[NON-HALAL]

“My wife and I love eating Malay and Indonesian food. We were driving along the highway from Kluang to JB to eat ayam penyet and I suddenly had this thought, ‘I love eating ayam penyet and ayam gepuk. Why don’t I open an ayam and babi gepuk shop?’” Tham, 30, shared with FMT Lifestyle.

That single thought gave rise to Three Guys Cuisine, one of the many food stalls located within the Hari-Hari Heng food court along Jalan Imbi here.

Operating for nearly two months now, Tham started Three Guys Cuisine with two other friends from Kluang, his hometown.

The stall only serves two dishes – ayam gepuk and babi gepuk. “I think I’m the first person to serve babi gepuk in Malaysia,” the youngest among four siblings claimed.

Before starting this business, Tham – who moved to KL 10 years ago – worked at a sales exhibition gallery. After the pandemic, he joined the kitchen of his father-in-law’s seafood restaurant in Petaling Jaya.

“Before that, I didn’t know how to cook at all. The only thing I could cook was instant noodles!” the mass communications degree graduate admitted. “At the restaurant, I learnt how to cook, how to kill a fish, kill a crab, cut them, and cook them. I learnt everything.”

After three years, Tham wanted a business to call his own – and that was how Three Guys Cuisine came to be.

Aside from introducing babi gepuk, he’s most proud of his sambal, a recipe he developed himself.

“Normally for ayam gepuk, there’s kuah kacang. I don’t have this because I serve pork belly which is already fatty. If you mix that together with the kuah kacang, the dish becomes too oily. So, I eliminated the peanut element, and added more spices to the sambal,” Tham explained.

Keeping things on-brand, Tham serves his dishes on faux bamboo plates that evoke a kampung vibe.

On these plates, a golden and crispy chicken leg or pork belly is paired with fried cabbage, fried tofu, white rice, a drizzle of soy sauce, and a generous helping of Tham’s signature fiery sambal. The meat is fried to order, ensuring it’s crispy and juicy upon serving.

The sambal is undeniably hot, spicy, and fragrant – so don’t be surprised if you end up asking for extra. Its fiery kick feels almost essential to the ayam gepuk experience. The pork belly, too, comes out juicy, crispy, and generously portioned.

While every element works together beautifully, true ayam gepuk lovers may miss the customary kuah kacang. If that option were ever introduced here, it might just elevate an already delicious meal into a fully authentic one.

And beyond the flavours, there’s a purpose behind every plate. Tham’s goal is to promote Malaysian food to a global audience.

“I always tell every tourist that comes to Malaysia … Malaysian food is the best. When they try my food and they really like it, I’m happy that I’ve been able to promote Malaysian dishes to them,” Tham concluded.

Three Guys Cuisine (non-halal)
Hari-Hari Heng, 59A
Medan Imbi, Imbi
55100 Kuala Lumpur

Business hours: 11am-10.30pm

For location, click here.

Follow Three Guys Cuisine on Instagram.