KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 12 -- The bowl that first won me over at Ah Gong Kopitiam was their BBQ Pork & Egg Lard Rice, a deceptively simple combination that reveals its charms one spoonful at a time.

At its centre sits a mound of steamed white rice, flanked on one side by generous chunks of glazed char siu, lacquered to a gentle sheen.

On the other, an unapologetic heap of fried pork lard: crunchy, golden nuggets that crackle deliciously between the teeth.

Crowning the arrangement is a single sunny-side-up egg, its edges crisped to a delicate frill, its yolk still molten and ready to spill into the rice.

Tender meat meets brittle fat, silky yolk meets plain rice - a study in contrasts that tastes like the ultimate comfort food.

This was ou...