ShamaLama Ding Dong on Naklua Road

[Evil Penevil]

With a name like ShamaLama Ding Dong, it's got to be good!

The unusual name goes well with the eclectic but appealing decor of a restaurant on Naklua Road that flies the Portuguese flag and bills itself as "fusion," a trendy word for a combination of different cuisines.

(FaceBook photo)

ShamaLama Ding Dong's menu is as varied as its decor: Portuguese, Thai, Tex-Mex and a wide selection of burgers and hot dogs.

I've eaten at SLDD twice so far and was happy with the meals I've had. However, its location (between sois 18/1 and 18 on Naklua Road) means a 20 to 25-minute baht-bus ride to get there from where I live and at least 30 minutes to return home, so I doubt I'll be a frequent customer because of the travel time. The food itself would keep me coming back and if I have reason to be in Naklua, I'll be sure to visit SLDD again. For those of you who use pizza parlors as landmarks, SLDD is across the street from Pizza Big and a few doors south of Domino's.

(lifted from Pattaya Mail; I didn't take a pic of the 88-baht menu.)

In addition to its catchy name, ShamaLama Ding Dong has generated some buzz with its "Buy 2, Get 3" offer. SLDD has a limited number of 88-baht items and diners who buy two of them get a third for free. The first time I ate at SLDD the special offer wasn't available, but it was back on the second time.

I had the following three items: fish 'n chips; a Portuguese pork sandwich called a bifana; and three canape-sized hamburgers.

9a

and the homemade peach ice tea.

All of the dishes were good but small. They were tasting or appetizer-sized portions.

It would depend on which 88-baht items you chose, but three together probably wouldn't be enough food to satisfy the guys with big appetites. However, 176 baht for three dishes is certainly value for money. Not everyone who steps into a restaurant is ravenously hungry and the three items could be enough for them. I know they were for me. I didn't leave SLDD feeling hungry; I wasn't even tempted to order another dish or dessert.

The mini fish 'n chips were excellent. The fish was tasty and the breading was light but crispy, same-same with the chopstick fries. The canape hamburgers were OK, bite-sized and spicy, but I doubt I'd order them again. There just doesn't seem to be much point with such small burgers, except perhaps as canapes at a party.

For me, the bifana was the meal's highlight. I'd never had a Portuguese pork sandwich before, but I was delighted to make its acquaintance.

The pork had been marinated and then grilled. The meat was tender and juicy. The bun had been baked on the premises and was among the better I've had in Pattaya. A delicious sandwich, one which I'll definitely have again.

The second time I went to SLDD, I wanted to try a couple of dishes I spotted on the menu during my initial visit. I had the crispy pork with basil and minced garlic at 250 baht.

A touch of citrus (lime?) helped balance the fattiness of the pork belly. It wasn't a large portion, but filling. I'm a big fan of pork belly dishes, assuming they are made of high-quality pork and cooked properly. SLDD got it right on both counts.

I still had room for dessert. I had wanted to try the chocolate lava cake at 150 baht, but it wasn't available, so I took the chocolate fudge cake at 125 baht.

It was light with a rich chocolate taste, but not too sweet. The lady who served me said she had baked it herself.

The menu at SLDD is big, but I'm taking about physical size, not the number of dishes.

The menu card is about two feet by 18 inches, printed and laminated on both sides. The "main page" features a lot of burger

options, ranging in size from the Triple Mess down to the canape burgers. Four kinds of hot dogs are also featured. On the Tex-Mex side, SLDD offers chili con carne, a burrito and nachos as well burgers and hot dogs with Tex=Mex touches. The caption for the chili con carne reads, "Mexican chili so authentic Trump would build a wall around it."

Oh, dear, as my Grandma would say. Despite its Spanish language name, chili con carne is as American as cherry pie. The hugely popular dish that has become an international favorite has it roots not in Mexico but as one-pot cooking along the 19th-century cattle and wagon trails of the U.S. There's nothing in authentic Mexican cuisine that resembles chili con carne.

SLDD puts emphasis on coffee and smoothies, but also has a full range of alcoholic beverages, including cocktails and sangria, a citrusy wine punch.

A handful of Portuguese dishes, such as the iconic carne de porco à Alentejana (pork with clams), round out the menu. Prices are reasonable for the high-quality food you receive.

SLDD has a "Man vs Food" challenge regarding one of its hamburgers. The restaurant's FaceBook page says 25 diners have so far attempted the challenge, but only one has succeeded.

Bottom line: ShamaLama Ding Dong offers interesting and tasty food in comfortable surroundings, but its out-of-the-way location will tend to limit the number of customers. Best of luck in the Pattaya restaurant shark pool! The town needs more places that show some originality while upholding high standards of quality.

Evil

 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[Butch]

Great review EP, thanks for sharing.

[yorta2]

A pity the menu was "lamented". I would have preferred on that was laminated and "celebrated".

[halfaboy]

Not to disappoint you all, but yesterday I noticed a 'for sale' sign on the door. Just not enough (this is an understatement) customers.

[Evil Penevil]

A pity the menu was "lamented". I would have preferred on that was laminated and "celebrated".

 

Thanks. Corrected now. I should turn off the automatic "word suggestion" feature in the program I use to write my reviews, but it saves quite a bit of time, although it does result in some funny mistakes from time to time

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil]

Not to disappoint you all, but yesterday I noticed a 'for sale' sign on the door. Just not enough (this is an understatement) customers.

 

If the restaurant is going to close, maybe I should have kept "lamented."

 

Evil

[halfaboy]

Don't worry Evel. We all like your reports. Highly appreciated. Keep them coming.

[yorta2]

 

Thanks. Corrected now. I should turn off the automatic "word suggestion" feature in the program I use to write my reviews, but it saves quite a bit of time, although it does result in some funny mistakes from time to time

 

Evil

 

No worries, Mate - I just thought it was funny, but your suggestion that you may have gotten it right following another post is also quite witty. I should watch my own spelling better, as I mis-spelt 'one' and used 'on' - can't criticise another poster if I also get it wrong too, now can I?.

[BeerBelly]

I went to SLDD. The first thing I noticed was that the pictures in the menu do not match the actual food you get. They had a picture of nachos and jalapeno cheese that made me order because I don't recall a place (except maybe Hooters) that has that. But what came looked nothing like the picture. It was simply homemade pickled jalapenos (which tasted good) with standard melted cheese on the nachos. Mind you, this tasted good, but had I seen the actual picture, I would not have ordered it because I can get that in my place.

The same was true with the chilicheese dog. Tasted fine, nothing like what I was expecting because of the stock photo on the menu.

When I went there, the owner said something about closing by the end of this month and moving to Bangkok. It seems they have purchased, or partially purchased, a restaurant in Bangkok that has been operating for some time.

 

They recently updated their menu with higher prices and supposed higher quality to try to attract a different clientele. I don't really know what the quality was like before, but the pictures I've seen posted look rather nice. Their new advertising doesn't include prices though.