PETALING JAYA, Dec. 13 -- Wrapped in beancurd skin and fried to a bronzed crisp, the Penang-style Nyonya lor bak arrives lightly crackling. Aromatic with warm spices and the gentle sweetness of shallots.

We take a bite, and we taste a flavour honed over more than 40 years in a Penang family kitchen.

Yet we are not in Penang but in PJ.

Instead we are catching up with our friend Chai and his girlfriend in her childhood neighbourhood of SS3.

Nestled along a quiet row of shophouses in Taman Universiti, we discover Ben & Col Cafe, an eponymous endeavour by the husband-and-wife team of Ben and Colina.

Their unassuming shop is cosy and lived-in, less cafe and more the home of a friend who always asks if you've eaten.

Indeed, Ben and Colina...