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It's a boiling pan of hot, fluorescent yellow tumeric oil with bite-sized pieces of catfish bubbling away in it. Add the mountain of dill, mint and spring onions to the heady mixture and wait for the flavours to meld. After that, scoop a heaped spoonful of everything, mix it in with some bún (vermicelli), roasted peanuts, fresh perilla, add chilli padi and fish sauce to taste and shovel everything into your mouth piping hot. Oh and don't forget the bia ha noi (local beer)! This particular place is an institution for Cha Ca in every sense - it's the oldest in the city, the most well-known and you will be pointed this way by anyone you ask for the dish. When you step in, it's clearly tourist central. However, my feeling is that it's now so commercialised it lets down when you expect a spectacular meal. It is what it is - tumeric fish - and while i waited for a flavour explosion, i realised the tumeric oil doesn't carry much flavour (more an aroma) and needs to be helped along by the fish sauce.
~ Cha Ca La Vong ~ 14 Cha Ca Hoan Kiem, Hanoi Vietnam ~
"Only one dish in our restaurant--grilled fish. Price 170,000VND/person. Drinks not included. This restaurant is house on the second floor, above what seems like an empty house. However, many tourists are aware of this well-kept secret.
