If it isn't Oc & Lau it isn't the right place.
If I went back in time and told my teenage self that I liked eating escargots. My reaction would be « bleh ». Thankfully, time traveling doesn’t exist yet and I don’t have to do that.
When did it change? I recently started liking it because of a trip to Vietnam. I always thought that escargots was just butter and garlic and just specific type, I tried it on France and didn’t like it at all. So when I went to Vietnam, I protested a lot when my family went to eat escargots. To my surprise, there were so many varieties: oc mong ray (razor blade snails), oc huong (Babylonia snails), oc len (sea snails, and more. They were also cooked with different flavors such as coconut, tamarind, ginger sauce, etc. As a chef I had to try it before deciding whether or not I liked way that it was made. IT WAS GOOD! with all the different combinations of flavors and texture, it was so different from just butter and garlic.
The Familiarity
Honestly, it’s really hard to find something similar to what I ate in Vietnam, but Oc & Lau comes pretty close and there’s really nothing else like it. No wonder why it’s always busy!
My friend and I got some dishes to try: oc huong rang me, oc len xao dua, and the lau (hotpot) sate. the portions were more than enough for the both of us. We ended taking the hotpot home.
This saté broth hotpot comes with calamari, shrimp, beef, noodles, and veggies. It was more than enough for two people if you’re also ordering escargots.
It was sweet & sour, it hit all the right notes. They were delicious.
This oc len xao dua was my least favorite. The coconut sauce is very good! It’s creamy, sour, sweet, & salty, but all of the flavors complement each other. It’s the escargots that I didn’t like because It was slimy and hard to take out of the shell. Honestly, it’s a personal preference.
Whether you’re craving escargots, hotpot or looking for a new Vietnamese restaurant to try. Oc & Lau is definitely worth a try. HAPPY EATING!
They have 2 locations:
Oc & Lau
10130 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92843
HOURS:
Sun - Mon: 10 AM - 10 PM
Tues: CLOSED
Wed - Thurs: 10 AM - 10 PM
Fri - Sat: 10 AM - 11 PM
2. Oc & Lau 2
9892 Westminster Blvd. #R,
Garden Grove, CA 92844
HOURS: Sun - Tues: 10 AM - 10 PM
Wed - CLOSED
Thurs: 10 AM - 10 PM Fri - Sat: 10 AM - 11 PM
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