JOHOR BARU, Sept. 16 -- "Raise the red lanterns!"

That's the first thought that came to mind when we arrived at the shop. There are splashes of red everywhere - from the walls to the large woodcut style posters. No, we aren't at an art gallery or a courtesan's boudoir.

We are here for the wantan mee.

To be fair, there are some red lanterns albeit made from paper, the sort you'd see during Lunar New Year celebrations. Not the loud, garish sort but more akin to good fortune origami. It's more tasteful than it sounds.

Not that it matters; all the other customers seem to be face deep in their menus or bowls of wantan mee. There are other items on the menu, such as dumpling soup and kopitiam style toast.

We aren't exactly sure because, li...