By J. Young, a frequent traveller who likes to tinker with words occasionally.
Short of throwing up, my Aunt Nasti could barely utter the words: “This is inedible-la. Tak boleh makan (cannot eat).” I quickly glanced around to see if anyone saw her regurgitating the much-hyped rice. I was still chewing the Special Fry Rice and was ruminating on what’s so special about it. Indeed, there were some ingredients that make it slightly different from other fried rice. But overall, the taste, feel and experience of Uncle Roger’s maiden restaurant was a severe let-down, a next level disappointment on par with the proverbial bride’s second disappointment at Niagara Falls during her honeymoon.
Overrated, overhyped and overpriced - Uncle Roger’s fried rice is worse than my mum’s fried rice and the mamak shop’s fried rice. It’s not even fit to be in a restaurant’s menu. It’s all gimmick and you are better off ordering fried rice from the stalls in Jalan Pudu, a five-minute drive away from the swanky Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall.
I predict the hype will die down within three months. Already this week’s queue is much shorter than last week. With its very limited menu, interest will wane soon enough. I am pretty sure all the reviewers who waxed lyrical about his fried rice were either being polite, were paid, or haven’t eaten fried rice at a fine dining Chinese restaurant. Or, if they are Malaysians, were too ashamed to admit that this Made-in-Malaysia ‘world-class’ ‘best fried rice in town’ is nothing more than a vomit-worthy experiment in a crowd’s gullibility.
This is unequivocally Uncle Roger’s biggest joke yet and the joke’s on his fans - throw up some throw-worthy food, hype it up, leverage on his popular Uncle Roger brand, and hey presto, the adoring crowd ate it all up. Brilliant. Uncle Roger has cooked up a perfect storm of world class comedy act and exposed how easy the masses can fall for sleek marketing and advertising. I have to admit, he’s a branding and marketing genius.
Although Uncle Roger FUIYOH! restaurant is a serious travesty of brand Malaysia, big corporate brands would do well to engage him. Meanwhile, my advice for Uncle Roger: Stay being a comedian and food critic, and not a restaurateur. Another option if the crowd starts demanding for refunds is to blame it on your chef for your epic fail.
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