19 Questions with Bungalow’s Vikas Khanna
Published:
In the Resy Questionnaire, we quiz the industry folks behind some of our favorite restaurants. What’s your most memorable restaurant experience? Your favorite cookbook? What restaurant would you want to time-travel for?
In this edition, we spoke to Vikas Khanna, the acclaimed chef and partner behind Bungalow, an incredible and deeply personal tribute to Indian cuisine.
1. Favorite thing you’ve ever cooked?
Modaks — sweet dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery (unrefined cane sugar), traditionally offered to Lord Ganesha in India. They remind me of my grandmother and the joy of cooking with devotion.
2. Kitchen tool or equipment you couldn’t live without?
A kadhai: a deep, round Indian cooking pan similar to a wok. It’s incredibly versatile and perfect for everything from sautéing spices to slow cooking curries.
3. What pantry items would you bring on a desert island?
Turmeric, cumin seeds, ghee (clarified butter used widely in Indian cooking), tamarind paste (a tangy fruit pulp used for acidity), and basmati rice.
4. What’s your favorite place to get a slice in New York?
Joe’s Pizza. It’s everything a New York slice should be: simple, classic, and perfect.
5. Favorite cookbook?
“Joy of Cooking.” It represents the spirit of home cooking and culinary curiosity.
6. Your drink of choice?
Masala chai — Indian spiced tea brewed with milk, black tea, and warming spices like cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.
7. Favorite food movie?
“The Shawshank Redemption.” It’s not a food film, but it’s one of the most powerful stories about hope and resilience ever told.
8. Your ideal dinner party guests, dead or alive?
Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain, and Auguste Escoffier — three people who changed how the world understands food.
9. What restaurant industry person do you admire the most?
Anthony Bourdain. He taught the world that food is really about people, culture, and dignity.
10. Your greatest professional achievement?
Using food to build bridges between cultures and stories. Also, opening Bungalow in New York and watching guests feel like they’ve stepped into a home rather than a restaurant.
11. What single dish best describes your personality?
Khichdi, a comforting Indian dish made with rice and lentils. Simple, nourishing, and deeply soulful.
12. If you could go back in time, which restaurant would you dine at?
Le Pavillon in the 1950s, when it defined fine dining in America.
13. Your favorite meal from childhood?
Rajma chawal, a red kidney bean stew served with steamed rice — one of the most beloved comfort foods in North India.
14. What is your wish for the restaurant industry?
That kitchens remain places of dignity, mentorship, and creativity.
15. What do you wish you did better? What do you do well?
I wish I rested more. I believe I practice gratitude well.
16. If you could eat through a city for a day, where would you go?
Amritsar in India — from street-side stuffed flatbreads in the morning to the community meal (langar) served at the Golden Temple.
17. The one thing you can’t resist splurging on when you go out?
Dessert.
18. What do you value most in restaurants?
Warmth. The feeling that you’re welcome at the table.
19. It’s your last meal on earth, what are you eating?
I’m having langar ki daal and roti — lentils and whole wheat flatbread — cooked at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Deanna Ting is Resy’s New York-based Cities Editor. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
