Pop and Sizzle

A visit to the 100-year-old restaurant is on the must-do list for everyone that pays a visit to the Old Quarter in Hanoi. The story goes that 100 years ago or so, a Mr Doan opened a restaurant selling his speciality of fried fish (cha ca), and he placed a statue of an old fisherman out front who was known locally as La Vong.

Today the fisherman has gone but Cha Ca La Vong is still operating and serving the best cha ca in town. In fact they have changed the name of the street to Cha Ca Street - it is that legendary. Many other cha ca restaurants have come and gone. Adam and I tried other places that served cha ca but they all paled in comparison, notably since the others use MSG.




The fish at Cha Ca La Vong is quite special, they use a type of pike that is white, firm, fleshy, cut into bite-size pieces and marinated in turmeric and a secret blend of spices. It comes out sizzling in a frying pan steeped in oil and then placed on your table on a clay brazier over red hot charcoal.



An enormous bowl of spring onions and dill is added to the pan, which soaks up the oil and brings the temperature down, allowing the fish to stay hot and to caramelise any last remaining herbs and bits of fish.





You scoop some cold rice noodles into your bowl along with some crispy pieces of fish, basil leaves, a few raw peanuts, spoon in some fish sauce with red chillies, stir it in and enjoy.



The longer it takes you to eat each small bowlful, the crispier the fish. The tastiest part is towards the end where the last bits of fish left in the pan are the crispiest and the spring onions and dill are brown and sticky.

It is so popular here they do a brisk trade - it is not a place to linger, it's a one-dish restaurant and if you don't like fish you won't be offered anything else. The atmosphere is bustling and throughout the meal I kept jumping off my seat, frightened from all the very loud popping sounds.




It is a tradition whilst eating cha ca that when you get your complimentary scented hand/face towel in a plastic packet, you must squeeze the air to one end and pop the packet. I popped my packet and it was so loud, I half expected everyone to turnaround and tell me off but I didn't even get a glance.




Don't forget to pop, its all part of the fun.