[Travel] Foodie Report (Hanoi): Crazy Over Cha Ca



My friend was thumbing through Lonely Planet and suggested we try cha ca. The guidebook actually listed another place which had been in business since 1899 but after going through reviews in TripAdvisor, we decided to go with Cha Ca Thang Long. Good thing we did, it was easily one of the best meal we’ve had during the entire trip. The restaurant only has one dish on the menu: cha ca. As described on a display outside:

” It is a unique specialty of Hanoi people; therefore one street in Hanoi was named Cha Ca Street. Cha Ca is made from mud fish, snake-headed fish, but the best one is made from Hemibagrus (Ca Lang). Fish bone is removed to keep the meat only, seasoned, covered by banana leaves and grilled by coal heat. An oven is needed when serving to keep Cha Ca always hot. Cha Ca is served with roasted peanuts, rice noodle, spice vegetables (dill, spring onion, coriander, mint) and shrimp paste or fish sauce. The Hanoian has a saying that someone has to try this dish once in life before leaving this world.” – Globe Trekker, 2004

I’m not sure how true that saying was but one thing I know is it would definitely be a shame to be in Hanoi and not try it. The fish was tasty and tender and when mixed with all the herbs, the rice noodle, and the sauce, the burst of flavor inside the mouth was simply delicious. Throw in some peanuts for another yummy twist. It’s funny because while one of the attendants was preparing the burner and doing the initial cooking, I was busy popping the peanuts into my mouth I had to remind myself to leave some for later lol. I’m more of a meat person but I immensely enjoyed Cha Ca. We were going at it with so much gusto that before I realized, my big bowl of herbs was gone. Just like that. I think I’ve reached my annual quota for vegetable consumption in just that one dish haha. The service was adequate, two or three people would stop by our table to make sure we were doing fine with our “cooking”. Overall, I’d give it 5 stars.





 


        Chả cá Thăng Long is located 21-31 Đường Thành, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam.


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