Gula Indonesian Desserts opened just a few months ago, but has already become a go-to for desserts and snacks on Buford Highway.
Located in the former Mango Mango space at Pinetree Plaza, Gula Indonesian is run by Chef Gloria Ariesandi and Angie Ariesandi, the daughters of Daniel Ariesandi and Ninik Sulistjani, the owners behind Indoeats Foodmart at the complex and Java Indonesian Foodmart.
Gula is a family affair. Ariesandi and Sulistjani’s granddaughter, Emma Ariesandi, oversees front-of-house operations at Gula. For Gloria and Angie Ariesandi, it also expands upon their parent’s restaurant legacy on Buford Highway, including the types of Indonesian foods found in Atlanta.
“The dream is to keep our parents’ legacy alive and continue to keep introducing Indonesian cuisine and pass it down to our kids just like how our parents passed down to us their values and knowledge,” said Angie Ariesandi. “Our dad passed away two years ago, so he could not see this, but hopefully we make him proud.”
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Gula is known for its shaved ice (es) desserts. While the lengthy list of desserts and combinations at Gula may seem overwhelming, staff help guide first-time customers unfamiliar with Indonesian desserts in choosing what to order. It’s why Gula has many repeat customers now, like John Kemper, a regular since the grand opening in October.
“The owners and staff are passionate about their craft and provide great service. Anytime I ask them questions, they are excited to share about each dish,” said Kemper.
For Atlantans of Indonesian descent, Gula provides them with a taste of home. Desserts are sweetened with gula (‘sugar’ in Indonesian), which “is richer, deeper, and more earthy than regular sugar with caramel tones,” Emma Ariesandi explained. Various toppings such as pandan rice jelly, pandan custard, sticky sweet rice, and palm sugar coconut milk sauce are all made on site.
Sri Metaeo, a salon owner from Kennesaw, likes that Gula carries variations on the most beloved dessert in Indonesia: es campur, or “mixed ice.” With 38 distinct provinces in Indonesia, each region has a particular take on es campur. Gula’s version reminds Metaeo of the one she grew up eating.
Metaeo said that the icy dessert contains “many flavors in one bowl, to mix together, to taste together.” Indonesian people, she said, like dishes where flavors–from savory to sweet–often mix together. Metaeo points to nasi lemak as an example, a savory rice dish consisting of different ingredients wrapped in a banana leaf. Flavors intermingle as everything cooks together.
While contrasting textures and flavors may not be as popular in some cultures, the term “nano nano,” meaning “so many tastes,” is what makes the desserts at Gula special, Metaeo added.
Another Gula customer, Sulistia Doss, prefers her es campur simpler, with green grass jelly, shaved fresh coconut, and rose syrup flavored shaved ice.
“Typically, it has five to six components, including shaved ice. But I leave out a couple ingredients because this is the way I had it growing up,” Doss said, who appreciates that Gula allows for dessert customizations.
Kemper’s favorite es (ice) dessert is es teler. “It’s this wild, colorful avalanche of jackfruit, coconut strips, avocado, grass jelly, and sweet condensed milk over shaved ice. The texture combo is insane,” he said.
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While Asian iced desserts sometimes include similar ingredients, like sweetened red beans and chewy and glutinous toppings, flavors and regional and native ingredients vary from culture to culture.
Pandan and coconut are both prominent ingredients in Indonesian iced desserts, while Filipino halo-halo typically features a scoop of ube ice cream and leche flan. The textures of Korean bingsu, Japanese kakigōri, and Taiwanese baobing tend to be fluffier, with milk or flavors incorporated into snowy ribbons. The iced dessert textures from these countries are in stark contrast to the crunchier water ice flavored with syrup in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Kepal milo is another popular es dessert at Gula, made from a chocolate-malted drink called Milo found across Asia. It’s topped with chocolate crisps, sprinkles, and Milo sauce.
Gula also offers more substantial desserts, beyond shaved ice. Burbur campur features a glutinous black sticky rice base topped with chewy sweet potato and taro balls and gelatinous tapioca jelly. For many of Gula’s Asian customers, this dessert offers the QQ texture they tend to favor. (The term “QQ” refers to the bouncy, chewy consistency of certain foods, such as rice cakes, fish balls, or boba.) Bubur campur comes served at Gula with a slightly floral pandan custard and a side of coconut milk for drizzling. Think of it as a sweet version of rice porridge.
During the colder months, Gula leans into seasonal hot desserts. Wedang ronde, a spicy and sweet ginger soup swimming with peanut-filled glutinous rice balls, goes hard on QQ. The chewiness of the rice balls brings texture to the nourishing ginger soup, making it feel a bit less medicinal.
While mainly known for desserts, Gula serves smoothies and tea, along with a special brunch menu on weekends. And the Ariesandi family plan to continue expanding the menu at Gula.
They recently launched an Indonesian afternoon tea for $47.50 per person. People can choose from 19 Indonesian loose leaf teas to pair with a four-tier tower of sweet and savory snacks, like talam ubi (tapioca steamed cake), scones, pastel (deep-fried puff pastry snack), and lemper ayam (steamed sticky rice with chicken).
Gula Indonesian Desserts, 5177-A Buford Hwy, Doraville. Open daily. Call 470-359-4899 to make reservations for the afternoon tea.