Essentials

On a recent trip to Chongqing, I had one of the best bowls of noodles I've had in my life. The restaurant, if it could be called that, was across the street from the White House nightclub - a place once notorious for its mobsters and their hangers-on. It was, as most winter days are in Chongqing, a foggy one. And cold. And rainy. The clouds descended about the city and soaked everything in a weighted dampness. The noodle joint was the size of three closets, and at the entrance sat a table full of bowls: soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onions, sesame oil, vinegar, chilli oil, pork fat, salt, sugar, MSG, pepper and ground Sichuan pepper, as well as pots of rich, heavenly smelling meat sauce and chunks of beef. A cauldron bubbled away on the stove,
beckoning as steam rose up in magical
puffs every time someone opened its lid.

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Gianna Marie Ashford
American/Chinese. Born to Sabrina Chen and Jerry Ashford on Dec 1 at Amcare Women and Children's Hospital.

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Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu宝源饺子屋
This well-known restaurant boasts an extensive range of rainbow-colored dumplings. Delicious fillings are available in a range of vegetarian and kid-friendly options. Baoyuan blends value for money with child-friendly service and a lively non-smoking atmosphere.

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I'm often asked for tips on how to get children to eat. In theory, parents are supposed to put a variety of healthy foods in front of their child and the child is supposed to eat enough to meet his or her needs. However, the truth is that all parents (myself included), worry that their children are not consuming enough vegetables, fruit, milk or even food in general. This can result in a tendency to shove food in front of our children, convinced that they need the nutrition. Here are four questions to help parents get to the heart of the problem:

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Date Night: La Sushi
This underlit Nali Patio restaurant feels more like a French bistro than a typical sushi joint, and is the perfect locale for a night away from the kids. Toro, the highly prized underbelly of bluefin tuna, is the big catch here. It's flown in fresh from Tokyo thrice weekly, so if you're not short of a few kuai, the luxuriously fatty flavor is truly a revelation (RMB 280 sashimi, RMB 80 sushi). For the environmentally conscious, hamachi (or yellowtail, a farmed fish similar in taste to bluefin) is a fine substitute (RMB 120 sashimi, RMB 20 sushi). For a more intimate meal, a range of sharing-sized sushi and sashimi platters featuring abalone, tuna, octopus and more (from RMB 198) all come with freshly grated wasabi and delicious miso soup. Landlubbers should try the wasabi beef fillet (RMB 70), a quality cut seared for mere seconds in the pan and swamped in a creamy-hot wasabi sauce. Add a touch of European flavor to your evening with a selection from the wine list, which is just as extensive as their sake offerings.

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I still remember my first day of school. My stay-at-home dad put my hair in pigtails, while my office-working-mum packed my lunch box. I was certain that my first day would be the best day of my life - I was a grown-up now, with a "big girl" uniform and blank notebooks ready to be filled with my very important musings. There were no tears, no tantrums, and clinging to my parents' legs in a last-ditch effort to remain at home in my jammies never entered my mind. I was ready for the real world.

My first day in China played out in much the same way. My then partner (now husband) and I stepped off the plane from Australia, placed our feet squarely on Beijing soil and never looked back. Surely this would be when we'd become real grown-ups. I was certain I'd pick up fluent Mandarin in a year, get a great job, and find the perfect flat. Now, just like my first day of school, my first months in Beijing didn't really work out like I'd envisaged, but I wasn't too far off. I did pick up some Chinese, I got a job in three weeks, and after three months of sleeping on a friend's foldout couch, we found a great flat.

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Patrick Behrens has been in Beijing with his wife Pastraporn and baby daughter Paulina (19 months) for two years following a stint in Singapore. Pastraporn originally hails from Beijing and is relishing the chance to be back in her hometown. After a busy week as food and beverage director at the Peninsula Hotel, Patrick likes to relax with his family and enjoy leisurely French brunches and lazy afternoons in the park. Here are their family favorites.

Favorite Restaurant
Cafe Konstanz for great breakfast and fresh breads, Element Fresh for a leisurely lunch or Karaija Spice House for a spicy dinner.

Recent Beijing Discovery
Beijing has new things to discover everyday. We recently happened upon the new Qianmen district with Capital M, Element Fresh and loads of nice shops.

Best Baby Clothes
Zara Kids and H&M, but the best items come from the care parcels from the grandparents back home.

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“The cookies are named after its shape and design. Kids love them, and besides, who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? They are easy to make, can be prepared with the kids and are great for birthday parties!”
- Stephane Tremblay, Executive Chef at The Westin Beijing Financial Street

Recipe
4 egg whites
250g sugar
1tbsp white vinegar
¼tsp salt
1tsp vanilla essence
300g chopped roasted almonds cut
300g dark chocolate chips


Beat egg whites and sugar, then add white vinegar, salt and vanilla essence. When it forms peaks, add the chopped almonds and chocolate chips. Place on a greased baking sheet or non-stick baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 to 60min at 120 degrees Celsius. Cool before eating and store in an airtight container.

As it’s been said many times before, with the new year comes new beginnings. This rings true especially for me and this magazine this January. My two-and-a-half years in Beijing and almost two-year stint at beijingkids is up, and I’m headed down south – to Australia.

As expats, most of us know that we will eventually bid goodbye to our fair city. This issue, our annual family-friendly restaurant guide, speaks to one of the aspects that is hardest to leave behind – the exceptional food, rich in both variety and flavor.

When my friends back in the US inevitably make some joke about Chinese food (“In China, they just call it food”), they also assume that the cuisine here is a generic mish-mash of the fast-food Chinese joints in airports or malls – greasy noodles and plain chicken fried rice. I must confess that I, too, initially didn’t know what to expect.

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“This tart is traditional in Macau but it originates from Belem in Portugal. This recipe was inspired by the sweet Hong Kong egg tart.”
- Ricardo Bizarro, chef at Vasco’s , Hilton Beijing Wangfujing.

This recipe has been adapted from Ricardo’s take on the traditional Portugese egg tart.

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