The restaurant with authentic Hanoi flavor has never been empty for decades and is a favorite meeting place for families.

(To Quoc) - At Phan Fish Cake Restaurant, the simple secret is to choose the freshest fish. The fish is marinated simply but still has enough flavor, and just enough for diners to feel the freshness of the fish.

Located right on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi , there is a fish cake restaurant that is always crowded with customers. That restaurant is called "Phan Fish Cake" and this is also the address where many families often invite each other to eat. Phan Fish Cake is also one of the fish cake restaurants that still retains the traditional flavor of this Hanoi dish.

Authentic fish cake with meticulous attention to detail even in the side dishes

Fish cakes have long been a familiar dish to many people in Hanoi. In the capital, there is no shortage of shops selling fish cakes, but not all of them can keep the authentic Hanoi flavor. Basically, with this dish, fish is often marinated with turmeric, galangal, me, fish sauce... but each shop has its own way of seasoning and secret. Talking about fish cakes in Hanoi, of course the most important part is the fish, which must be pieces of catfish that have been boned, the best meat is taken, then cut into small pieces and grilled over charcoal.

A portion of fish cake and fish intestines at Phan Fish Cake.

At Cha Ca Phan, the owner said the simple secret is to choose the freshest fish. The fish is marinated simply but still has enough flavor, and just enough for diners to feel the freshness of the fish. Grilling the fish over charcoal is also very important, thanks to which the fish has a special aroma of charcoal smoke.

The fish pieces must be grilled over charcoal first to be delicious.

When eating, customers will put the fish in the pan and stir-fry until the outside layer is browned.

When served to the diners, the fish pieces are all cooked. The diners will stir the fish in the pan with green onions and dill, then wait for the fish pieces to be browned on the outside. When eaten, the fish pieces are firm, the outside is browned and slightly crispy, the inside is soft and moist. Put a little vermicelli in the bowl, add a piece of catfish, some green onions, pickled onions, dill, sprinkle some roasted peanuts and eat with shrimp paste or fish sauce. Everything blends together to create a delicious whole that everyone who eats it will exclaim as delicious.

The fish intestines here are also taken from catfish.

When eating, diners will eat fish cakes with vermicelli, green onions, dill, roasted peanuts and a little shrimp paste.

Besides fish cakes, Phan Fish Cake's fish intestines are also highly appreciated. Fish intestines are also taken from fresh and delicious catfish. The fish intestines are skillfully processed to remove any foul odor. If the fish cakes are soft and fragrant, the fish intestines are crispy and chewy, and importantly, both are delicious. It is known that it takes dozens of kilos of fish to produce one portion of fish intestines for customers.

The fish cake is made from firm catfish. When eaten, you can feel the fresh, delicious fish.

The sophistication of Cha Ca Phan restaurant lies in the fact that each meal comes with fish soup, fish porridge and coconut jelly for dessert at the end of the meal. The fish porridge is cooked with catfish meat, the porridge is smooth and very tasty. The sour fish soup served with elephant ear is not only delicious but also brings a refreshing feeling, reducing the feeling of fullness for the meal.

Fish porridge, fish soup and coconut jelly are complimentary side dishes for guests.

Finally, coconut jelly, a seemingly ordinary dish but loved by many diners. The jelly is soft and fragrant with coconut, the bottom is jelly cooked with fresh coconut water, the top layer is fatty coconut jelly. A cup of coconut jelly eaten at the end of the meal is the perfect ending to a delicious meal, and also dispels the smell of shrimp paste.

After 3 changes of location, the fish cake restaurant is still always sought out by regular customers.

For those who have been regulars at Cha Ca Phan for a long time, they will know that the restaurant has changed its location for the third time. Ten years ago, the restaurant was located in a small house on Ha Hoi Street. At that time, the restaurant was simply a small house, with customers sitting and eating in every corner of the house. Later, the restaurant moved to Tran Quoc Toan and finally to Nguyen Binh Khiem Street. Up to now, this Cha Ca restaurant has been around for ten years.

This is a gathering place for families or groups of friends.

Even though it has changed locations many times, regular customers still come back to Cha Ca Phan whenever they want to enjoy this dish. Because it is so delicious, no matter where they go, customers still have to come back to eat at the right restaurant.

Ms. Phan Thu Bang, the owner of Cha Ca Phan restaurant, is originally from Hanoi, and her husband's family is from Cha Ca street, so her family also makes this dish. Since opening the restaurant, she has always tried to preserve the flavor of Hanoi's Cha Ca. Perhaps, that is also what keeps customers coming back.

The restaurant space is beautifully decorated.

Open for both lunch and dinner, but perhaps the restaurant is busier on weekend evenings. Customers are usually couples, groups of friends and families. The restaurant is designed in Hanoi style, with paintings on the walls reminiscent of the thousand-year-old capital.

Ms. Bich Ngoc, 50 years old, went with her family and has been a regular customer of this fish cake restaurant for many years. She confided:   “Everyone in my family loves fish cakes, from adults to children. Every now and then, my family comes here to eat because they find them delicious and tasty. The most important thing about fish cakes is that the fish must be fresh and delicious. And you can tell when the fish is fresh. The restaurant also offers soup, porridge, and coconut jelly, so ordering one portion per person is enough to fill us up."

Hanoi has so many delicious dishes, and on cool autumn days, enjoying fish cakes with loved ones is probably the best.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/quan-cha-ca-chuan-vi-ha-thanh-ca-thap-ky-chua-bao-gio-vang-khach-la-diem-hen-yeu-thich-cua-cac-gia-dinh-2024112209491138.htm