January, 2010

The Travelers
Charlie & Josephine Dang and their twin daughters Lauren & Megan (6)

The Plan
The Dang family planned a two-week holiday split between Hong Kong and Bali. They used Beijing Li Heng Ticket Service (6591 7997) to book their Beijing to Hong Kong roundtrip tickets, but went online to book their Cathay Pacific roundtrip flights from Hong Kong to Denpasar, Bali. Once in Bali, they chose to stay at The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua. The family had three things in mind when traveling to Indonesia – sun, sand, and spas.

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When it comes to New Year celebrations, China’s party is longer and more festive than the West’s one-day holiday. Rather than toasting at the stroke of midnight and then immediately embarking on a self-improvement regimen, you can embrace Spring Festival (春节 Chūnjié) by enjoying a seven-day marathon of fireworks, dumpling-eating and colorful traditions that have endured for millennia.

The Year of the Tiger
According to myth, the first emperor held a race for 12 animals, each symbolizing a birth year. The Ox was the fastest animal in the race, but the Rat jumped on the Ox’s back at the last moment and so won the race – relegating the Ox to the second spot in the zodiac lineup. The Tiger followed shortly after, exhausted from swimming across the river.

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When visiting friends who also have young children, I am often moved beyond words when 7pm rolls around and it’s time for their toddlers to march off to bed – their little eyelids are so heavy that they practically fall asleep before even nuzzling up to their pillows. Such peaceful angels. Such deep sleep. Such quiet evenings for the parents. It’s enough to make me punch my friends.

Not that it’s their fault. While playing with their kid’s toys, my little Reina waves and bids them goodnight, secure in the knowledge that she has all of her cognitive faculties about her. She is ready for a full evening of games, activities and fun that need not stop for hours. Reina does not subscribe to the belief that parents require or somehow deserve quiet evenings. She’s a night owl.

Normally, this does not bother me much. When my wife, Savvy, gets home from work, she enjoys spending time with Reina and getting her ready for bed. It is their ritual bonding time of sacred acts, such as the brushing of teeth and the reading of books.

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In my teens I was very shy. Standing on the threshold of the “grown- up world,” many things seemed to present insuperable barriers to entry. Getting on a plane by myself, going to the doctor alone (never mind the dentist), cooking a roast dinner for friends - I couldn’t conceive of a time when I would feel comfortable accomplishing even such minor tasks.

I dubbed these terrifying activities “Brave Acts” and strove diligently - if slowly and painfully - to master them. Such was their number that over the years the phrase Brave Acts (always spoken capitalized) became embedded into our family’s vocabulary.

It wasn’t just me who suffered in this way. My brother Chris, sandwiched between two sisters and suffering from classic middle child syndrome, spray-painted his bedroom wallpaper with reinforcing, shiny silver messages: “The Amazing C Cooper,” “DON’T PANIC!” and other wise extracts from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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Ring in the Year of the Tiger

Beijing is gearing up for Spring Festival, China’s biggest holiday, and come February 14, 2010, it’ll be time to celebrate in lao Beijing fashion. Do as the locals do: Bundle up and head to the temple fairs around town.

The tradition of temple fairs extends back a thousand years, and nowadays you’ll find a cornucopia of regional foods, arts and crafts, and traditional performances on display in Beijing. Go back in time to the Qing dynasty, play traditional games, eat fancy treats or get tech-savvy – there’s more to Chinese New Year than the fireworks exploding throughout the city.

Beijing’s Carnival: Chaoyang Park

Dubbed the “International Spring Festival Carnival,” this modern, multicultural temple fair has become a favorite of many Chaoyang residents since it was first held in 2002. As its name indicates, the fair features performers from all over the world.

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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.

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Houhai is a picturesque break from the traffic-jammed streets of Beijing. Once home to court officials, Houhai now boasts some of the city’s best-preserved hutongs, as well as a growing number of trendy restaurants. In winter, the frozen lakes provide a wonderful family playground as Beijingers take to the ice wearing hockey pads or sliding across the lake atop a chair. Houhai also offers up quaint shops selling various knickknacks. From here you’re only a stone’s throw away from historical landmarks like the Drum and Bell Towers. So bundle up and explore Houhai’s alleyways, cultural relics, natural ice rink and delectable pizza spots.

Start by taking a taxi to the Drum & Bell Towers (1). The current Drum Tower dates back to 1800 and was used to tell time during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The Drum Tower holds 25 drums, beaten for visitors every half-hour between 9-11.30am and 2-5pm.

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Wintertime can be chilly, especially if your doors and windows aren’t sealed well. To block off the drafts, make your own door snake. No need to feed this pet – its sole purpose is to guard against the harsh winter wind.

Materials:
Measuring tape
Newspaper
Pencil
Scissors
Fabric
Pins
Needle
Thread
Rice or corn kernels
Heavier fabric or felt for tongue
Two buttons for eyes

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The Travelers
Nenad and Danijela Pavic, and their children Dane (12), Mila (then 9), and Maksim (7).

The Plan
The Pavic family left Beijing for a three-week European tour encompassing three countries and seven cities. Danijela organized the entire trip with some help from Tripadvisor.com.

They began by flying Air China to London. The family stayed in a two-bedroom serviced apartment called Dolphin House, located in Pimblico just three metro stops from city center. The Pavics recommend a ride on the Original Tour bus as the best way to take in all the tourist sights. The kids loved visiting the London Dungeon, walking across Abbey Road (made famous by The Beatles), seeing The Lion King in the West End, as well as the Jack the Ripper walking tour.

  From London, the family flew Easy Jet to Santorini, Greece, where they stayed at Hotel Kamari.

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When Toni Ma reached the age of 33, she knew it was time to start planning for her second child. Already a mother to Eloise (2), Ma would have had another child sooner if not for the pressure of her full-time job. “For me, having a second kid was always the plan,” she said. Her first pregnancy had been relatively easy – Ma conceived in a month, didn’t worry about her health, and worked all the way up to her due date. This time around, Ma is taking control of her health. She claims that if she knew then what she knows now, she would have never been so casual about her first pregnancy. With some help from her physician at Beijing United Family Hospitals (BJU), Ma got a comprehensive health check and the low-down about the second time around.

Everyone Has an Opinion
According to Dr. Warren Brooks, an obstetrician and gynecologist at BJU, the most common mistake potential second-time moms make is listening to untrained people who have little knowledge about the subject but share big opinions.

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Houhai
Argo Best Authentic Greek
Cuisine: Mediterranean
English-language menu: Yes, with some pictures
Kid-friendly food: Filled with tomato, potato and meat dishes. Kids will love almost everything. The kids’ menu has only four choices; cod fillet with fries is the best choice – otherwise stick to the main menu. Try the spanakopita or the Greek-style meatballs. Word of warning: The main servings are quite large so best to share with the family.
Three healthiest items for kids: Chicken kabob, hummus dip, lentil soup
Kid-friendly staff: Staff are polite, speak great English, and are always happy to help.
Bathroom: Clean with a single sit-down toilet.
Kids’ play area: A clean corner with kid-sized tables and chairs, located close to dining tables so parents can watch on. Good quality IKEA soft toys and a few wooden toys.

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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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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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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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Annie’s
Cuisine: Pizza
English-language menu: Yes, with some pictures.
Kid-friendly food: Packed with cheese, carbs, and pseudo-Italian goodness, Annie’s covers all of the kid-friendly bases. The kid’s menu is limited, so best to stick with the main menu. Try the penne carbonara, Hawaiian pizza or spaghetti Bolognese.
Three healthiest items for kids: Bruschetta; tonno pasta with tomato, tuna and peas; ricotta and spinach pizza. Upgrade to large pizzas if the family wants to share.
Kid-friendly staff: Staff speaks decent English and is always happy to chase your kids around the table when the kids get bored.
Bathroom: Clean bathroom with sit-down toilet.
Kids’ play area: The indoor play area (with a cubby house and lots of toys) is clean and sizeable, with enough room to run around. It’s located away from most of the diners, but still within sight.

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Element Fresh
Best Smoothies
Cuisine: Contemporary
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Though the portions aren’t kid-sized, the menu offers many kid-friendly items – a tuna fish sandwich, macaroni and cheese, grilled quesadilla, triple-scoop ice cream bowl.
Three healthiest items for kids: Try the homemade hummus with fresh vegetables and pita bread, the California garden salad and the fresh vegetable wrap with tofu.
Kid-friendly staff: Attentive and courteous English-speaking.
Bathroom: The toilets are located outside the restaurant in the adjoining shopping center. Though there are sit-down toilets, there is no changing table and the bathrooms are not particularly clean. At time of review, the stall doors did not have locks.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: High chairs are available upon request, as well as booths.

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Greek Delicacy
Best Value Greek Food Award
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Non-smoking section: No
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: If they like meat, pita bread and salad, finding a suitable meal should not be a problem.
Three healthiest items for kids: The Caesar Salad, Crete Land Salad and the soup of the day are the healthiest, but not the most adventurous.
Kid-friendly staff: Fairly friendly, but the staff don’t speak English.
Bathroom: Public bathrooms, therefore, no sit-down toilets or changing tables. Also, cleanliness is dependant on whether the bathrooms have been cleaned that day.
Kids’ play area: No play area in the restaurant as such, but the constant ringing and firing noises from the nearby amusement arcade may attract your child’s attention.

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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.

Ganges
Cuisine: Indian
Non-smoking section: No
English-language menu: Yes
General kid-friendliness of menu: This is a good restaurant for the gastronomically adventurous. Spicy dishes can be cooked without the heat upon request (probably a good idea for the young ones).
Kid-friendly staff: They speak English and seemed friendly enough.
Bathroom: Pretty clean with a sit-down toilet. No changing table.
Three healthiest items for kids: Green and Healthy Vegetable Hariyali (veggies in a spinach sauce), mutter pulav (saffron rice with peas), chicken shahi korma (chicken with pineapple in a cream sauce).
Kids’ play area: The toys look like they hadn’t been played with for a while, but there’s a two kids’ tables and chairs, plus books and crayons mixed in with the other toys. Behind the building, there is a small park for kids.

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American Steak and Eggs
Cuisine: American
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Hot dog, chicken burger, grilled cheese sandwich. The kids’ menu is limited (only five items), but the main menu is quite extensive with many “adult” options that kids might like.
Three healthiest items for kids: Spaghetti and meat sauce, chicken burger, and grilled cheese sandwich (kids’ menu). Other options are the chicken fajita, tuna salad sandwich with a side of soup (instead of fries), and vegetable lasagna.
Staff: Speaks English
Bathroom: Sit-down toilet but no change table. Semi-clean.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: No booths, stools, or couches. Limited highchairs. Outdoor seating in the summer.
Atmosphere: Cozy, bordering on crowded. Décor is a little outdated.
Average price: RMB 200

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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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Usually when moms gather together, most of the chatter revolves around their children, and rightfully so – other parents are a great source of sympathy, advice and camaraderie. But Varvara Shavrova, a full-time studio artist and the mother of two sons (ages 12 and 8), isn’t interested in this sort of socializing.

“I want to talk about life – what have you done, what film have you seen, what book are you reading,” says the Russian native who has lived in Beijing for almost five years.

Shavrova is the force behind a new sort of socializing group for mothers in the capital, the cheekily named Beijing Bad Moms, an idea that has been in the making for the past three years but only came to fruition last March.

The idea struck her when she and her children attended the birthday party of one of her friend’s daughters at The Vineyard Café.

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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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Travelers
Steve Morison, Emily Allen, and their daughter Talia (9)

The Plan
The Morison/Allen family flew China Southern Airline to Hanoi, Vietnam. Upon arrival they checked into the Thu Giang Guesthouse in the Old Quarter. The guesthouse was clean and airy and set them back a mere USD 15 a night. After a few days of soaking up the local culture, the family purchased three berths on an overnight train and headed to the central Vietnamese cities of Hue and Hoi An. During their train trips they were treated to views of rice paddies and water buffalo. Once in Hue, they visited the walled remains of the old imperial compound, called the Forbidden Purple City, located just north of the Perfume River. While in Hue the family stayed at the Halo Guesthouse, they loved how welcoming the owner was. The room, which had a spacious bathroom and a comfortable balcony, cost USD 15/night.

The Best Part
The family loved all of the amazing food.

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