Ayam Gepuk Showdown: Pak Gembus vs Top Global vs Pop Meals

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a hungry Malaysian in possession of a strong stomach, must be in want of some sambal. Said sambal should come with bumbu kacang, fried chicken, rice, fried tofu, and tempeh— these are the components that make up a standard plate of ayam gepuk.

Like many delicious things, ayam gepuk originated from Indonesia. Don’t disregard its simplicity for its sheer power. One bite of this dish can change your life forever, and no, I’m not being dramatic.

Ever since ayam gepuk was first popularised here, many other restaurants followed suit by offering their own take on the dish. Now, you have ayam gepuk fans nationwide asking “Do you prefer Ayam Gepuk Pak Gembus or Ayam Gepuk Top Global?”. This is what sparked the idea to conduct a showdown comparing the 2 (somewhat) rival brands.

While looking for other ayam gepuk spots, I found that Pop Meals serves the dish at a similar price point. I thought they’d be fit to join this showdown due to the franchise’s accessibility and price point.

Ayam Gepuk Pak Gembus

Starting off with who most would consider to be the OG franchise in the country, Ayam Gepuk Pak Gembus (AGPG). With around 45 outlets across 8 states, they’re definitely the most well-known ayam gepuk brand in the country. AGPG was founded in 2013, and within a decade, has opened over 700 outlets in Indonesia alone. The next step is clear: world domination.

Set B (RM14.90) is their normal set, which was what I opted for for the sake of standardisation. If you’re into fried gizzards, there’s another set for that. Besides the food itself, the set came with a drink of your choosing.

Following their tagline “Tentuka sendiri PEDASMU”, customers are allowed to choose the spice level. I asked for the original level, which meant that I received a generous helping of bumbu kacang on top of my sambal. If you can’t handle spice at all, you’ll get the bumbu kacang alone. Almost threateningly, the tagline ends with “Anda pedas KAMI PUAS!!!”, which goes to show how seriously they take their sambal, and that their food certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.

When I first saw the dish, my initial reaction was “why is their kicap in a packet?”, because seriously, why is it in a packet? I understand its convenience for when people order their ayam gepuk to go, but since I was dining in, I fully expected to find bottles of sweet soy sauce on every table. 

The chicken itself was very crispy on the outside. I wouldn’t say that the meat was particularly juicy, but it wasn’t dry by any means and easy to chow down. It was also seasoned really well, so even if you’re not eating it with the sambal, it’s still tasty.

My metric for measuring spiciness is as follows: if I’m sniffling, wiping my nose, and pausing in between mouthfuls, it’s tolerable. If I feel my stomach burning and am struggling to take another bite, then it’s too spicy. AGPG’s original sambal falls in the first category, whereby I think most Malaysians will find it to be the pleasant sort of spicy. 

Tastewise, the sambal was a little salty, which I didn’t mind. Upon further inspection, it was clear that it wasn’t from the sambal itself, but the bumbu kacang. I can’t say if this was a mishap on the day I went, or if their recipe calls for this amount of salt. However, it didn’t bother me much and I was still able to finish my entire dish with a happy heart and runny nose.

Ayam Gepuk Top Global

As of 2023, Ayam Gepuk Top Global has a total of 15 outlets, 13 of which are in the Klang Valley and the remaining 2 in Negeri Sembilan. Although you won’t find one of their stores at every corner, the franchise has certainly made a name for itself. However, Top Global is strongly associated with Pak Gembus— it’s hard to find someone who’ll talk about the brand as its own entity without comparing it to its competitor. 

Similar to AGPG, their Set B (RM14.50) comes with the usuals and a drink. 

Right off the bat, Top Global differs in 2 ways. Firstly, their kicap comes in a reusable bottle placed on every table. Secondly, their sambal and bumbu kacang are not slathered on the chicken but are instead placed on the side.

While their sambal and bumbu kacang combo still had a distinct kick to it, it wasn’t nearly as spicy as AGPG’s. Again, unlike the previous sambal, theirs wasn’t salty either. In terms of flavour, it was pretty standard in my opinion; not disappointing, but nothing to shout about.

Their chicken gets plus points, though! It was surprisingly juicy, while maintaining a crispy skin. To my dismay, the chicken part I received was a breast, which isn’t my favourite. Despite that, I still managed to enjoy the fried chicken as the meat was tender. Its seasoning was just fine, but I can definitely say that I prefer AGPG’s marination.

Pop Meals

Pop Meals was created with the intention of making delicious food more affordable and accessible. With a pretty diverse menu and almost 40 branches, they’ve definitely achieved their goal. 

The Ayam Gepuk with Sambal Gajus with lemonade was RM14, making it a wee bit cheaper than the previous 2.

All of Pop Meals’ dishes are served in takeaway packaging. My box looked a little cramped, with the container of sambal standing on its side, and the small pieces of tempeh shoved in a corner. Here, customers don’t have control over how much kicap is added, though I assume you can always ask them for more.

Pop Meals’ version of ayam gepuk doesn’t include bumbu kacang, which really surprised me as I’ve always thought of the peanut sauce as the core essence of the dish. This also means that you can’t customise the level of spiciness either.

To my delight, the sambal was very tasty. It was spicy enough for me to verbally say “wow, pedas”, but not intense enough to break out the tissues. It was more savoury than it was sweet, which is how I prefer my sambals to be. This sambal was my favourite flavour wise, but it was the least spicy of the 3.

On the other hand, the chicken was tiny. Not only was there very little meat, the skin was extremely tough. Truth be told, it was difficult to pull the skin and meat apart, even with a fork and spoon. Now just imagine what it was like to chew. If I were to eat their chicken every single day, I’d have Cillian Murphy’s jawline by the end of the year.

Verdict

I’m aware that there are other restaurants out there that specialise in ayam gepuk, ayam penyet, and ayam geprek. But, the eateries chosen for this showdown were selected on popularity, accessibility, and price point. Therefore, if the restaurant only has 1 outlet (and it’s located a 30 minute drive away), it loses its accessibility points, thus pulling itself out of the competition.

The clear winner for me is Ayam Gepuk Pak Gembus, with Ayam Gepuk Top Global as a close second. I don’t dare to claim Pop Meals’ ayam gepuk as authentic, but it’s an okay option if you’re in a hurry. Just pray that the chicken you get isn’t overly fried. Overall, AGPG is what I’d expect from a plate of ayam gepuk, mainly because if I’m thinking of the dish, I’m thinking of crispy chicken full of flavour mixed with self-inflicted pain caused by sambal.

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