No MSG, no meat, handmade tofu: Bengaluru Chinese restaurant, run by Chinese family, serving only vegetarian dishes goes viral

Adore Chinese food, but a strict vegetarian? There is a restaurant in Bengaluru that caters to you. Taking to Instagram, a user named Nandi Shekar Reddy shared a video of a Chinese restaurant in Bengaluru’s Koramangala that served only vegetarian fare. He revealed the restaurant, Fortune Chinese Vegetarian Kitchen, was a small kitchen run by a Chinese family who hailed from Kolkata and started the establishment years ago. It is an open kitchen with a lot of great options, especially their tofu-based dishes.

According to a report published by The Hindu, the restaurant is managed by Jenny Cheng and her son, William, who are closely involved in carrying forward their family’s culinary legacy. Before establishing itself at its present address, the eatery operated from Bengaluru’s HSR Layout under the name Luo Han. The restaurant first opened its doors in 2006 and gradually became a popular dining destination, particularly among students from nearby colleges. Its affordable vegetarian offerings and familiar atmosphere helped it build a loyal following over the years. Following the disruption caused by the pandemic, the family eventually shifted the establishment to its current location.

William, while speaking about the restaurant and his background, also offered insights into his family’s long association with the food business. He spent his childhood in Goa, where his father operated a restaurant named Nanking in Vasco da Gama. The family’s culinary connection, however, stretches back several generations.


William explained that his grandfather arrived in Kolkata nearly a century ago after moving from Meizhou, a city located in China’s Guangdong province. His grandfather did not immediately enter the hospitality industry. He initially worked in the leather trade before eventually changing professions and training as a chef. That transition marked the beginning of a culinary tradition that would continue through subsequent generations of the family.

The family’s Buddhist faith has also played an important role in shaping the restaurant’s menu. As practising Buddhists, they follow dietary traditions that emphasise vegetarian food, and this philosophy is reflected in the dishes served at their establishment. Rather than relying on meat-based preparations, the restaurant focuses entirely on vegetarian cuisine.

According to a report published in Our Locals, the food is cooked fresh after you order, and no MSG is added, which makes these dishes much healthier than most Chinese fare. The report claims their tofu is handmade. Some must-try dishes are the hot garlic tofu, Thai fried rice with delicious tofu and fresh spring onions, crispy golden-brown Chinese chop suey, vegetable balls in hot and sweet Manchurian sauce, hot and sour soup, brilliant mapo tofu, and chilli garlic fried rice.