Remember Chuck Berry (1926 – 2017)? He composed “Johnny B Goode”, “Maybellene” and “My Dingeling”. In 1972 he was leading audiences in singing the chorus “My Dingeling”, a classic incorporation of slang. Yes, you can all sing along. Chuck Berry will always be remembered.
However, there is yet another meaning for My Dingeling, for it is a newly established eatery on Nongprue Road, about 100 meters from the Nongprue market on the left hand side and 30 meters past Soi 1.
My Dingeling is on the site of a previous restaurant, which quite frankly was dark, unimaginative and uninviting. The restaurant changed hands and along came Mathias Martens and the restaurant totally changed over the next three months.
The main air-conditioned restaurant had better lighting and a better atmosphere, tables and comfortable chairs and a sit-up bar. A beer garden was added along one side with tables, chairs and another sit-up bar. Next was a tropical garden and BBQ area along the other side, called the ‘Chill Out’ area. If that was not enough, a fast food outlet has been built on the footpath side of the building.
As well as the ambience, the new kitchen team devised a new menu complete with weekly rotating specials. Now here is where Mateus’ heritage becomes obvious. The menu is slanted towards German cuisine with items such as curried sausages and goulash. The menu is in German language, but don’t despair, it is then duplicated on the next page in English. Further on are the Thai items (most B. 80-140). On a Friday night there is an ‘all you can eat’ BBQ for B. 250. This is not an expensive restaurant.
The menu begins with Breakfast items (B. 170-190) take your pick – German, English or American.
That leads into sandwiches (B. 80-170) and soups (B. 100-150) with an excellent goulash soup at the top end.
Burgers are very inexpensive and well stacked and chips on the side (B. 110-139). Still on the snack side of the menu, two German sausages with a curry sauce (B. 160), two Vienna sausages B. 180) or a spaghetti carbonara at the same price.
Now comes a section simply called ‘Mains’ with a cordon blue (B. 260), a pork cutlet Vienna style (B. 220) and others around the same price.
Service is carried out by two Thai ladies Luck and Guy and always with a smile.
The bar caters for mainly beer and spirits drinkers (local beers B.70-85), and of course Jägermeister which is almost compulsory! Jägermeister’s ingredients include 56 herbs, fruits, roots, and spices, including citrus peel, licorice, anise, poppy seeds, saffron, ginger, juniper berries, and ginseng. These ingredients are ground, then steeped in water and alcohol for 2–3 days. The final result is about 35 percent ABV, so be careful when tossing them back.
I chose the goulash which is presented in a clay bowl with crusty French bread on the side, great for dipping. Plenty of meat as well. I enjoyed it immensely. A spaghetti carbonara was the choice of taster number 2 and was ranked as one of the best available in Pattaya. Taster number 3 went for the pork cutlet Vienna style and came as a large portion, and a bargain at B. 220 and was given top marks.
The German community on the Dark Side (East Pattaya) has already found My Dingeling, but all nationalities are welcome. Mathias is bilingual. Having been a few times to eat there already, my family and I have not been disappointed in any way, and the beer garden is a quiet place for business talks.
Easy to get to, clean and a high standard from the kitchen, we can certainly recommend you try Dingeling. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Dingeling, Nongprue Road, just past Soi 1, tel. 089 245 9066, email [email protected], on-street parking, open 6 days from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (closed Mondays).
