A very special person is currently in Malaysia to open up his first restaurant, and you guys should already know who we’re talking about!
That’s right, Uncle Roger (aka Nigel Ng) has launched his restaurant FUIYOH! IT’S UNCLE ROGER at Level 7, Pavilion Elite KL, and we had the privilege of sitting down and having a chat with the not-so-old man in orange, himself.
Here’s what he had to say:
Disclaimer: Please read this in Uncle Roger’s accent.
“Uncle Roger want to bring best food to my home country, you know? Because, I want to come back here more. And the food here so good, Uncle Roger realise that if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere,” he said when asked why he chose Malaysia to open his first restaurant.
Considering the high level of competition when it comes to good food in Malaysia, Uncle Roger said that the competition “inspires him to get better”.
“Yes, the competition high, but Malaysian people also appreciate good food, you know? In the UK, competition low but they also don’t care about good food. They happy just eating organic smoothie or something. Ugh, terrible, just quinoa and chia seeds. Ugh, disgusting,” he added.
Does Uncle Roger have plans to move back to or retire in Malaysia?
Considering Uncle Roger said that his restaurant is meant to bring him back to Malaysia more often, we asked if he would want to come back permanently and retire here someday, to which he said, “Maybe one day, who know? Right now, Uncle Roger have many thing going on all around the world.”
“Like YouTube. So many Youtuber Uncle Roger want to film with, like this year Uncle Roger film with Motokichi Sensei in Japan. Last year, Uncle Roger filmed with Cowboy Kent in Oklahoma. So, living in LA (Los Angeles) very convenient. Everybody on YouTube, they eventually come to LA and then we can film together.”
Being a comedian first and now venturing into the restaurant business, Uncle Roger shared that balancing the 2 is all about delegation.
“I think you have to delegate and hire people, more talented than you. Smarter than me, more talented than me. Now, with the restaurant, we work with so many talented restaurant operator people, they got so much experience. Uncle Roger come in, I give my creative idea, I give my recipe idea, but they can carry out execution. So good,”
“Uncle Roger just come in and help them out. But, I trust them to run restaurant, very well,” he said.
To end our chat on a fun note, we asked Uncle Roger what his favourite childhood Malaysian dish is and he said, “Bubur Cha Cha” and recommended his favourite, which is a nighttime street food stall in Hulu Langat with no name, which he visits every time he comes back to Malaysia.
We have no idea which exact stall this is, so ya’ll are going to have to figure that out!
Now, on to the FOOD!
With all of that being said, we were also delighted to attend FUIYOH! IT’S UNCLE ROGER’s launch and try their much-anticipated variety of fried rice and other dishes! So, what’s the verdict?
We tried Uncle Roger’s Egg Fry Rice with Grilled Unagi, Kimchi Fried Rice with Pan Seared Salmon, Uncle Roger’s Special Fry Rice with Chicken Satay, King of Flavor Cabbage and their Wok Hei White Corn.
In all honesty, the fried rice dishes were well executed with good flavours, though were slightly dry. The fried rice dishes were also elevated to a higher level thanks to their proteins. The Grilled Unagi and Pan Seared Salmon were juicy and well-cooked.
BUT, sorry to roast you, Uncle Roger, we felt that the fried rice needed more roasting because there was a lack of wok hei (the unique smokey taste that comes with wok-fried food).
The side dishes, the King of Flavor Cabbage and Wok Hei White Corn, on the other hand, pleasantly complemented the main dishes. We wouldn’t mind having more of the Wok Hei White Corn because of its crispy texture and fresh uplifting taste.
The drinks served were very refreshing palate cleansers and our favourite was Uncle Roger’s favourite, Ice Lemon Tea!
Overall, we would recommend Uncle Roger fans to visit the restaurant as a novelty experience and to try out Uncle Roger’s fried rice recipe ideas!
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
