Let's get the complaints — all of them well publicized — about the Green Door Cafe out of the way before we move on to the good stuff.

Complaint: The service is slow.

Yes, it certainly can be. It's a common grievance among first-time Green Door diners, as well as return customers.

Here's the rub — and it's bound to rub most people the wrong way: Owner and head chef Betty Pang doesn't really care if you think the service is slow. And she doesn't give a you-know-what if you decide to never come back because the service is slow. As a matter of fact, she might ask you to leave and never come back if you complain about the slow service.

Complaint: The food isn't traditional Malaysian or Singaporean food, like Pang says it is.

Fair enough. It's Malaysian- and Singaporean-INSPIRED food. But don't tell Pang. She might kick you out.

The Green Door Cafe, which once occupied the tiniest of spaces in Chinatown, recently reopened in a bigger space in Kahala, next door to the Olive Tree Cafe. Because despite the complaints (which will never outnumber the fans), Pang needed more space to feed all of her followers.

Little about the eatery has changed, and any changes that have been made are all cosmetic.

The door is still painted green, but in the new space, the color has spread to all the indoor walls, casting an emerald glow over the 10 or 12 tables that can now seat about 50 people. That's 38 more than could fit in the original space.

Pang, and her business and culinary partner Glenn Nitta, have given up on trying to do all the cooking and serving themselves and have hired a couple of servers to shoulder some of the burden.

But, as many hungry and disgruntled diners have pointed out, things can still slow down when the dining room fills up. And that might never change.

The critic in me wants to kick and scream about the restaurant's glaring shortcomings, while vowing to never again spend my hard-earned dollars at such a place.

The regular person in me wants to brush aside the flaws and focus on the food, while chuckling at Pang's propensity to run her restaurant more like a military mess hall (minus the strict attention to detail) than a restaurant.

The regular person always wins.

Because when it comes right down to it, the pros far outweigh the cons, and the cons really aren't that bad.

Here's the key: Think of the Green Door like you would a loved one who occasionally gets on your nerves. You wouldn't stop speaking to cousin Frank just because he tells bad jokes. As a matter of fact, you kind of like the jokes in a isn't-Frank-adorable-when-he-laughs-at-himself kind of way.

The same principle applies to the Green Door. Sure, it's slow and it might not taste like it was flown in from Kuala Lumpur, but it's great food for a good price and, well, you'll take the misses with the hits because a bowl of Pang's spicy-sweet chicken curry ($8.45) with a side of roti canai is definitely worth it.

Plus, let's face it, it's pretty funny knowing that the chef might lose her temper at any moment, sending people away hungry, angry and bewildered. It lends color and life to the restaurant landscape.

Pang is an outstanding chef and her deftness in the kitchen is reflected most strongly in her ability to create dishes whose ingredients are perfectly suited to each other. She's a master at blending flavors and achieving balance in her dishes that it doesn't (and shouldn't) matter that her food isn't purely Malaysian or Singaporean as her critics bemoan.

Food should taste good. Period. Betty Pang makes good food.

The best way to order at Green Door is to get a few things and try a little of everything.

After many, many visits to the restaurant, I think I've finally managed to build the perfect Green Door Cafe dinner menu.

Start with the "very special" fried shrimp rolls ($7 for six), dumpling-style pockets of shrimp surrounded in a tender flaky crust and fried until extra crispy.

Follow those up with a bowl of the Malaysian chicken curry and a stack of roti canai ($1.50 each). Pang's version of the Malaysian flatbread is thicker and chewier than the traditional stuff, but it's just as good and completely addictive.

For a main course, try the nonya pork loin with tamarind sauce ($9.75), the nonya lemongrass seabass ($13.50) or the mushroom chicken with black pepper and garlic wine sauce ($13.75)

The pork loin, cooked nonya-style (the cuisine that emerged as a result of Chinese settlers in Malaysia incorporating local spices into their traditional recipes) comes lightly breaded, crusted with caramelized onions and glazed with a tangy tamarind sauce that's perfectly offset by the sweet onions and the salty pork.

The fish is fork-tender, the flaky chunks swimming in a vinegar-rich chili sauce, whose bright, fresh flavor comes courtesy of lemongrass and kafir lime.

But it's the chicken, more than the other incredible dishes, that makes Pang look like the genius that she is. Tender pieces of chicken are sauteed with organic mushrooms, garlic, wine and more than a dash of black pepper to create a savory dish that's hearty but not heavy, and brimming with saturated flavors that are also perfectly balanced.

Let Pang guide you with regard to the menu's rice choices. She knows if sticky rice, coconut rice or steamed rice will best suit your meal, and it's in your best interest to take her advice because it would be a shame not to be allowed to stay for dinner.