This restaurant is certainly hard to miss. At the entrance is a life-sized 3D carved figure of the grinning Uncle Roger himself in his trademark attire with a heaping bowl of fried rice in one hand and a spoon in the other.
Inside, the eatery is splashed in bright orange – his trademark colour – with bold signage hanging overhead, saying his famous last words: “Haiyaa! The best fried rice in town!”
The well-attended launch kicked off with an energetic lion dance performance. Ng and his special guests later tossed fried rice, “yee sang” style, for prosperity.
Within hours of opening, it was full house at the restaurant, with customers eager for a taste of the famous Uncle Roger’s food. Some were likely hoping to catch a glimpse of the funny man cum food critic himself.
After all, describing him as popular is an understatement. As of press time, Uncle Roger has a staggering 11 million followers on TikTok, 9.6 million subscribers on YouTube, 4.5 million followers on Instagram and four million followers on Facebook.
The 33-year-old, who was born in Kuala Lumpur, has made many people laugh with his alter ego – a middle-aged Asian uncle with a heavy Cantonese accent. His video as Uncle Roger criticising a BBC food presenter on her method of cooking egg fried rice went viral in July 2020.
Fun fact: Ng is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in engineering and philosophy. He even worked as a data scientist once.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle as Uncle Roger – not Ng – he explained his decision to open his first restaurant in the country’s capital.
“Kuala Lumpur has one of the best foods in the world. And I think Kuala Lumpur people have good taste. So, if I can please Kuala Lumpur’s people, we can work anywhere.”
So, what is Uncle Roger dishing out? Four different types of fried rice, for starters: special fry rice, egg fry rice, kimchi fried rice and tomato fried rice. In case you’re wondering, there’s no typo to the word “fry” – that’s exactly how it’s spelt on the menu.
There’s also Uncle Roger’s egg fry noodle. Patrons have the option to pair the rice and noodles with grilled unagi, pan-seared salmon with mentaiko (marinated pollock roe), garlic shrimp, beef or chicken satay and smoked duck breast, among others.
For an extra kick to your meal, how about ordering Uncle Roger’s secret sambal?
There are also light bites such as YSOWeak mala popcorn chicken, Fuiyoh crispy chicken, Walao fried dumplings and mala okra fries.
To quench your thirst, try the iced lemon tea, bandung, soda and coffee.
“One of Uncle Roger’s favourites is the mala okra fries. I think it’s very underrated. And mala seasoning is so delicious. It’s one of Uncle Roger’s favourite seasonings. So, I think when we combine the two…fuiyoh! Very nice!” he said.
Overall, does the restaurant measure up to its claim of having “the best fried rice in town?” Well, that’s up to you to decide. Fuiyoh!
On Sept 14, Ng will attempt to set three Guinness World Records at his restaurant:
- Largest gathering of people dressed as Uncle Roger.
- Most eggs cracked with one hand in 30 seconds.
- Most fried rice tossed and caught in a ladle in 30 seconds.
Wish to participate? Check out ‘Fuiyoh! It’s Uncle Roger’ on Instagram or email [email protected]. Also follow them on Facebook and TikTok.
Follow Uncle Roger on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Fuiyoh! It’s Uncle Roger
Lot 7.102, Level 7
Pavilion Elite
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10am–10pm daily