BENGALURU : For a few short months in the late 1990s, when the popularity of Chinese food was at its peak, now-defunct Chung Wah, a beloved restaurant on Bengaluru’s Church Street, went completely vegetarian.
The menu didn’t change; only the meat in its non-vegetarian dishes—chicken, lamb and pork—was switched out for soy-based alternatives: what we now know as mock meat.
The change didn’t fare well. Meat eaters weren’t happy; it was either mushy, rubbery or tasted like cardboard. Vegetarians didn’t care for it either, and Chung Wah ended up falling between two stools.
The original menu was back in no time and regulars heaved a sigh of relief into their bowls of egg drop chicken manchow soup.