The Mira Mesa storefront. | Candice Woo Mom Kitchen is a modern take on a cha chaan teng Touching down earlier this month but already drawing lines at peak meal times is Mom Kitchen, Mira Mesa’s updated take on a Hong Kong classic — the popular genre of cafe known as the cha chaan teng. A post-World War II phenomenon that was heavily impacted by British culture, the casual establishments are known for an eclectic menu that combines staples of Cantonese cuisine with unique dishes that fuse local Hong Kong food and Western influences. The small restaurant, now open daily for lunch and dinner in the same Mira Mesa Boulevard strip mall as SomiSomi and Vietnamese staple Pho Cow Cali, features street snacks like curry fish balls and plates of comfort food including braised ribs in Coca-Cola sauce and stewed brisket with turnips. Rice bowls are topped with fried eggs and Cantonese roast meats like duck and barbecue pork. Candice Inside the restaurant. Hong Kong-style cafes are well known for their drinks and desserts, some of which were invented in the kitchens of cha chaan tengs, like Coke with lemon and yuenyeung, a mix of coffee and milk tea. Among Mom Kitchen’s sweet snacks are pineapple buns, also called bolo buns, served with a slice of cold butter stuffed inside, and “Western toast”, a French toast-adjacent treat that sandwiches condensed milk or peanut butter with white bread. Candice Woo Fruit tea with a teddy bear ice cube. Candice Woo Roast duck. Candice Woo Lava toast. Candice Woo A pineapple bun.