Controversial food critic Uncle Roger to open restaurant in Malaysia

By Hoang Vu July 8, 2024 | 12:00 am PT

Malaysian video producer and comedian Nigel Ng, also known as Uncle Roger. Photo courtesy of Nigel Ng's Facebook page

Malaysian video producer and comedian Nigel Ng, better known as Uncle Roger, who previously sparked controversies for defaming Asian cuisine, is set to open his first restaurant in Malaysia this year.

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel on July 1, the 33-year-old celebrity said if you're into food then Malaysia was the place to be.

"And by the way, another reason to go Malaysia. Uncle Roger is gonna open my very first restaurant there. Fuiyoh!" he added.

In the 16-minute-long video, Uncle Roger mainly narrated over clips of the late American chef Anthony Bourdain eating his way around Penang, Malaysia, in the travel and food show "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (2005 to 2012).

Uncle Roger, who has over nine million subscribers on YouTube, went viral in 2020 for criticizing a BBC Food video on how to make egg fried rice.

He then made a number of remarks about Cambodian and Laotian food, saying, "Not all Southeast Asian food is good... you don't want food from Cambodia and Laos," and compared the two countries' food as an inferior imitation of Thai cuisine.

His remarks triggered criticism from some social media users.

Last year, he was banned from Chinese social network giant Weibo for violating Chinese laws and regulations.