Chef Vikas Khanna has spent years establishing himself as a global ambassador of Indian cuisine. Bungalow, his restaurant in New York, stands as a testament to this journey, embodying Khanna's conviction that Indian food carries the stories of home and heritage. Khanna recently shared what Shah Rukh Khan said to him after dining at Bungalow, words he admitted have stayed with him ever since.Vikas Khanna opens up on Shekhar Tonite about SRK's wordsKhanna recently opened up about the moment on the talk show Shekhar Tonite. He shared, "There are so many restaurants in the world, but Shah Rukh Khan said, 'Every restaurant I've visited until today has felt like a shop to me, just a transaction. But when I came here, it felt like I had entered someone's temple. It felt as though you were trying to represent our rich culture, our parents, our ancestors. That's an incredibly difficult thing to do.'"Vikas Khanna's 2024 Instagram post recalling SRK's visitBack in 2024, Vikas shared an emotional Instagram post about the time Shah Rukh visited Bungalow. In the post, the chef revealed that three people hold a special place in his life, his mother, chef Sanjeev Kapoor and SRK. He went on to describe how Khan invited him to sit down together during that visit, where their conversation turned to Khanna's childhood memories of watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge on repeat. He wrote, "When SRK visited Bungalow & asked me to sit with him. As we spoke about me going to cinema everyday to watch DDLJ with my sister and every movie of his. He became my hero for who he is. His voice. His patience. His confidence. His compassion. His friendship."Vikas Khanna gets emotional recalling the crescent moon momentFor Vikas, the moment turned emotional, he shared that he glanced up at the glass ceiling to keep his tears from falling and caught sight of a crescent moon watching over him. "To hold back my tears I looked up the glass ceiling & saw the clear crescent of moon watching over me. People who lose the ones they loved the most, always find signs of them watching over us." He then dedicated the post to SRK, recalling what the actor had told him about the meaning behind Bungalow. "Today is dedicated to you Sir. You holding my hand and saying, 'Bungalow represents us. Our parents. Our ancestors. Our India'. This is everything to a scared-paranoid-failed child from Amritsar."Vikas Khanna on Bungalow being a tribute to his sisterIn an earlier conversation with The Indian Express, Vikas spoke about the personal inspiration behind Bungalow. He revealed that the restaurant is a tribute to his sister, Radhika Khanna. "With Bungalow, I live her dream. I keep her alive through my work," he said. Khanna also recalled a memorable compliment from Jeff Bezos, who called Bungalow "a place of pilgrimage." Per Khanna, Bezos explained that guests don't simply visit the restaurant, they make a pilgrimage to it, since it evokes the feeling of the homes they once left behind.Vikas Khanna on recreating the comfort of a grandmother's homeFamiliarity, for Khanna, lies at the heart of Bungalow's identity. "If you look closely, you'll see that the restaurant isn't just about food; it's almost like a divine intervention," he said, adding that the space is rooted in India's values, ancestral homes and hospitality. "You can spend millions on gold, extravagant decor, and dazzling lights, but nothing compares to the comfort of your grandmother's home. That's the feeling we wanted to recreate," the chef added.