Overlooking Hanoi's tranquil West Lake, the aptly named Banh Tom Ho Tay (West Lake Shrimp Cakes) offers a simple setting furnished with green plastic chairs.
But you're not here for a fancy interior.
This historic restaurant is celebrated for its signature dish, made fresh every day from a special family recipe.
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"(Our shrimp cakes) are special because the recipe has been passed down through several generations, from my grandmother to my mother, and then to me," says Ngoc Lan Ha, the owner of Banh Tom Ho Tay.
"And we carry on the legacy our parents left behind."
The origins of banh tom
Banh tom, or shrimp cakes, took off in the 1930s, when small street vendors began gathering along Thanh Nien Street, the road that separates West Lake (Tay Ho) from Truc Bach Lake.
As the street vendors grew in popularity, the government later merged many of the stalls and opened a single large restaurant on the waterfront.
That's how Banh Tom Ho Tay came to be. Ever since, the restaurant has been an inseparable part of Thanh Nien Street.
"(Shrimp cakes) are tied to the war and, of course, to poverty in Vietnam," says Quynh Anh Nguyen, a photographer based in Hanoi.
"Back then, people didn't have luxurious food or good-quality meat. I still remember how my family and I would look forward to (visiting) the restaurant on weekends with our parents. It felt like a treat."
Today, the restaurant still draws a steady stream of friends and families who settle in for leisurely afternoons filled with crispy, savory shrimp cakes, chilled bia hoi (the local draft beer), and front-row seats looking out over the lake.
So what exactly is it?
Deceptively labor-intensive, Hanoi-style shrimp cakes are made from just a few core ingredients: freshwater crayfish or shrimp from West Lake, flour, and sweet potato.
Rather than grinding the shrimp into a paste (the way fish balls are made), the fried seafood is usually left whole, perched on top of the crispy cakes.
They're typically served with lettuce leaves for wrapping, along with chili, lime juice, and fish sauce for dipping.
"For locals, it has more to do with memories of the old days and nostalgia. Catching shrimp in the lake is actually pretty hands-on work," Nguyen says.
"People have to go out with a torch at night to catch each shrimp by hand."
The best bites
These days, the humble shrimp cake has been reinvented and reimagined by plenty of pricey modern restaurants.
But Banh Tom Ho Tay remains one of the top spots for anyone chasing the authentic version.
"In Hanoi, if you're talking about banh tom, then you're (definitely) talking about Banh Tom Ho Tay," says Nguyen.
"You can find shrimp cakes in plenty of places and restaurants across Hanoi now. But this restaurant is special because of its history."
Banh Tom Ho Tay, 1 Thanh Nien, Truc Bach, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam; +84 24 3829 3737
