KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 11 -- Homestyle food has a bad reputation.

It's not hip. Nor will it boost your social media views.

And horrors, it may be an ugly brown shade; no camera light or four-figure handphone can save its looks.

We may be starry eyed for the latest bowl of ramen or even willing to queue for a hypercritical fictional character's plate of fried rice, but at the end of the day, it's always homestyle food that has a lasting appeal.

That magnetic force pulled me all the way to Cheras at the peril of being stuck in traffic on a Friday night, all because a friend wanted to share Restoran Wing Seng, her regular place for "kampung" style food.

Spanning two plots of land, the restaurant not only feeds hungry diners but it also hous...