Daily 11.30am-11pm. 59 Wudaoying Hutong (100m west of Vineyard Café), Dongcheng District (8403 974) 东城区五道营胡同59号

Café Zarah
Cuisine: Cafe
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: The simple breakfast and café fare – waffles, baguettes and pasta – has big kid appeal.
Three healthiest items for kids: The “Good morning Beijing” breakfast, penne bolognaise, baked baguette with cherry tomatoes.
Kid-friendly staff: Friendly staff. Limited English.
Bathroom: Clean bathroom. No other facilities.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: Chairs and tables.
Average price: RMB 130
Parking: Street parking, but difficult to find a space.
Credit card: No
Atmosphere: Relaxed
Must-order item: “Good morning Beijing” breakfast and waffles with Nutella
In a nutshell: Light and healthy café food with a casual vibe. Great for breakfasts or a quick bite with the kids. AS

Daily 9.30am-midnight. 42 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (8403 9807) 东城区鼓楼东大街42号

Fish Nation
Cuisine: European (English)
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Lots of kid-friendly menu offerings: pizzas, pastas, bangers and mash
Three healthiest items for kids: Fish and chips, soups and salads.
Kid-friendly staff: Friendly staff. Some English spoken.
Bathroom: Clean sit-down toilets. No other facilities.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: Chairs, sofa. Highchairs available
Average price: RMB 200
Parking: No
Credit card: Yes
Atmosphere: Relaxed and cozy.
Must-order item: Fish and chips (try the set meal of fish and chips, Greek salad and apple pie).
In a nutshell: Beijing’s original and best fish and chips. A comfort food pit-stop when you’ve walked down too many hutongs. AS

Sun-Thu 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 10am-1.30am. 31 Nanluogu Xiang (near Jiaodaokou), Dongcheng District (6401 3249) 东城区交道口南锣鼓巷31号 Sanlitun location not recommended for children.

Fu Ku Sichuan Restaurant
Best Sichuan Food
Cuisine: Chinese (Sichuan)
Non-smoking section: No
English-language menu: No, but there are useful photos on the menu – just point.
Kid-friendly food: Set aside the assumption that Sichuan cuisine will cause burning mouths and red faces – Fu Ku’s dishes are quite tame and are suitable for children.
Three healthiest items for kids: The beef curry with butter pancakes, the eggplant, and the mashed corn with mango are healthy options.
Kid-friendly staff: The staff are friendly, but don’t speak a word of English.
Bathroom: For a hutong restaurant, the toilets are surprisingly clean, but don’t expect a sit-down toilet and changing table.
Kids’ play area: None, but there is a view over Houhai Lake.
Seating: Indoor chairs and tables only.
Average price: RMB 200
Parking: Limited parking space, but they will save you a space if you make a reservation.
Credit card: Yes
Atmosphere: Interestingly, Fu Ku resembles a Mediterranean courtyard with stone walls and wicker chairs – very comfortable, but with an air of sophistication.
Must-order item: Try “The Sun Shines Brighter” – a great name for a great shrimp dish (RMB 55).
In a nutshell: Fu Ku is a fantastic restaurant in impressive surroundings that offers a successful blend of traditional and modern approaches to China’s fiery cooking style. NF

Daily 9.30am-10pm. 4A Binhe Hutong, Deshengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District (6402 4093) 西城区德内 大街滨河胡同甲4号

Hutong Pizza
Best Vibe
Cuisine: Pizza
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Delicious square-cut pizzas, pasta, salads and burgers.
Three healthiest items for kids: Vegetarian pizza, lasagna, jacket potatoes
Kid-friendly staff: Friendly staff, some English spoken.
Bathroom: Clean bathroom but no other facilities.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: Chairs. Highchairs for kids.
Average price: RMB 200
Parking: No – difficult to access with car.
Credit card: No
Atmosphere: Cozy courtyard.
Must-order item: Pizza
In a nutshell: Legendary pizzas in a charming hutong courtyard. AS

Daily 11am-11pm. 9 Yindingqiao Hutong, Xicheng District (8322 8916) 西城区银锭桥胡同9号

Vineyard Cafe
Cuisine: Cafe
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Lots of kid-friendly menu offerings from pizzas and pastas to bangers and mash.
Three healthiest items for kids: Salmon fishcake, lamb cutlets with veggies on side, spaghetti with meatballs.
Kid-friendly staff: Friendly staff, some English spoken.
Bathroom: Clean sit-down toilet.
Kids’ play area: N/A
Seating: Chairs. Highchairs for kids.
Average price: RMB 375
Parking: No
Credit card: Yes
Atmosphere: Relaxed, airy and clean.
Must-order item: Pizzas are excellent!
In a nutshell: Great comfort food for the whole family in a relaxed and cozy hutong setting. AS

Tue-Sun 11.30am-10.30pm. 31 Wudaoying Hutong (just north of the Confucius temple), Dongcheng District (6402 7961) 东城区五道营胡同31号

A whole new life

Looking at my bump, people thought I was having a boy, but I had a feeling I would have a girl. I felt great during pregnancy. I was healthy and enjoyed being pregnant. I’d read that you don’t need to eat for two so I consciously tried to eat well, and in my job, I kept mobile. That helped too. I had a little bit of queasiness in the first few months but nothing major. And no cravings for food – very boring!

In the months leading up to the birth, I wondered, “What will her personality be like?” I did lots of reading and also went to the childbirth classes at BJU which were really helpful. I talked to friends that had been through it. I think I read more about the birth than what to do afterwards. Thank goodness my mum was there to help.

Mo, my husband, was brilliant. He was the only one who changed Sophie’s nappies in the first few weeks. My labor with Sophie was about 14 hours. It was pretty relaxed at the beginning, but then it got really painful.

I like to think that my exercising during pregnancy helped – I was swimming two or three times a week right up to her birth. During the delivery, Dr. Brooks, Kathy (a trained midwife) and my husband were by my side – they were a huge support.

The biggest surprise for me so far has been that babies don’t know how to sleep. I’d read that babies sleep all the time but mine didn’t! I used to dread the hours after bath time, wondering when would she learn to sleep … but she did. We followed some of the Gina Ford method, doing the whole sleep routine consistently from the first day back from hospital – it was tough at the start but after three weeks she was fine.

Breastfeeding was also difficult in the early weeks, so I got some help from La Leche League and a lactation consultant, Bronwyn Smith, visited me at home. I can see why so many women give up breastfeeding in the early months – it can be painful if you don’t get help early on.

For new mums-to-be, I’d say: Read as much as you can, ask questions and be prepared to get some advice, especially about breastfeeding. As Westerners, I think we have a “gung-ho” tendency not to reach out for help sometimes. I talked to experienced friends, my mum gurus and I also made some new mum friends through my pre-natal yoga group and weekly mother/baby group. You can say, “My baby’s not sleeping” and friends will say, “My baby’s not sleeping either,” and you feel much better.

Since becoming a mum, I now understand how all-consuming it is. I respect all mums. I appreciate my mum so much now. Everyone has a mum that’s done so much for them. I’d never really thought of that before. And seeing Sophie’s first smiles in the morning … I could look at her all day. I’m willingly letting her take over my life. As told to Angela Snowball.

Jennie Grierson is the mother of Sophie Ke-Ying.