"A growing bubble tea brand founded in 2018 in Singapore, I checked out the new Mission Gorge Road outpost in the Grantville neighborhood—one of about 20 outlets worldwide and just the second in Southern California. The café is eminently Instagrammable, decorated with lavish pink flowers and disco balls, and is best known for its daily-made brown sugar boba that’s stir-fried at the counter and added warm to drinks. The Signature Milk Tea features brown sugar syrup and housemade cheese cream with a brulee’d brown sugar topping; other popular beverages include the Pink Haze (a hazelnut-flavored Vietnamese iced coffee with pink salted cream), jasmine tea infused with fresh strawberries, and a mung bean pandan latte sprinkled with edible rose petals. Customers can order ahead online or use a self-ordering kiosk to customize sweetness and choose add-ins like coconut or lychee jelly, crushed Oreos, and passionfruit popping boba, and there are paid upgrades such as a bear-shaped clear container called a “Bear Brick” and a mystery cup that hides a Sanrio plushie in its base. Local franchisees told Eater they plan to add Korean egg drop sandwiches and other breakfast items and may open more Bober cafes in the future." - Candice Woo