Spicy crab in Kep, Cambodia. Kep is a beach town known for its fresh crab. And the pepper is from Kampot. back when France was still a colonial power, every Parisian restaurant imported pepper from Cambodia, according to lonely planet at least.

the restaurant is located on the north side of Lamma island. The ferry, which is charted by the restaurant, takes about 30 minutes from central star ferry terminal. We ordered Tsing Tao beer, razor clams, also called bamboo clams, roasted chicken (unfortunately completely overshadowed by the seafood), steamed clam with garlic, and sweet soybean tofu (豆腐花).

Cha Ca La Vong is featured in Lonely planet’s Hanoi city guide. Knowing only that it’s a local eatery (read hole-in-the-wall), i had no expectations. When i visited there were a few foreigners sparsely seated among five tables on the first floor. Also sharing the space is an altar with pictures of deceased family members. On the second floor, strangely enough, is crowded with local Vietnamese patrons. Supposedly the menu is different (cheaper perhaps?), but i didn’t dare to venture up there.

There is only one dish, the grilled fish, and it’s 90,000 VND ($6 USD). One only needs to specify how many people and choice of drink. Just add all the ingredients into the pan on charcoal fire pot, which comes with grilled catfish and liberal amount of oil. the end result is a concoction of yummy grilled fish wtih rice noodle seasoned with scallion and dill. The dish is slightly on the oily side, but the seasoning is light enough to allow the natural flavor of the fish and dill to come out. I’ve certainly had better grilled fish else where, but the novelty of the experience is not to be missed.

Cha Ca La Vong, 825 3929, 14 Cha Ca, Old quarters, Hanoi

highway 4, (+84 4) 926 0639, 5 HANG TRE, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

overpriced raw fish