The Dudes of Food

5090 Buford Hwy Ste 110
Doraville, GA 30340

It took two visits for the dudes of food to deem this Indonesian restaurant one of the best in Atlanta. The owner always greets us when we enter, and on the way out after our most recent visit, we even got a group blessing. Indonesian food is strongly influenced by Thai and Indian flavors. The owners of Tempo Doeloe are Muslim so there is no pork served and all of the meat is Halal.

We arrived looking for something different. After some help from the waitress, we chose (she chose) our meal. She circled an assortment of dishes on a paper menu and took it to the chef.

What we ordered:

Appetizer: Ma-Lor (deep fried crepes stuffed with ground beef, egg, scallion, and onion)

Sego-Pecel (vegetable, beef, fried grated coconut, peanut crackers all served with rice and peanut sauce)

Sate Ayam Madura (skewered chicken served with peanut sauce)

Gule Gibas (lamb curry soup)

Bihun Goreng (stir fried rice nobles with chicken, meatball, egg, and vegetables).

The Ma-Lor was closer to a stuffed pancake than a crepe, and it came with some pickled vegetables on the side. The pickled vegetable side salad was full of strong flavors and was a table pleaser. It was finished before we could think of eating the actual dish. The pancake was crunchy and the components blended nicely together. This was a great way to begin our gluttonous escapade.

Next arrived the Bihun Goreng(noodles with chicken, meatball, egg, and vegetables). Though the dish seemed simple the flavors were complex. The noodles were soft, the vegetables flavorful, and the rice cakes crunchy, creating a perfect contrast. This was a table favorite. Every dish arrived at a different time, probably once it was ready in the kitchen.

The Gule Gibas(lamb curry soup) did not taste like Indian curry. It was lighter and sweeter than most yellow curries, and the lamb was perfectly cooked. Though it is advertised as a soup it is served with rice, so you have the option of putting it over the rice or drinking it plain. The flavors were slightly less pronounced than our other dishes, but it is a comfort dish worth getting.

After the Gule Gibas we received the Sego-Pecel (vegetable, beef, fried grated coconut, peanut crackers all served with rice and peanut sauce). The table’s consensus was that the dish was delicious because of the many vegetables and the beef, but the peanut sauce was extremely strong. I made the mistake of taking too much sauce, but the rest of the dudes found the good sauce:vegetables ratio. This dish came with little beef and was mostly an assortment of vegetables. It was nonetheless a good choice.

To wrap up our meal (or so we thought) we dug in to the Sate Ayam Madura (skewered chicken served with peanut sauce). They were similar to the satay one would get at a Thai restaurant, and very flavorful. This was also a table pleaser as the plate came loaded with meaty skewers.

On our way out a sign with the word “Minuman” caught our attention. It appeared to be a juice station. We decided (the owner decided) to order (to make us order) the # 2: Es Campur. The description was: Grass jelly, young coconut, palm seed, jackfruit, avocado, condensed milk, and syrup. It sounded pretty snazzy, so we decided to share one as dessert. What we received was a shaved ice with all of the components mentioned in the description. It was cold, sweet, mushy, gooey, chewy, and most importantly, wonderful. Yes, I said wonderful. The tastes were all unique, from the grass jelly (a form of gelatin) to the jackfruit, and they worked together in perfect tandem to form a brilliant dessert.

NOTE: Tempo Doeloe also has a 4.99 combo that includes 3 items and rice. This is undoubtedly an FSFW deal. There are around 12 items to choose from, and they vary from day to day. Some favorites are served more often than others. There are various chicken and beef dishes, a mussels dish, some tofu dishes, and some vegetable ones. I have tried five of them and they were all delicious. This is a bargain for a whole lunch that the untrained eater will have trouble finishing.

NOTE: You might notice the “Chinese Kebab” restaurant in that same shopping complex, just as we did. We went for a quick pregame meal and left disappointed. The kebabs were not very good and the sauces were a bit tasteless. Skip the Chinese kebab restaurant and go straight to Tempo Doeloe for a great meal.

What to get:
1. The 4.99 combo with any of the dishes
2. Try anything on the menu- ask the waitress for advice if you are lost
3. Es Campur or any other options at the dessert station