KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 14 -- Take a trip down Jalan Bukit Bintang, past glitzy Pavilion, past the sleepless intersection with Jalan Sultan Ismail, and past the historic Federal Hotel, and you'll come across Toong Kwoon Chye Wanton Mee, a 106-year-old business operating out of an unassuming corner shop.

Unassuming, because there's no "since 1919" on the shop's sign - the 100PLUS branding sort of compounds matters, too - no hokey facade of heritage, and on most days, you'll find your noodles being tossed by a fairly young man: Dexter Yap, the friendly fourth-generation owner of Toong Kwoon Chye.

The business was started in 1919 by his great-grandfather and grandfather, who sold wantan mee from a pushcart on Jalan Pasar, Pudu.

Like most hawke...