If you are ever here, eat there #12 Hanoi (again)

We just booked our next trip to Vietnam, so, after a few months' absence from the blog, it's back to Hanoi!

The Old Quarter of Hanoi still has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. Apparently in the old days, under Emperor Ly Thai To, founder of Hanoi, each street was the domain of a particular guild of craftsmen. Thus are the Old Quarter’s streets named to this day: Hang Bac (Silver Street), Hang Ma (Paper Offerings Street), Hang Nam (Gravestone Street), and Hang Gai (silk and paintings), among others. We spent hours wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere and looking for the elusive "weasel coffee" (more of this in another blog perhaps). And we had to have lunch at Cha Ca La Vong. Why? Because we saw it on Rick Stein's Eastern Odyssey on the Food Network. Seriously.

Cha Ca La Vong is an old family-run business. In fact it's been there so long that it gave the street its name. As you can see from the photo above, it doesn't look like much from the outside. Honestly, it doesn't look like much from the inside either. Once you have climbed the narrow wooden steps to the first floor dining room, a waiter points you to a simple wooden table and waves a plastic menu card at you.  Cooling is provided by a wall-mounted fan, or a cold beer. Only one item available, so it's really just to alert you to the cost of the meal. There's no fake friendliness from the staff, but service is efficient and starts with a charcoal burner being brought to your table. A pan of Cha Ca (it's a white fish, presented in smallish fillets in a turmeric-flavoured oil) is placed on the burner to simmer and then a big handful of fresh vietnamese herbs (lots of dill) are added to the pan.

You compose your own dish with the bun (cold vermicelli noodles), unsalted peanuts, chopped yellow chili, chopped spring onion, herb plate (mainly a kind of mint and coriander) and fish sauce, topping this with your selection of fish and herbs from the pan.

I have read complaints by some visitors of the lack of atmosphere, the unfriendliness of the staff, and the size or greasiness of the portions. Some even seemed to think that the place is a fire hazard, what with all the open burners and just one narrow flight of stairs as a potential escape route. They have a point no doubt, but we really enjoyed the experience and would certainly recommend it to anybody visiting Hanoi. It's a unique experience, with fresh fish and herby flavours that are typical of the best of Vietnam.

Cha Ca La Vong, 14 Cha Ca Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi