Cha Ca La Vong restaurant

So, you've all read about Hanoi's famous grilled fish? Me, too...and I had a lot of fun trying it. Cha Ca La Vong has been around since the nineteenth century and our guide told us that this is only one of four or five restaurants that make this dish. The place is tiny with only a few tables downstairs and there are no menus. There is only this grilled fish dish. The table is set with a small bowl for each person, fish sauce, noodles, cilantro, and peanuts. We were told to put noodles in our bowl followed by cilantro and peanuts and then fish sauce to taste. In the center of the table is a burner with a medium-sized pan for grilling the fish. A server cooks the fish quickly and then adds a savory broth and what appears to be Morning Glory (the ubiquitous hollow-stem greens that seem to be served for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Voila. The dish looked and smelled heavenly and we all dug in. There was enough fish for each of us to take a couple of pieces, a perfect amount for a late afternoon snack. I loved this place.