Cha Ca Va Vong Restaurant

A total rip off,one of the most extreme I have experienced,even here in Hanoi.
Starting from the rude madam at he door who snapped at us as we entered the main downstairs part of the restaurant,and subsequently forced us up a narrow wooden staircase to an upper level where there were a few tables left in this grubby run down area obviously not designed for dining but used as a back up area for the "greedy" owners to stuff in even more dumb ass tourists...
Maybe we though with great expectations it will be great.
I got suss when an unspeaking male person threw onto the table a plastic coated notice stating the cost is Vnd 10,000 [thats A$10] and its just that and nothing else available.
Well my LP copy says VND 8,000 but that no surprise once LP puts these places in their book prices always soar.
Still we waited with great expectation to try these reccommended Fish feast.
What we got was a maybe 500 VND [50 cents] worth of food, being 7 pieces of so called fish per person ,no bigger than my small finger nail,[I do not jest] and not much thicker than a postage stamp,with a few greens, and tossed in a hot dish with a fire under it by the young guy servicing the table.
We felt totally ripped off,and looked around at all the other wanker tourists being politically correct.
I know whn Im getting screwed,I been in the restaurant buss long enough,so we left to do battle with the madam at the reception who we told them it was crap for the almost $10 per person.
After a lot of yelling and the head madam getting more backup support at the reception to try to intimidate us we left half the amount,and walked out. Even at VND of 5,000 each that was 5 time more than it was worth.
The place is also a FIRETRAP there being NO way we could exit down the narrow steep attic stairway if one of the blazing fire cookers on each table fell over.

This unassuming restaurant located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is one of the best, if not the best, to serve the Northern Vietnamese dish Cha Ca. Cha Ca literally means "charcoaled fish".

Legend has it that the dish had its origins over a hundred years ago when a family restaurant threw the ingredients and voila. The restaurant is located on 14 Cha Ca Street. Look carefully for the sign as the first floor does not look like a restaurant. The actual dining room can be accessed by a creaking, steeply pitched, narrow staircase. You are then greeted by an open sparse room with tables and chairs arranged in various sections. Be prepared for the abrupt service, bordering on the lazy, it helps if you have someone with you that speaks Vietnamese.

Order the amount of the fish you want and about five minutes later, a dish of noodles, herbs, peanuts, fish sauce and a pan of cubed white fish atop a pot with glowing charcoals arrives at your table. You add the herbs to the sizzling pan of fish and let it cook for a bit. As this is happening, prepare the bowl by adding the noodles and some peanuts. Once the herbs have been cooked, spoon it and a few pieces of fish into the bowl of noodles and then top off with the fish sauce.

Be advised this is the only dish served in the restaurant, so do not expect a menu. The restaurant opens every day at 6:00 pm. I hope you find it enjoyable as I did if you go.