proud of what we serve.” For Chinese New Year, the large family gets together and indulge in an authentic Chinese meal, with celebratory dishes.
William Chang,Fortune Chinese Vegetarian Kitchen (formerly Luo Han), Koramangala
If you look up reviews of Luo Han restaurant, owner Jenny Chang’s stern attitude towards customers is always mentioned, second to how good the food is. Jenny, and her son William Chang, run the Koramangala-based Fortune restaurant, one of the few vegetarian Chinese establishments in Bengaluru. The restaurant was previously in HSR Layout and used to be called Luo Han. It opened in 2006 and was a favourite of college students in the area, before moving to its current location post pandemic.
William Chang at Fortune, his vegetarian Chinese restaurant
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Anagha Maareesha
I meet William on a quiet afternoon at the restaurant, as a lucky cat statue waves its paw up and down from the counter. Slowly over the conversation, he opens up to me about his childhood and life. William grew up in Goa, where his father ran a restaurant called Nanking in Vasco da Gama city. William’s grandfather moved to Kolkata almost a hundred years ago, from Meizhou, a city in the Guangdong province. He was initially in the leather business before becoming a chef. Since the family is Buddhists, they serve vegetarian food.
Jenny Chang from Fortune in Koramangala
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He remembers celebrating Chinese New Year with great pomp when he was younger but says the festival does not feel the same anymore. He tells me, “When I was young, it was a special day. We used to get mushrooms and other ingredients especially from Taiwan; now these are commonplace. In Bengaluru, we used to host get-togethers at a club in Vivek Nagar, but now most of the younger generation have moved abroad for higher studies, so there are very few people here to celebrate with.” Nonetheless, he says he will get together with his family for the occasion.
Thomas Ching, Wanley, Indiranagar
On Shri Krishna Temple Road in Indiranagar lies Wanley. The checkered tablecloth and the Chinese lettering on the wall will tell you this is a classic Indo-Chinese establishment. Owner Chiu Koi Ching, or Thomas Ching is a man of a few words, but he slowly warms up.
Thomas came to Bengaluru almost 40 years ago from his home in Kolkata. His family lived in Bentinck Street where Thomas was born and brought up. “I was looking for a job and trying to earn a livelihood, so I came to Bengaluru. I started a business when I came here. Around 35 years ago I started the restaurant,” he says. Initially it began in Lakshmipuram, and moved to this location in the year 2000. Over the course of my research, I discover this is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants, but his still a hidden gem.
Thomas Ching at Wanley in Indiranagar
| Photo Credit:
Anagha Maareesha
Thomas’ parents moved to India from the Canton region in China. “My father was the only son in the family, so we have no family remaining there now. I visited in 2018,” he tells me. When they first came to India, they had a shoe shop and he is the first one in his family to get into the restaurant business. “There weren’t many other Chinese restaurants that time.”
He explains how Chinese New year is also known as the spring festival, as it marks the end of winter. “Back in Kolkata when I was younger, I used to go for the Dragon dance. We used to eat special dishes.” When his parents were still around, they used to make Canton special dishes such as fish balls, steamed chicken, and roast pork. Now he laments how his sons are not interested in the business, as they are all working in different fields. “But the spring festival is still a day off for me”, he says with a smile.
Steven Chung, Kim Lee, Rajajinagar and Indiranagar
Kim Lee is located in the heart of Rajajinagar, and has been there for 30 years now. Owner Steven Chung’s great grandparents came to India from China and settled in Kolkata. He tells me that back in China his family belonged to the Hakka community, who have their nomadic roots all across the country. His father, Robert Chung, came to Bengaluru and used to work in the famous Canton Restaurant in Jayanagar, which does not exist anymore. His uncle Walter Chung handles the Indiranagar outlet of Kim Lee.
Steven Chung from Kim Lee restaurant
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Special arrangement
In 1994, his family started Kim Lee in Rajajinagar. “We have been in the same place since then. Now we also have an outlet in Indiranagar,” says Steven who lives in Rajajinagar too. He reminisces how when Kim Lee opened there were only a handful of other Chinese establishments; Chung Wah being one (the owners of Chung Wah are distantly related to Steven).
For Chinese New Year, his family goes for a picnic during the day. “We organise games for the kids and serve traditional Chinese dishes, things that we do not have in the restaurants.” Noodles are eaten as a symbol of a long life, and spring rolls and wontons represent wealth. There are also special pork and fish preparations.
Chinese New Year is all about family and food, just like any big Indian festival. So slurp some long noodles for the longevity and prosperity of the greatest collaboration between the two countries —Indo-Chinese cuisine.
Published – January 28, 2025 12:12 pm IST