Dutch cuisine is not exactly famous, and there is a good reason for that. A sausage with some mashed potatoes is not exactly what I would call tasty or fancy - but it is functional in keeping you well fed, and that is what the efficient-driven dutch expect of food. But, having said this, Indonesia was a a part of The Netherlands colonial empire until mid-1940's and, voilá, the cultural exchanges this prompted have saved this European country from having an absolutely blend taste. Long live the Indonesian cuisine in The Netherlands - and in Amsterdam!
Tempo Doeloe is exactly one of the most famous Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam - and I must say I discovered it in an Anthony Bourdain TV series. Bourdain went there to try "rijstafel" (literally, rice table) and I decided I would do exactly the same. Rijstafel is no more than a dish rice with a huge variety of small portions of main or side dishes that should be used as toppings for the rice. Those toppings range from neutral to extremely spicy (and watch out, as the Indonesian version of extremely spicy might not be very different of deadly spicy...) and include different assortments of vegetables, chicken, shrimp, beef, coconut, peanut butter,... - almost anything you could imagine that could exist in a South East Asian country and then more. And the cuisine at Tempo Doeloe makes it incredibly delicious - and the Bintang Indonesian beer makes it even better! Though this is quite a full meal by itself, I would still recommend you to try the cinnamon and chocolate icecream, with an amazing assortment of fruits - some of them quite tropical but all delicious.
The dining room is posh Indonesian style decorated and the service is quite nice and efficient - another big difference vs the majority of the Dutch restaurants... And this actually rounds it up for a very pleasant dinner (the restaurant is not open for lunches) in the centre of Amsterdam. Just make sure you book a table with enough time - this is mandatory if you want to have a good meal in Tempo Doeloe.
Where: Amsterdam – The Netherlands
Address: Utrechtsestraat 75, 1017VJ, Amsterdam
Expensive: Around €80 for a two persons meal, with no wine.
Last visit: January 2016
Last visit: January 2016
