Revisiting (Infamous?) Chả cá Lã Vọng

Of all the restaurants recommended by the Lonely Planet, this must stand as one of the more controversial ones - Chả cá Lã Vọng.

'Rip-off', 'Rude', 'Over-rated', 'Tourist trap' - these are some of the recurrent terms used in reviews on virtualtourist.com.

I also noted that the prices have been going up from VND70,000 in 2005 to VND 90,000 in 2008, and to VND 100,000 in 2009.

I decided to visit it today to see if it lives up to its (infamous?) reputation. Here's the price today.

The rising prices of this popular Chả cá dish are reflective of the high inflation rate in Vietnam. Just simply observe the astounding inflation rate of 24.4% in 2009! The inflation rate was 11% in 2010.

It didn't take long for the dish to arrive once you place your order.

Chả cá is a fried fish dish, spiced up with tumeric, dill, spring onions, peanuts and sweet sauce, and eaten with rice noodle.

Chả cá - the whole works!

A closer look at the fish and spices sizzling in oil

The waitress will pour the bowl of fish slices, and the bowl of spring onions into the sizzling oil. Thereafter, you have total control of how you want to eat it.

I read somewhere that you are supposed to eat the cold rice noodle with the peanuts, fried fish slices and spring onions. I chose to throw everything in, including the rice noodles, peanuts.

So how's the food?

It definitely was oily at first. The fish slices were fried to a crispy brown on the outside, and tasted wonderful. The noodles soaked up pretty much of the oil, so naturally tasted oily. I also enjoyed scraping the fried spring onions from the pan and eating it.

One of the common grouses is the small portion of rice noodles that comes with the dish. As an Asian, I found the portion small too.

Are they overcharging?

It really depends on your perception of its value.

Some people have voiced suspicions that they charge foreigners more than the locals. With my little grasp of Vietnamese, I can tell you no. Foreigners are charged the same as locals.

Would I recommend Chả cá Lã Vọng?

Seriously, if local Vietnamese are prepared to pay the hefty price of VND120,000 per person for Chả cá, it certainly says something about the quality of food.

Chả cá Lã Vọng also enjoys a long heritage. Apparently, this dish has been served for over 200 years by 5 generations. Just imagine that!

If this Chả cá dish can be the source for the street name, surely it is worth a try.

Chả cá Lã Vọng
Address: 14 Phố Chả Cá, Hanoi