Cha Ca La Vong serves one thing: cha ca, the Hanoian dish of turmeric-marinated fish cooked at the table. The restaurant at 14 Cha Ca Street is the oldest and most famous version of this dish in the city, though the street now has several competitors. The upstairs dining rooms are dark, slightly worn, and smelling of turmeric and charcoal — conditions that have barely changed in decades. You're served the fish already half-cooked on a charcoal brazier; a plate of vermicelli, a bowl of shrimp paste, peanuts, and a generous tangle of fresh dill come alongside.
It is expensive by Vietnamese standards — a meal here costs more than several bowls of pho — and the service is famously brusque. Neither of these things has made it less popular. The key is the quality of the fish and the particular balance of turmeric, dill, and the nutty-sour dipping sauce that comes with it. Eat it with the dill fried lightly in the pan as the fish finishes cooking. Order the cha ca and nothing else; the restaurant has never needed to expand its repertoire.