As we continue to rifle through the hundreds of entries on John Russack’s street food blog, Down the Street and Back Again, he suggested we take a look at Oc Huong, sweet snails, one of his favorite dishes.

On a hot and steamy day, John and his friend were strolling around District 1 looking for shelter from the heat. An Oc (snail) restaurant called out to them with the promise of cold beer and seafood.

Because he’s classy like that, John ordered the most expensive dish on the menu – sweet snails:

"Sweet snails are quite possibly some of the better tasting shell food over here, and at five bucks a plate they are considered a higher end option, too. And once we ordered them, random people appeared out of the woodwork to come see who had the cash for such a pricey delicacy. These shells or snails or whatever they are take a swirl in a hot wok with a delightfully sweet and sticky sauce. Then they are pulled out of their most intersting shells with a tiny two pronged fork barely bigger than a fingernail and dipped into a mixture of salt pepper, chili sauce and lime juice. I love them even with their highly disconcerting rubber shrimp texture."

Someone told John that the snails originated in Phu Quoc but he was slightly doubtful of that claim. Being the soldier he is, he took the path of blissful ignorance and simply enjoyed his delicious sweet snails without reservation.

Quan Oc, 49 Nguyen Trai, Q1, HCMC