Viewed from the parking lot, Blue Ginger Garden looks like a suspect Chinese buffet—but you may never get that close, considering the lot’s scruffy appearance, and the age-worn shopping center it serves. But this dismal little place prepares some of the most authentic Malaysian fare in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a notion confirmed by the number of Southeast Asian faces filling seats at lunch and dinner.

Roti canai arrives as a blanket of mellow, chewy flatbread paired with an intense dipping sauce. Hainanese chicken resides with fresh vegetables in a grassy broth. Stir-fried bean sprouts with salted fish sends sharp and nutty flavors spinning over a floral soy sauce ripped by pungent fish. In other words, dinner becomes a series of exclamation marks, finally slowed to a rolling stop by pulled tea. And all this from such a soiled storefront.

Service and expediting may cause some reassessment, though. The former is amateurish, if friendly enough. As for the latter, a single chef prepares each and every dish to order, leading to waits of 20 minutes or so between courses on busy evenings. But it’s worth it.