Tempo Dulu Restaurant  THE DIFF

When you enter our little restaurant you will feel at home in the old Indonesian Colonial Java style. The many pictures on the walls show you the history of Indonesia and the 400-year link with the Dutch. Four decades had an indelible influence on both cultures and their dishes until this day.

Take your time and have a good look because every photo tells a story, and that’s exactly the case with this small but highly unique restaurant.

Owner Juliette was born from Indonesian parents who ran a big plantation on Java. Her grandfather was deported by the Japanese and her grandmother fled to the Netherlands during the second world war. Growing up with this mixed Indo-Dutch culture Juliette later in life had her own Indonesian restaurant in Middelharnis (the Netherlands) for 6 years. Although she pursued a career in professional body building (with many professional European and pro World Championship titles as result), the love for cooking always remained as was her affinity for Indonesian food.

So after living in Thailand for a few years, those Indonesian roots and the love for cooking resulted in setting up the typical Dutch-Indonesian Family Food restaurant. At first just cooking at home with her husband Jim and Poo for family and friends, then starting to sell to a bigger group through their Better Bodies gym clients and via word-of-mouth and Facebook. And finally creating this restaurant where guests can taste and enjoy the good food and service.

Many people from the Netherlands but also Suriname really appreciate this food and know where to find it. The recipes and taste origine from Juliette’s family living on Java Island (among other names famous cities are Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Soerabaya). The javanese island is known for the least sharp taste of the food in both dishes and marinades.

Combine this with the urge for high standards for meat, cleanliness and kitchen-etiquette, experience in old traditional ‘Tempo Dulu’ recipes, together with taking the time needed to prepare and finalize food in the right way. Because if there is one thing totally different from the Thai kitchen, it is the time spent to let the originalflavor and ingredients get into the meat and vegetables.

Meat will simmer for 3 to sometimes 4 hours and after that it will be good for several days. While it cools down the thickening takes place and within 2 days all flavors are completely absorbed in both meat and vegetables …. resulting in a deep homogeneous flavour.

It is then drawn into a vacuum and sealed and put in the freezer at low temperatures to keep and maintain structure and flavour. This is the only way to be able to serve you the real taste of Dutch-Indonesian food. Of course many fresh dishes are being prepared in the kitchen on-the-spot like salads and tofu, taugé and ketjap. The beauty is that all this delicious food also can be taken home and you can enjoy it at your own dinner table.

Even though you will not see Juliette in the restaurant, in the background she is the eagle-eye who oversees the preparation of the food by Poo and his kitchen help. They are well instructed and most of all dedicated to serve you a truly excellent meal with fine food in a friendly environment.

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Please DO take the time to study our menu, because you will find many dishes that cannot be found anywhere else in Thailand!