Jerry Chan

Cuisine: Brunch (International)
English Menu? Yes
Kids’ menu? Yes
General kid friendliness of menu: Kids will find plenty of choices in their rich variety of Thai, Japanese, Indian, Cantonese and Western fare, as well as delectable desserts.
Staff: Friendly, bilingual speakers.
Bathroom: Clean, sit-down toilets.
Best dishes for kids: The pizza and pasta selections in the Italian section, an extensive selection of Chinese noodles, freshly squeezed juices.
Kids’ play area? No, but China Central Place is next to Shin Kong Place and a few minutes walk from Soho Xiandaicheng.
Seating: Standalone tables with chairs. Highchairs available.

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Cuisine: Italian
English Menu? Yes
Kids’ menu? No
General kid friendliness of menu: Kid-friendly with pasta, pizza, sandwiches and desserts
Staff: Attentive, English-speaking staff.
Bathroom: A clean bathroom is in the office tower next door.
Best dishes for kids: Davola Pizza with salami (RMB 69), a focaccia steak sandwich with roasted vegetables (RMB 59), baked spaghetti with meatballs (RMB 49), a burger (RMB 59), barbeque pork ribs with a side salad and spicy fries (RMB 99)
Kids’ play area? No, but Central Park is across the street.
Seating: Mostly standalone tables seat four to six. There is outdoor seating in warmer
weather.
Price: RMB 300
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Must-order item: There is a good variety of focaccia sandwiches and pizza that kids of all ages will enjoy.
In a nutshell: Cornerstone is mainly geared towards CBD office workers, but is entirely suitable for families, especially on weekends, which feature a Saturday brunch. The environment is clean, comfortable and contemporary.

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Cuisine: Contemporary (Asian, Western)
English Menu? Yes
Kids’ menu? No
General kid friendliness of menu: Plenty of pasta, rice dishes, sandwiches, juices and desserts.
Staff: No real English speaking staff and attentiveness is so-so.
Bathroom: A clean bathroom is in the office tower next door
Best dishes for kids: Spaghetti bolognese (RMB 68), hot dogs (RMB 44), pumpkin pudding (RMB 18), various rice dishes (RMB 59-98)
Kids’ play area? No, but the CBD Culture Park and The Place are across the street.
Seating: Some booths and mostly standalone tables for four to six, high chairs available.
Smoking/Non-smoking: There is both a non-smoking and smoking section.
Price: RMB 300
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Must-order item: Laksa soup, gaiyang salad with Thai spicy dressing (RMB 68)
In a nutshell: Gori is bright, airy and spacious with a clean and modern environment and open kitchen. With its decent size, menu selection and spaciousness, it’s great for families on the weekends and birthday parties.

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Terry Boyd-Zhang, 39, born in Ontario, Canada
Nathan “Xiangzi” Zhang, 39, born in Liaoning Province, China
Saira Zhang, 5, born in Toronto, Canada
Caleb Zhang, 8, born in Edmonton, Canada

Terry: I'm from southwestern Ontario. You can say "Toronto" if you want, but I'm not really from there. I came to China in 1993 with my university. I studied Western history and we came to take a look at Eastern history. I really liked it here so [after] graduating, I applied through the Chinese Embassy in Canada and got a teaching position in China. Back then the Chinese embassy would send teachers to backwater China, so I ended up in the northeast. The way we met is a very simple story: He owned a restaurant and I like to eat. He told me, “You have to pay the bill or marry me” so he became my “souvenir.” This was in Jinzhou in 1995.

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Din Tai Fung
Best Xiao Long Bao
Cuisine: Chinese (Shanghainese)
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Most kids love xiaolongbao (soup-filled round dumplings).
Three healthiest items for kids: Steamed shrimp and pork xiaolongbao, steamed green vegetable pork buns, fried rice with shrimp.
Kid-friendly staff: Very friendly towards kids, although not too many of the waiters/waitresses speak English.
Bathroom: Very clean washroom (hands-free soap dispenser and taps) and sit-down toilets.
Kids’ play area: Clean area with non-stop looping cartoons and stuffed animals.
Seating: Booths and comfortable high-back chairs; many highchairs available.

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Blue Frog
Best Family and Date Night in One
Cuisine: American
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Hamburger, hotdogs, milkshakes
Three healthiest items for kids: Hamburger, salad, fruit juices
Kid-friendly staff: Yes
Bathroom: Clean
Kids’ play area: Includes computer stations with computer games and a separate enclosed area with toys for younger children. Also, crayons and coloring menus.
Seating: Tables and chairs
Price: RMB 400+ includes drinks, appetizer, entrées and dessert
Parking: Yes
Credit card: Yes
Atmosphere: Comfortable and fun
Must-order item: Their famous hamburger with a variety of toppings.

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Chef Too
Best steak
Cuisine: American
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: No kids menu but they’ll love the penne meatballs. With a little help from mom and dad, kids can share one of Chef Too’s famous steaks with a side of mash. If you’re happy for them to get their hands messy, try the BBQ ribs. Brunch is where the real kid-friendliness kicks in, though.
Three healthiest items for kids: For dinner kids will love the bruschetta or any of their yummy pasta options. For brunch, try the poached eggs with a side of spinach and mushrooms.
Kid-friendly staff: All staff speak good English; providing they’re not super busy, they are very attentive.
Bathroom: Very clean with a sit-down toilet.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: Indoor seating with some booth-style seats as well as the standard table and chair setup.

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Fizztastic Champagne Brunch at the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing
The Hilton Wangfujing recently unveiled their Sunday Fizztastic
Champagne Brunch. It features a Kidz Paradise playroom where your little ones can watch cartoons and movies, doodle in activity books and play with toys in a supervised area. There’s also a kids’ buffet serving mini burgers, chicken wings, hot dogs, mini pizzas, as well as popcorn and cotton candy stations. RMB 368 per adult (with a 15% service charge, includes free flow of champagne and beverages), children ages 6-12 get 50% off, kids under 6 eat free. Sun 11.30am-3pm. Penta dining area, 5/F, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, 8 Wangfujing Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District. (5812 8888 ext. 8411)

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Bring the Family: Meeting Point

With complexes like Pingod, Fuli City and Landgent International in the vicinity, the Shuangjing Qiao area just south of Guomao has become a haven for young expat families. To meet the demand, a host of new dining venues have opened in the Viva shopping mall and the new outdoor food court at Landgent City Mall across the street. The latter is home to the new location of Meeting Point, a family-friendly space specializing in cucina Italia with an Abruzzese touch. This is quite simply, a no-

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