<a href="http://www.accessatlanta.com/dining/restaurants/150305/DetailedList.jspd?activity=150305">Straits</a>

Two things: 1. Celebrity-owned restaurants are a dicey proposition. You could end up with a priceless gem like Nobu (with Robert de Niro as an owner), or you could end up with Geisha House (Ashton Kutcher), which is, well, not so priceless. 2. Duplicating a popular restaurant concept sounds like a good idea, but it usually isn't. More is less in the restaurant industry (unless the "more" is opening in Vegas).

So when Ludacris signs on to back a restaurant, Straits, allowing it to grow from three established locations in California to another in Spice's former spot on Juniper Street, it turns a critic's head – and for all the wrong reasons. Exactly how seriously am I supposed to take a restaurant from a guy who wrote "P-Poppin?"

Grammy award-winner Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has teamed with Chris Yeo, a Singaporean who was a hairdresser before moving from sharp shears to a sharpening steel, creating an upscale world of Singaporean cuisine named after the Straits of Malacca, a waterway between Malaysia and Singapore. The flavors and cooking styles of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nonya cuisines come together on Yeo's menu, though he's taken modern liberties with tradition.

And Bridges has poured a purported $1 million into a yearlong renovation by Atlanta's famed Johnson Studio, though other than a chocolatey change of color on the walls, a few swanky light fixtures and a downstairs lounge, the look of the space hasn't changed much.

Rumors that Bridges is often in the restaurant didn't prove true for me, though his Mom, Roberta Shields, was on hand to welcome folks and play hostess to a neighborhood association on one of the evenings I visited.

Like most chefs who own more than one restaurant with multistate locales, Yeo is sometimes in the house, sometimes not. His chef de cuisine, Jackie Ng, does a fine job when he's away.

And a fine job assesses the kitchen's efforts, for despite whatever expectations I had of Straits, I enjoyed each meal here with relish.

The menu is divided into a kooky overload of small plates, salads and meat dishes — and there are lots of all of them, perhaps too many. But small bites such as Bridges' favorite Kung Pao chicken lollipops — hefty chicken wings deep fried then dressed in a sweet, syrupy sauce layered with hot pepper and peanuts — are the kind of remarkable appetizer you want to order a dozen or so extra of to dose up on later while watching Jon Stewart. But it's murtabak, a Malaysian roti pancake stuffed with mildly spicy minced beef and served with a traditional coconut curry, that made me sit down, dig in and take this kitchen seriously: all the best flavors of Malaysian cooking spring forward in this dish, from the mild, milky, coconut-laced spiciness of the yellow curry to the savory flavor of the beef.

Most of the small plates outshine the rest of the menu — honey glazed spareribs, juicy and sweet, are better than Straits mundane take on mee goreng, a noodle dish studded with shrimp, tofu and potatoes; a lovely salad of banana flowers, Asian pear and grilled chicken sounds too over-the-top exotic, but tastes refreshing and adds a light element to the otherwise heavyweight offerings. So does watermelon mixed with marinated steak in a peppery lemongrass vinaigrette. Caesar salad is an obvious pandering to the masses, and completely unneeded; anyone who can't find at least one dish to like elsewhere on this menu isn't trying hard enough.

Desserts are the kitchen's weakest link, and thank goodness Yeo was wise enough to remove an individual serving of baked Alaska that flamed at the table for the better part of what seemed a decade. When its flame was finally doused, it tasted like burned rum. Better to delight in a banana pudding layered with tiny vanilla wafers into a pristine glass — it's not exactly from Singapore, but creamy, smooth layers of pastry cream mixed with a little old-fashioned Southern charm can hardly be a bad thing.

And neither can mixing an Asian chef with an American rapper, apparently. Straits is surprisingly enjoyable, and for all the right reasons.

Food: Pan-Malaysian
Service: Very young, attractive group that proves itself a little green but can't be faulted for trying. Enthusiasm makes up for finesse in this case.
Address, telephone: 793 Juniper Street, N.E., 404-877-1283.
Price range: $$ - $$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Hours of operation: Dinner Monday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11p.m. Sunday Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vegetarian Dishes: Straits frites with Kaffir lime aioli, vegetarian samosas, roti prata, garlic noodles
Best dishes: Murtabak, kung pao chicken, banana blossom salad, spare ribs, watermelon salad
Children: For early evening hours
Parking: Complimentary valet or $3 in lot on 5th Street
Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Noise level: Medium
Patio: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Web site: Straits Restaurant

KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.
Very good: Merits a drive if you're looking for this kind of dining.
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss.
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. (The price code represents a meal for one that includes appetizer, entree and dessert without including tax, tip and cocktails.)