Ha Long Bay, the family-owned restaurant brand with several locations around Tampa Bay, is known for “serving typical dishes of Vietnam such as Rice Noodle Soup, Egg Noodle, Noodle Soup (Pho), Boba, Vietnamese Sandwich (Banh Mi), Vermicelli, Rice Plate & many other assorted soups…”
“We want to bring the yummiest and freshest ingredients into our menu, yet stay authentic to Vietnamese food to the community,” says the website of Ha Long Bay New Tampa.
Now, several members of the Ha Long Bay team are preparing to branch out with two new restaurant concepts, opening at Horizon Park Shopping Center, according to recently filed plan review paperwork.
The first, called Ha Long Bay Sandwich, will feature an abbreviated, fast-casual version of the Ha Long Bay menu with a focus on sandwiches.
“We’ll be doing sandwiches, appetizers, and small bites,” co-owner Nhan Nguyen told What Now on Friday. “Banh mi, spring rolls.”
Alongside Ha Long Bay Sandwich is a project that Nguyen says is a brand-new thing for the team, which includes Nguyen and her sister: 2 Whisks, serving up Japanese matcha.
“We really put our hearts into this,” Nguyen said. “I love matcha, and my sister does too. We already have a lot of boba at our restaurant, and we decided to do this. We went to Japan, we went back home, and we selected the best matcha. I’m very excited about 2 Whisks.”
No specific opening date has been set yet, but Nguyen says the target opening is for late November.
