One of my favorite new spots for a casual meal these days is Baby Cafe in Oakland’s Chinatown.
The cafe, aptly named since the space is tiny, serves up westernized Chinese cuisine reflective of Hong Kong’s cha cha teng, which are like diners serving up a mix of traditional Chinese noodle soups and hybrids of Chinese-Western dishes like casseroles made with rice or spaghetti.
There are a handful of these HK-style cafes in Chinatown but Baby Cafe is the most ambitious, with an extensive menu that includes a few innovative dishes I’ve never seen at a cha cha teng that also includes several dessert options that plays up the bubble tea trend.