Fuiyoh! Uncle Roger's KL restaurant opens to snaking queues while others baulk at RM24 fried rice

For years, Nigel Ng, better known by his online moniker Uncle Roger, has critiqued the skills of fried rice cooks all over the internet.

Now, the tables are finally turned.

The Malaysian-born comedian's fried rice restaurant Fuiyoh! It's Uncle Roger held its grand opening today (Sept 11), and boy, were people eager to get a taste of his signature dish.

Photos and videos of the official opening on Wednesday afternoon showed a snaking queue on the 7th floor of Pavilion mall, located in the vicinity of Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur.

Other clips on social media captured throngs of people outside the restaurant, with at least one of them reportedly queuing up to three hours just to have a meal there.

A 22-year-old university student who was first in line told Malay Mail that he'd reached the mall at 9.50am just to make sure that he could get in early.

He'd hoped to catch a glimpse of Uncle Roger and savour a plate of fried rice before heading back to his university for class at 2pm.

The 33-year-old internet personality who'd popularised his trademark "Fuiyoh!" catchphrase had teased the restaurant's opening since July 1.

And in media interviews, Nigel as Uncle Roger had also proclaimed his fried rice to be "the best fried rice in KL" which is "full of wok hei..and also MSG", referring to the food additive monosodium glutamate.

In fact, the phrase "The best fried rice in town" is emblazoned on a sign plastered to the ceiling of the restaurant, which is awash in bright orange.

Based on photos of the menu online, prices appear to start from RM16 (S$4.81) for the basic Uncle Roger's Egg Fry Rice. 

The signature and Uncle Roger's top recommendation, Uncle Roger's Special Fry Rice, comes with a sambal sauce that costs RM18.

There are also other variations such as Kimchi Fried Rice, Tomato Fried Rice and Uncle Roger's Egg Fry Noodle for the same price.

Customers are encouraged to "Make your fry rice Fuiyoh!" by adding a variety of toppings such as Grilled Unagi (RM29), chicken satay (RM12), or two Crispy Sunny Side Up eggs (RM6).

And while the jury's still out on whether the restaurant really serves up the best fried rice in KL, some  online have baulked at the price of the dish at the restaurant.

"RM18 for fried rice? Haiyaaa," exclaimed one netizen.

One content creator who said he paid RM24 for his plate of fried rice with two eggs appeared to have no complaints, but several commenters were horrified.

Wrote one: "RM24 for fried rice... was there any shredded 99 carat gold at least?"

Another netizen stated: "I could eat three for RM7."

Others, however, claimed that prices were expected for a restaurant in the high-end mall.

"If you think RM18 is pricey for nasi goreng, then you are not the target customer..." stated one commenter.

"It's Pavilion KL... so that price is justified," wrote another commenter.

It appears Uncle Roger agrees.

In a clip posted to the KL Foodie Instagram account, Nigel proclaimed while pointing at the Special Fry Rice: "If you're poor, just get this...18 ringgit in Pavilion... What can you get in Pavilion for 18 ringgit? Maybe one sock... not even one pair of socks, one sock only."

And who says Uncle Roger isn't price conscious? 

In the same video, he revealed the reason why the restaurant is located on the 7th floor of the mall.

"Because first floor too expensive, aiyaaa," he quipped.

ALSO READ: 'Haiyaa... Good things take time': Uncle Roger's first restaurant in Malaysia at Pavilion KL, opens in September

candicecai@asiaone.com