MELAKA, Aug. 2 -- The bowl that lands before us speaks of another era. No heavy soy glaze settles at the bottom, no syrupy sheen disguises the taste of the noodles.

Instead, a light, savoury gravy clings to each springy strand, coaxing flavour without drowning it. Lean slices of Malaccan chasiu startle with their bright scarlet crust, while on the side, wantans wait in a clear mild broth.

This is true Melaka style wantan mee: modest, measured, and all the more memorable for it.

Ujong Pasir Lee Wan Tan Mee has been around long enough that whole families have grown up on its noodles. Some regulars recall afternoons in the 1960s when the shop was little more than a roadside stall.

Today, decades later, the essence remains intact. The int...