New restaurant beats out Cher for speediest quick-change

This weekend I got a call from a befuddled, not quite disgruntled, reader. He told me that he'd been to Ha Long Bay, which I reviewed last Thursday. Turns out, the owners have just decided to rethink their formula of largely Vietnamese cuisine with Chinese dim sum at lunch and a smattering of Chinese dishes. Evidently, this part of St. Petersburg is glutted with decent Vietnamese fare and Ha Long Bay wasn't moving the merchandise. Thus, they have tinkered with the formula, expanding on the dim sum cart service on the weekends (more veggie dishes, more shrimp), and adding a range of traditional Chinese-American crowd pleasers. The boba shakes stay, but the bulk of the Vietnamese dishes have been jettisoned.

Thus, as per the review that appeared in the paper last Thursday, in the words of Saturday Night Live's Emily Litella, "Never mind." It's laudable to see a new restaurant making adjustments in order to meet customer needs and tastes. As a critic, I just wish it hadn't had to happen just a day or two after a positive review. Such is life. I wish them well with the new menu and look forward to Ha Long Bay redux.