The worldwide pandemic might be slowing down inbound visitors and new expats to China, but we’re still meeting new people and seeing fresh faces around Beijing. So let’s meet these new ‘kids’ on the block!

I was super excited when I first heard about Angie Chan. She had signed up to be on the Jingkids International Parent Board and had introduced herself as being from Indonesia, where I had also lived before Beijing. But what got me most excited? She bakes! Not just your usual cookies and cakes, but a very specific and special cake that only those who have traveled to the far reaches of Southeast Asia would appreciate – the pandan cake. Made from pandan leaf extract, a plant indigenous to the region, and enriched with coconut milk, this chiffon cake is fluffy yet moist, light, and entirely unique in its taste.

Now that we have established my love of pandan cake, let us give Angie, aka the Chiffon Lady, and her family a proper Beijing welcome!

My name is Angie, I’m from Indonesia. I met my Malaysian husband in the beautiful island of Bali and got married seven years ago. We have been living in Hong Kong, Shanghai and now, Beijing. He is working in the airline industry, managing the business for the North Asia region. My 6-year-old son is studying in the British School of Beijing in Sanlitun (BSB, Sanlitun). I’m a full-time mom who loves baking and crafting.

What has been the best thing about arriving in Beijing?
New city means another new adventure for us. We are excited to explore what the city has to offer. Meeting new people, experiencing new food.

Since you were living in Shanghai before, how similar/different does it feel?
Lots of people like to compare Shanghai and Beijing. For us, both cities are equally charming and each has its own uniqueness. Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city with ancient accents and Beijing is a charming historical city with modern accents. However, since we arrived in late August, we have been blessed with plenty of clear blue skies and generally great weather. One difference between the two cities is that air in Beijing is drier whilst in Shanghai, it’s more humid. We are grateful that we have the opportunity to experience life in both cities!

How is the family fitting in?
My husband is used to moving around every few years and he has been relocated so many times due to his job’s nature. He has no difficulty to adjust to a new place and have been traveling to Beijing regularly for many years. As for my son, we made sure that we relocated before the new school term started so he won’t miss first day of school, because I think it would allow him to familiarize with new environment, adapt to new school routine, and mingle with classmates.

How are you taking care of yourself through this transition?
For me, building support system around me wherever I live is very important. I was fortunate to have an Indonesian family as my neighbor when I arrived Beijing who introduce me to the other fellow countrymen who are also living in the city. I’m also active in the parent’s group at my son’s school. In the meantime, I continue to pursue my passion in baking and crafting.

We noticed you already set up a baked goods business! Is this something that you do in every city you move to? Do you have to change the recipe to suit the local taste?
This small home business was started one and a half years ago because I missed the baked pastries from my hometown and I could not fly back home due to the pandemic. At that time, I could not find pandan chiffon cake in any bakery in Shanghai. I decided to bake some from scratch, shared my creation with my friends, and posted it on my WeChat moments. The recipe was fine-tuned through trial and error. Soon, lots of people that I know were thrilled and they “forced” me to sell it because they missed it too. I received good responses because I keep the recipe authentic and use only natural ingredients with no artificial flavoring nor preservatives.

I now have various flavors of Chiffon cake besides pandan such as orange, Earl Grey, etc., and continue to experiment with new flavors from time to time.

What are you most excited about in Beijing?
I’m excited to explore lots of historical and natural scenic spots that are available in Beijing and its surroundings. Born and raised in a country that only has summer all-year-around, I am also as excited as my son to play in the snow during winter and I’m currently learning how to ski. Being in Beijing will also allow me to visit nearby cities like Tianjin, Qingdao, Harbin, and many more.

What are your plans for the summer?
I hope we can travel back to our hometown. I miss my family and I’m very sure lots of people are feeling the same. Otherwise, if that is not happening, we will definitely be traveling within China as well as exploring parts of Beijing that we have still yet to visit.

If you would like to sample the delicious culinary creation that is pandan cake, scan the QR code below to order from Angie!

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Images: Courtesy of Angie Chan

[To the tune of “The Christmas Song”]
“Cupcakes baking in the toaster oven
Donut frosting on your nose…”

Mmm mmm mmm! You don’t need a Christmas tree or shiny decorations to get all warm and fuzzy inside, all you need are these delicious Christmas goodies in your belly. From DIY cupcakes to a cuppa with Santa’s face, we’ve got enough sugar for the whole family!

Day Off Magic House

Located in Sanlitun, this charming little DIY cafe is all decked out for the season and offers scrumptious-looking cupcakes in Christmas colors and characters. Here, you’re welcome to decorate your own cupcakes with butter frosting, and can also DIY crafts like phone cases and rings. Talk about a one-stop shop for an afternoon of fun with the kids! It’ll cost around RMB 160 for six cupcakes or RMB 60 to DIY a craft. Search 半日魔法屋 (hannichi mahou ya) on Dianping to pre-book your class.

千浔DIY Bakery & More

This self-professed DIY bakery expands on the Christmas goodies, from macarons to a gingerbread house. Located in Shuangjing, they offer classes for kids and adults alike, starting from RMB 68 for a basic biscuits class to RMB 348 for a two-person Christmas cake class. Search 千浔(qiān xún)Bakery on Dianping to pre-book your class.

POLABERRY Amsterdam

If DIY isn’t your thing, we’ve got you covered as well, chocolate-covered that is! This dessert cafe specializes in chocolate-covered strawberries, which look almost too beautiful to eat. You can have them with tea at their cafe premises not far from QingFeng park in downtown Beijing, or order them in sets of nine, 12, 16, and even 56, for delivery on Meituan. These will make a great last-minute gift if you’ve got a Christmas party and don’t want to show up empty-handed, or if you want a dessert that’s as pretty as it is tasty for after Christmas dinner this weekend! They even offer customized designs for special occasions, such as their limited edition Christmas Package for RMB 539, which consists of 23 handmade Santa-themed chocolate-covered strawberries. At the time of writing, this package is still available for Christmas Day delivery. Call or add 173 1614 5967 on WeChat to order.

喜上田 (xǐ shàng tián) Sweet Tooth

If you’re ever in need of a dessert caterer for a big party, this would be the place to call, given that they offer packages for 120 cupcakes (RMB 2,280) on Dianping and Meituan. Their store in JianWai SOHO seems similarly built for large groups as well, considering their tea time packages are set for 16-18 people (RMB 650), or a smaller group of six to eight (RMB 398). Currently, their offerings in the way of Christmas are eclairs (RMB 248 for 12), Christmas greeting cookies that spell out Merry Christmas (RMB 268 for 16), fruit tarts (RMB 388 for 24), and cupcakes (RMB 218 for six). Search the store in Meituan or Dianping to order.

Tim Hortons

Canada’s favorite coffee chain has quite the following here in Beijing, and it’s easy to see why. If their regular menu Tim Bits weren’t already your kids’ (as well as your) favorite sweet treat, their limited edition Christmas log cakes and Santa donuts certainly will be! With outlets all over the city and their recent entry into the waimai market, it’ll be easy to get your caffeine fix to keep up with the kids on their sugar high.

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Images: Dianping, courtesy of the vendors

As a long-time expat here, there are a few landmarks that immediately trigger the comfort sigh. One of those is The South German Bakery on Lucky Street. It’s a stalwart feature of that strip and the best place in Beijing for real cheesecake.

Lucky Street is the short strip of shops on the west side of the road off of Liangmaqiao Road before arriving at Solana (on the east side). Within that strip, among other establishments, are several Japanese restaurants, a Korean BBQ, a health food store, a long-standing American bar and, of course, The South German Bakery, also known as Cafe Konstanz and Bodenseestube.

I have known about this place for a long time. I visit about twice a year to ogle over the baked goods but to invariably emerge with nothing more than a slice of their delectable, real, baked cheesecake—a very rare find in the city.

They also have great breads and ready-made sandwiches available, as well as a full restaurant menu and extensive seating upstairs. They are well-known for their weekend brunches, I’m told.

Before leaving, I had a look at the strudel. I’m not German by decent, but this looks like authentic strudel to me. I didn’t buy any, though. Not this time. Maybe in the spring I’ll be more adventurous and emerge with more than just cheesecake! Until then, I am heading home for some comfort food.

Photos: Courtesy of Ember Swift

One of the nice things about Beijing is that there are always new things to discover. On my recent outing to the International Newcomers Network (INN) monthly meeting, I bumped into Jonathan Ellis, a man whose business card pegged him simply as Baker. Fortunately for Beijingites, this “baker” is also the purveyor of Big Bear Baked Goods, i.e. cookies, pastries, pies, and confections. Frankly, it was difficult for me not to be ensnared by Jonathan’s table at INN because of the numerous bags of chocolate chip cookies for sale and the plate of free samples. But for my gluten intolerance, I would have gorged on the samples until he was forced to beat me away with a spatula. Instead, I opted to buy a bag to surprise my darlings back home.

When asked about the possibility of gluten-free options, Jonathan told me not to despair as he had heard the anguished pleas of others in my predicament and was formulating his own gluten-free recipes. Although he could not tell me exactly when his own gluten-free options would be available, I’ll be keeping an eye on his website, www.bigbearbakedgoods.com to see what he whips up. He mentioned that his website is being overhauled, so if you have any questions or want to place an order, you can also email him at bigbearbakedgoods@gmail.com.

As for the cookies I took home, they were eagerly consumed by my lovelies who seemed irked I hadn’t brought more. Fortunately, Jonathan will continue to bake so I don’t have to.

Photo courtesy of Fristle (Flickr)