PETALING JAYA, Sept. 13 -- In this line of work, I get all sorts of tips in all shapes and sizes.

Over drinks with a friend. Chatting with my aunt(ies). Being sent a zoomed-in screenshot of my friend's colleague's boyfriend's sister's Instagram story - you know, the sort of boots-on-the-ground journalism we've come to expect in our time.

In a first, I was tipped off to a char kuey teow stall after my parents tried it at a birthday party.

It was a grand affair - the sort with themed costumes and bespoke invitations, it was a 50th birthday after all - but the food remained firmly on the ground; char kuey teow just happened to be one of the birthday boy's favourites.

The stall, Pei Yin Char Kuey Teow, booked by the birthday boy himself, ...