Courtesy of Vietvana
Dinh Tran and Khanh Dang, founders of Vietvana Pho Noodle House, are creating a mini restaurant empire with the opening of three new Asian food stalls in Ponce City Market next spring. Located in the expansion hall near Vietvana and Umbrella Bar, Boom Boom Bao, Lime Tiger, and Uwu Asian Dessert Co. will replace Nani’s Piri-Piri Chicken, SpiceWalla, and JJ’s Flower Shop respectively. Rather than focus purely on Vietnamese cuisine, like Vietvana, the new stalls will each reflect the food of a different Asian country or countries.
“One of the ideas of the expansion hall was to have a new vibe to allow the people of Midtown experience more of Asia,” Tran explains. “They’ll serve popular comfort food—Asian street food—what people in Asia would go for if they are looking for something quick to eat.”
All items will be made in house. “I’m very big on making everything as simple and as fresh as possible,” he says.
Courtesy of Uwu
Boom Boom Bao
Serving dim sum and bao, Boom Boom utilizes Chinese flavors with select Vietnamese elements. Expect steamed “baozi” sandwiches stuffed with pork and quail egg, barbecue chicken, or tofu. Soup dumplings will be filled with crab and pork or shrimp and pork. Three sweet bao varieties will be available as well.
Items will be sold a la carte—each is two to three bites. “We want the guests to share and try as many dishes as possible,” Tran says.
Complimentary oolong and sunflower teas will be available to cleanse diners’ palates between dishes.
The design of the space is inspired by Shanghai nightlife and 1980s Hong Kong, as well as vintage Chinese fireworks packaging (hence the name Boom Boom). It’ll feature metal and glossy red paint.
Lime Tiger
A create-your-own bento box or bowl spot, Lime Tiger emphasizes street food from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand. Guests choose a rice or noodle, protein, seasoning and/or sauce, and garnish. Options include lo mein, egg noodles, rice noodles, fried rice, and white rice; 16 to 20 vegetables and herbs, 12 to 16 sauces like fish and sweet and sour; and proteins like lemongrass tofu, sugarcane shrimp, and grilled beef in Betel.
“We want people to mix and match, but our chef can recommend what goes together,” Tran says.
Two Bangkok-style food carts will sit in front of the stall, highlighting the Thai influences.
Courtesy of Uwu
Uwu Asian Dessert Co.
Selling Japanese-style desserts and sweet drinks, as well as Vietnamese coffee, Uwu is place for quick pick-me-ups. Look for egg “bubble” waffles with toppings like chocolate, matcha, and taro, plus five or six flavors of bubble tea (black bean, jasmine) and milk tea (black sugar, Thai). Made with sweet milk shavings, Korean shaved ice can be topped with red bean, caramel egg pudding, mangoes, peanuts, and more.
Changes at Vietvana
Tran says he’s targeting a March 2025 launch for all three stalls. When they open, Vietvana will stop serving coffee (since Uwu will do that) and expand its soup offerings to include curry, seafood, and bun bo hue, a Vietnamese rice noodle soup.
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