Best Ayam Penyet in Kota Kinabalu

KoKi Bandung, otherwise known as "KOta KInabalu" Bandung, is a great place to have a simple but hearty meal of ayam penyet. Though the design of the place may be bland, the effort in bringing in figurines and paintings from Indonesia is commendable. As for their ayam penyet, it is beautifully marinated with a good balance of spices, then fried to crispy perfection while maintaining a fairly moist flesh. The sambal which is slightly spicier than most and a little bit more tangy, is also a great compliment to the dish and the rice is both fluffy and enjoyable. 

Warung Bandung's approach towards the traditional ayam penyet differs slightly from the rest. Instead of having a crispy piece of chicken, it is more inclined towards being wet and moist. It is also drenched in their homemade spicy sambal instead of being served on the side, which has perks on its own. Furthermore, the rice is nicely baked in a banana leaf, absorbing all that fragrance and subtle flavour that just helps make everything a little better.

If you love the sound of someone banging on the table (well, not THAT sort of banging but you know what it meant), then you are gonna have a pleasant time here at Warung Padang Jawa & Catering. After this chicken is marinated and fried, you can see them happily banging the chicken, trying to flatten it until it can be served. The flavours are also pretty good, coupled with the funky performance, it's a pretty nice place to dine.

Famed for their RM5 chicken chop, Warisan Sitaning Cafe is also another great spot for some hearty ayam penyet. The dish is also fairly simple with a serving of flatten fried chicken (done by smashing it with pestle and mortar), homemade chilli sauce, sliced cucumbers, fried eggplant and a bowl of soup. All and all, as boring as it may be, the flavours are actually pretty good!

Restoran Dapur is a rather rustic looking cafe that offers Indonesian cuisine at an incredibly affordable price. Their version of the ayam penyet is actually very simple - a good piece of chicken thigh marinated overnight then fried to crispy perfection and topped with crushed peanuts. The rice is served is a love shape for some reason, perhaps to show that they put in love and passion into their food. What's more important is the 'kick' you get from the sambal on the side - delicious!