When I was younger the idea of a celebrity owning a restaurant wasn’t new, but the idea of a celebrity opening a restaurant around their persona wasn’t as common. Probably the best exception to that rule that I can remember is Planet Hollywood, but that wouldn’t often focus on one particular celebrity but instead would focus on celebrity on the whole. When it came to celebrity foods, the most common thing you’d see is celebrity endorsements. This would mean that a particular food would pay a celebrity to tell the world that they enjoyed using or eating it. I’m not saying that these celebrities were lying, maybe they did actually enjoy the food, however they were often payed to say it publicly.
The difference today is it seems like celebrities, in particular internet celebrities are becoming more of a presence with their food tie ins. In some cases they may be heavily involved with the creation of their food or restaurants, in other cases they make it look like they’re heavily involved. The thing is that it’s not about anonymously owning a restaurant or endorsing a food product, now it’s about making a food product that ties in with the celebrity personality.
On a recent trip Malaysia, I decided to stop in to Fuiyoh, It’s Uncle Rogers. This is a restaurant created around the persona named Uncle Roger, who is a characters creation of comedian Nigel NG. The idea behind the character of Uncle Roger is that he roasts other chefs attempts at making Asian food. He plays with the ideas of authenticity and culture in his comedy, and honestly I find him to be pretty entertaining. In recent years he’s started to put his money where his mouth is and actually started to make some food on his own on his shows, and recently he opened a chain of restaurants in Malaysia.
In Uncle Roger’s comedy, fried rice is the marker of weather or not a chef can cook Asian food. If you can cook a good fried rice then Uncle Roger will respect you. Honestly I found it pretty daring to open a restaurant that sold fried rice in a country where some of the best fried rice is made. The Fuiyoh, It’s Uncle Rogers location I visited had several other restaurants selling fried rice nearby, dozens within walking distance. Many of those restaurants have been selling excellent fried rice dishes for much longer than Uncle Roger had even been a presence on the internet. Building this restaurant chain in this city was either extremely brave or kind of silly.
Objectively I had mixed feelings about this restaurant going in. I almost skipped it all together. The first thing I noticed about this restaurant is the thing I feel most people want, and that’s Uncle Roger. While he wasn’t there himself when I went, the style and look of the restaurant was all him. The colours, the decorations and even the cutlery screamed Uncle Roger. While I’m sure not everyone eating there knows the backstory, judging by the number of people taking pictures and videos I’ll assume most do. So if you’re going to Uncle Roger’s restaurant because you like Uncle Roger, you’ll be happy, but that doesn’t guarantee you a great meal.
The biggest surprise for me at this restaurant was the staff. This restaurant has one of the most friendly staff I’ve ever had at any restaurant, let alone a themed restaurant. They were friendly, polite and managed to balance the line between being a restaurant and spectacle for other online content creators. As I said before, I was hesitant to actually go at first, but once I was greeted at the door I was happy I went. I was a solo diner, and I’m I little socially awkward, but none of that mattered once I was at my table. The dining experience itself was perfect.
This is all good, but how was the food... right? I got the fried rice, as that seemed like the best thing a person should get at Uncle Roger’s restaurant. It was good. It wasn’t the best fried rice I’ve ever had in my life, but I did not have a bad meal at all. My drink was pretty good too, and I appreciated the collectible cup as it allowed me to have a little souvenir that I could use on the rest of my trip. I don’t really have anything negative or overly positive to write about the food itself, it was okay.
Price wise it’s a lot harder to have a strong opinion. It’s not a hugely expensive experience restaurant, but it is offering what is normally a very inexpensive food. Most of the fried rice restaurants around the area were much cheaper. I would even guess that many of them were better or equal to the quality of Uncle Roger’s fried rice. The thing you’re paying for is Uncle Roger. So I would say that this restaurant did not disappoint, if the food is not the only part of the experience you’re looking for. The great staff might actually push the needle up a bit in their favour as well.
I guess I would say if you’re a fan of Uncle Roger, you’ll have a great time eating his fried rice. You’ll enjoy a good meal with great service. While you may not meet Uncle Roger himself, you’ll certainly feel like he’s made his mark.
This restaurant is a good example of this kind of themed restaurant working out. I’m not sure how well Nigel NG is doing financially with this, but I wish him well. I don’t think this place would work without Uncle Roger, but I don’t think that’s a problem. Having a good theme is fine as long as you don’t skimp on the food itself, and they don’t. Not all social media food collaborations work, but this one is okay, it’s also on brand with the creator.
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