BINH DINH – Snail Co Xi, located in a small alley on Dao Duy Tu Street, sells at affordable prices about 50 different snail dishes.
When coming to Quy Nhon for the first time , if you want to enjoy fresh seafood dishes, you can go to snail street on Ngoc Han Cong Chua Street, which is always bustling every night. In addition, another address worth trying is Co Xi snail shop, located in an alley on Dao Duy Tu street, quite difficult to find for first-timers following directions on Google Maps.
In the alley wide enough for two cars to pass each other, the shop is open from 14:30, the more customers at night, the more crowded. The menu has about 50 dishes such as fried snail with coconut, snail with vinegar with lemongrass and chili, steamed tamarind, steamed Thai; Grilled scallops with butter, grilled with onion fat… price ranges from 25,000 VND to 60,000 VND/plate. The dishes of squid, crab, grilled mantis shrimp, roasted tamarind, roasted garlic… are slightly more expensive.
According to the suggestion, the “nail” dish at the restaurant is sauteed vinegared snails with lemongrass and chili or fried with tamarind, served with rice paper. According to the owner, the vinegared snail has tough meat, before processing, it is boiled with coconut water to make the meat soft, then stir-fried with lemongrass and chili seasoning. Cooking with coconut water makes snail meat sweeter and more flavorful, best served with rice paper. In addition, the dish of fried snails with coconut also has a unique taste, the aroma and sweetness of coconut milk are quite strange, and it is delicious with bread.
“Customers call to the restaurant to make it there, not ready to cook. Many customers sit for a long time, some are angry, but when the food is served, they will feel warm,” said Vo Van Do, the owner’s son. Snails are taken from seafaring acquaintances and sold out every day.
Mr. Do added that his family was originally from the seafaring profession, but had failed and faced difficult circumstances, so his mother went to sell snails on the sidewalk on Dao Duy Tu Street. At first, the restaurant only had one table for guests to sit at, but after it got crowded, there were times when customers had to wait for their turn. After a few times of moving, the shop moved to the house in the alley as it is now.
“When my family sold snails around 2008, at that time, students came to eat a lot, and then spread word of mouth to as many as now. Everyone’s support is also thanks to luck and perseverance,” said Mr. Do. The restaurant’s biggest wish is that customers have a happy experience, come back once and come back a second time.
Ms. Thao Lien, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, came to Quy Nhon to travel, and knew about the shop thanks to the introduction of local friends. The first time she came here, she had to go around because she couldn’t find the shop, had to ask the people around. “The food at the restaurant is affordable, quality, fresh and delicious. When I ate a bit bold, the seasoning here was a bit pale compared to my taste, dipping it with dipping sauce”, Ms. Lien shared.
The space in the alley is quite quiet, usually, families and couples come. Holidays and weekends will be more touristy. Because it is located at the end of a small alley, there are not many motorbikes passing by.
The snail shop is open from 14:30 to about 21:30 every day, address number 22, Dao Duy Tu street. Here, customers will park their cars and go to the shop in the alley. There is parking for motorbikes and cars. Crowded customers should contact the restaurant in advance to make the dishes first, to avoid waiting. Compared to the snail shops in Quy Nhon, the shop closes quite early.