This isn’t the Roger Miller, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, whose dedicated museum lies in Erick, Oklahoma. Rather, this restaurant is named after the legendary soccer striker, listed in Wikipedia as “Roger Milla,” who came out of retirement at age 38 to play in the 1990 World Cup, scored four goals, and led the Cameroon side to the quarterfinals.

The food, too, hails from Cameroon, but if you’re familiar with West African cuisine, you’ll find some things you recognize: egussi, for instance, is a mild, rich, nutty sauce made from ground melon seeds. Here, it might be served with chunks of beef that are stewed to extraordinary tenderness; a cylinder of fufu, that ubiquitous African yam-based starch that, here, has a grainy consistency more like grits (as opposed to the smooth, gnocchi-like Nigerian version); and an aromatic side dish of spinach.

Speaking of aromatic, the superb goat pepper soup sings with faraway fragrances, reducing goat’s gaminess to a mere whisper. Every sip from the spoon seems to yield new facets of flavor. It doesn’t end there. Cassava leaves; sauces with subtle hints of smoked fish and beef; ndolle; eru; deep, rich goat curry; sweet, tender fried plantains; and a fresh, tender whole roasted fish, rubbed with yet another set of unique spices.

Aside from the TV playing bizarre world programs (generally having nothing to do with Cameroon or Africa), the interior—just a few tables, really—is actually cuter than you’d expect from viewing the place from outside. The feeling is enhanced by exceedingly friendly service from a staff that gets particularly excited if you demonstrate a real interest in the food and make it clear that you’re not just a lunch-bargain-seeker. For this kitchen deserves reverence; to act perfunctorily toward your meal would be to do Roger Miller (or Roger Milla) a disservice. The restaurant is a revelation, a welcome apparition from another time and place, a re-affirmation of the wondrous culinary diversity of the DC area.