This new family-friendly eatery opened its doors about a month ago, close to the South Gate of Chaoyang Park. I had to take my four-year-old to check out just how family-friendly it really is. I was surprised by the very light and abstract interior. I adore yellow, and cool designs, so this restaurant was a treat for my eye.

Nathan Zhang has left the hutongs and opened Cravings as a more family-friendly establishment – and it shows. It has a great kids’ area; it’s a bit difficult even to enter as an adult. The kids’ corner has a ball pit, books, plenty of cool toys and a cute toy kitchen. The bathroom is created for parents and toddlers, with a special kids’ toilet situated next to the adult throne. My daughter thought this was a pretty epic thing, and wanted to spend 20 minutes “hanging out” in the loo. The restaurant is kitted out with air purifiers to keep it a safe space on bad air days.

Cravings has a kids menu and we ordered the fish and chips which comes with a juice and a big plate of fresh fruit. I ordered the avocado and smoked salmon toast and not only was it a feast for the eye, it was a feast in my mouth. The egg was perfectly cooked and the sour dough was crispy, just how I like it. My daughter actually ate a lot of the fruit on her fruit plate, which is a huge plus in my book. Then I savored their signature dessert with marshmallow and pickled fruit; my toddler was busy in the play area so I got to enjoy that all by myself. Cravings did have some mixed reviews. This made me wonder what makes for a good eating spot with kids? My daughter and I had a great lunch where she was as entertained and happy as I was, and this is a winning combination in my book. Click here to find Cravings.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt

Feast at EAST hotel is top of our list for kid-friendly brunches in the city. I have written before about their fabulous escape-proof kids’ room that they set up every weekend for the brunch. Great news! The kids’ room has been revamped and is here to stay, every day of the week. Lunch, dinner and afternoon tea are now all family-friendly events at Feast.

Lunch dates with kids have just gotten a whole lot more fun. What is even better, is that EAST hotel is a clean air zone. Get ready to spend some bad air days inside Feast, having a lazy lunch with mommy friends while the kids play in their new playroom. Feast is offering a great deal till the end of this month (November 30): dinner for adults priced at RMB 145 instead of RMB 245. Order your main course a la carte, and check out the buffet for salads, cold cuts and delicious starters. Kids under 6 eat free, and 7 to 12 year olds pay half price.

The kids room is kitted out with bouncy horses, tents, dolls, rides, giant teddy bears and many more fun toys. After all the toys have been tested, kids can relax in the TV corner with child-friendly shows and movies. We especially love the giant mural with its life-size jungle animals.

For more information on how to find EAST hotel and to make reservations check out their website here.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt, EAST hotel

Despite its name, Beersmith Gastropub has not only many different beers but also lunch flavors that will delight the palates of the family. The Grilled Salmon Fillet and Baby Spinach Salad bowl (shown in the featured photo) that I had last time I visited Beersmith was tasty and just fantastic for a RMB 88 lunch set. I also couldn’t stop munching on French fries while waiting for that big serving of Wagyu Beef & Cheese Burger with Semi Dried Tomato Aioli. The feast doesn’t end there as their weekend brunch menu has eggs prepared in various ways!

And speaking of brunch, tomorrow and on Sunday, Beersmith adds a jazzy feel to the family’s dining experience (and also hoping that the blue skies will continue this weekend). 京Sing (Jing Sing), Beijing’s top a capella group, will serenade everyone with a repertoire of delightful classic jazz and pop music – from Maori lullabies to Disney tunes that will surely captivate the young ones and the young at heart.

What’s more, the whole restaurant is large and spacious and offers a picturesque view of neighboring Big Pants, aka CCTV Headquarters. And make the most of the day! China New World Mall is just there right after you exit Beersmith.

Brunch-Appella at Beersmith Gastropub, Aug 26-27
All ages. RMB 198 per person, price includes a four-course meal, one Beersmith beer and one Little Creatures beer. 1/F, Hotel Jen, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街1号 (6505 2277)

Photos: Courtesy of Beersmith Gastropub

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Email: andypenafuerte@beijing-kids.com
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If you ever had the chance to go out to dinner with a group of Italians you will know this is not easy. In Holland we agree to have pizza, we all stand up and walk to the door, and go to the restaurant. Easy as pizza pie. It doesn’t work like that in southern Italy, where my husband comes from.

I remember the first time we agreed to eat pizza with the family. I basically stood up and put on my coat and wanted to leave. Turns out this is not how it happens. The restaurant needs to be debated, eat in or take away needs to be discussed, and many other things I did not understand. Fast forward to two hours later, we were still not in the restaurant and I was hangry. How do you get a group of Italians to come to a restaurant quickly? After five years of marriage to a Italian man I still have no answer.

The only real solution was moving to Beijing, where there is a very limited choice of Italian restaurants so the discussion is not as complicated. For this weekend’s “No Cook Sunday” I decided to take my small half-Italian child to the new Bottega restaurant, which is very conveniently located a short ride from my home. It was their opening party and we did not want to miss it. We bumped into our Italian family friends, and had a big family lunch at Bottega.

We loved the open space of the restaurant and the terrace at the front; there’s enough space for kids to run around. The restaurant has a changing area and highchairs for kids. They also provide place mats kids can draw on, and pencils. This is always a huge hit with my four year old as she is obsessed with drawing (on anything).

I totally listened to Luigi, the head of the Italian family I was having lunch with, as they know best about food. I was not let down; we ordered pizzas galore and even a deep fried calzone pizza. Save this dish for your cheat day, it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Our kids had pasta and desserts with gelato. They played outside with a cardboard box and we drank some daytime spritz. I think its incredible that I have to move to China to feel a bit more relaxed: a bit less Dutch and maybe a bit more Italian.  Bottega made that happen for me, and I won’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant to all the families living in Beijing.

For more information on opening times and locations click here.

Photos: Bottega and Pauline

Now I don’t live near the hutongs, nor do I enjoy venturing out to this area. The fear of public hutong bathrooms is enough to keep me in my safe Sanlitun bubble, but there is fun stuff in the hutongs, and last week I took my daughter to the Rumble in the Jumble market at Hot Cat. I wanted to take her out for a bit of lunch somewhere, and the restaurant Ramo was suggested to me.

We entered a colorful establishment, and it looked sturdy enough for a four-year-old. The menu has different options from breakfasts to salads, flatbread, and pizza. The pizza can be served by the slice which is great as I did not feel like pizza, but my daughter did. She can’t devour a whole pizza by herself yet, so the two slices were perfect for her small belly.

I had a flatbread with hummus to share with my daughter, and it was surprisingly good, smeared with hummus, pickles, and onions over roasted tomatoes. Then we both devoured a portion of poutine. I never had this special Canadian dish, so I decided to indulge myself while on our hutong adventure.

Poutine is a dish of french fries topped with cheese curds, and brown gravy. This belly warming dish hails from Quebec and is found all around Canada at diners; there are even whole restaurants themed around this dish.

Ramo has a toilet on-site which is a big plus in my book. You order at the counter, and they deliver the food to your table. I found the food was priced reasonably and would take my toddler back for some hummus flatbread for sure. Are there any other places you like to visit with kids in the hutongs? Please let us know by commenting at the bottom or by WeChat.

Palms L.A kitchen and bar is a big favorite of mine because it’s so close to my home, and has delicious food, a fusion of Mexican and Korean cuisines. I usually take my 4 year old and she enjoys the food. There is no specific kids’ menu, but they easily adjust dishes and spiciness, and the restaurant does have high chairs and plastic cutlery.

I usually order the soft tacos or quesadilla for our daughter, and I always have the kimchi fritters: one of my favorite inventions which I have found at the restaurant. The dessert menu has pancakes with home made dulce de leche, and churros with chocolate sauce which we tried and is a new hit. Sometimes there is a Tres Leches cake and it’s just like I remember this Latin dessert tasting.

When the air is good and the sun is out we like to have lunch on the terrace and enjoy the first warmth of the spring. There’s no kids area to play in, or anything to entertain them, but some pebbles on the dirty floor. There is no fast road close by though so it’s perfectly safe to have some old school fun, and a modern twist on favorite dishes.

PALMS has two locations, in Liangmaqiao and Gulou. They have regular happy hours for date night or a great mommies night out. The service is fast and friendly and most of the employees speak fluent English which is a big plus in my book.

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of last year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt

It was a cold and windy day. Always on the lookout for new family-friendly eats, my daughter and I ventured out to The Daily Bagel. The cold never bothered us anyway! The Daily Bagel is situated in FX hotel by the Liangma flower market. The hotel entrance not stroller friendly but with a bit of a push you can make it inside. The Daily Bagel has two little tables and a window seat, as it occupies a small area. But the friendliness of the employees makes up for the space lost. They had offered us a baby chair, but since my toddler is a “big girl”, we did not need one. I could not find any nappy changing facilities in the toilet, or the hotel lobby.

The menu is short and sweet; my daughter enjoyed a salmon and cream cheese bagel while I had cappuccino and an everything bagel with cheese, bacon and egg. The bagels satisfied our hunger and the warm coffee hit the spot. I remember my daughter having one of those fun days when she was playing with a shadow on the floor and sat still on a chair and ate the bagel. We don’t have those days very often (usually she messes with our surroundings) so I enjoyed the moment I could sip my drink warm and chat with another adult, the shop owner. She had us try some flavored bagels, like ones with chocolate, orange and cinnamon, raisin.

If you are around the neighborhood with one toddler who is having a good day, I would suggest to pop by The Daily Bagel and have a fresh from the oven bagel and warm coffee. But if you have boiterous kids, that need a ball pit to be entertained, order a Daily Bagel on Sherpa. Or even better, if you have mommy morning for yourself try heading out for a bagel and the flower market.

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June 2016. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

School dinners stir up fond memories for some, recurring nightmares for others. In England, school dinners of the 70s and 80s probably brought out the lardiest, cheapest, most processed school dinners of all time. Yet it’s today that parents are battling over the lack of healthy meals served at schools. My parents wouldn’t let me take home lunch, kids had to have a hot meal during the school day. For younger kids, I do agree with this adage.

There are many dishes from my school days that are still vivid in my mind. Mashed potato was always served in a perfectly round ball. It was lumpy, yet perfectly spherical. Chicken curry would be made with curry powder and tons of raisins, cottage pie would always contain more peas than meat in the filling, and baked beans were served with everything. Schools in the 80s thought baked beans were a food group in their own right. Desserts were memorable too, but not for the right reasons. Custard with skin so thick you could cut it with a knife. On Friday the custard would be pink. Ladled over treacle pudding, spotted dick, or jam roly poly, the only “light” dessert on offer was rice pudding.

I’m sure every country has had its share of less than appetizing school meals over the years. Traditionally, schools had their own kitchens and most meals were cooked on-site. Globally there has been a shift towards contracting out catering services to private companies, where ingredients are cheaper and preparation is easier. In England meals must now include one or more portions of vegetables or salad every day and no more than two portions of fried foods or pastry-based foods each week. There’s an emphasis on wholegrain foods in place of refined carbohydrates too.

Most of Beijing’s international schools contract out their catering services. Dulwich College Beijing and International School of Beijing use Chartwells. Early Years Students have a set menu which is served at the table. Consisting of raw vegetables, fruits, and mixed salads, a choice of western and Asian main dishes served with hot vegetables and carbohydrate, one low sugar dessert, and water. Junior School Students are given a similar set menu but sandwich options are also available. The Senior School menu allows students a wide variety of choices from a number of counters, including a live cooking station, Asian station, Italian Corner, and sandwich deli bar.

Canadian International School of Beijing provides a range of meals by Sodexo. Menu selections feature western and Chinese dishes, including buffet, set meals, salads, juices, and a snack bar. For kindergarten, set meals are provided, and a daily soup is served with every set meal. Western Academy of Beijing food provider is Aramark, and students have the option of buying lunches or bringing their own. Lunch cost RMB 20-30, and students can choose from a wide range of international cuisine from various outlets within the school. There’s a daily western set, Chinese set, and vegetarian set menu, plus vegetable sides, one starch, and steamed rice. Deli sandwiches and a salad bar are also available.

Harrow International School Beijing provides lunches for all students and unlike most international schools, the cost is included within the overall fee structure. There is a choice of western, Asian, and vegetarian options together with soup and salads. They have a range of desserts, which include bread pudding, apple pie, and brownies. What all of these schools have in common, is the only drinks available for younger age groups are water or milk. The UK, US and some European countries are currently facing an uphill battle trying to encourage children to drink far less juice and other sugary, carbonated drinks. Even diluted juice still contains far too much sugar, which is bad for their health and teeth.

Whilst English school dinners have come a long way since lumpy mash and spam fritters, I still think my kids are eating a far healthier more balanced diet here in Beijing. Let’s hope the good eating habits they have now, stay with them throughout their childhood.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Cheshire East Council, whitebuffalobk (Flickr), courtesy of CISB

Another new restaurant at Pinnacle Plaza has opened its doors. Tapas Plus is a welcome addition to the ever-expanding range of eateries in this part of Shunyi. The restaurant has a bright and airy setting, decorated in simple black and white hues with a conservatory feel.

The kitchen sits in the center, with the restaurant wrapped around it. The air conditioning was on, but as it was one of those rare great air days, it would have been nice to have had some of the many windows open instead. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and happy to recommend the right number of dishes for feeding three ladies at lunchtime.

My dining companions felt that the white plastic tables did lend a certain canteen feel to the interior, and that it could have benefitted from some injection of color, perhaps in the choice of seating cushions.

Whilst perusing the menu, we were served breadsticks wrapped in Parma ham alongside some olives. The breadsticks would have been enhanced by a dip, but the olives were delicious. We ordered patatas bravas (RMB 30), which was wonderfully spicy with a rich garlic and tomato sauce. The potatoes could have been cooked a little longer, but the combination of flavors was spot on.

The grilled flat mushrooms (RMB 35) were firm and full of the flavor of garlic and herbs. Cod fritters were incredibly light and fluffy, not at all oily, although a little more cod-to-potato ratio would have improved them further. The accompanying aioli was perfect. An anchovy and olive tapenade was a little firm in texture, but nicely tart and salty and went well with the grilled bread. We had ordered the buffalo asparagus with walnut pesto, but unfortunately it didn’t arrive.

Other dishes include beef spring rolls with guacamole and mint aioli, marinated lamb kebabs with tzatziki, friend egg, chorizo and potato tart, pork meatballs, prawn ceviche, and crab terrine, with dishes ranging from RMB 30-80.There are a few soups to choose from, including gazpacho and chilled white almond. A tapas restaurant wouldn’t be authentic without paella on the menu. Choose from shrimp, mussel, green peas, and chorizo, or chicken, green peas, and asparagus, RMB 180 for two people.The menu has a good balance of meat, fish and vegetable dishes, and the sharing concept of tapas should prove to be a hit amongst the expat and local community.

Portion sizes were perfect for a lunch. If we had ordered dessert, the options were panna cotta, crema catalona or lemon blueberry tartlet. At RMB 50-58, they are a little on the expensive side. Wine can be had by the glass for RMB 48-58 for a Sauvignon Blanc or Tempranillo, with bottles at RMB 200-400. There are a choice of beers, soft drinks, fresh juices, fruit teas, and coffees.

The big disappointment with Tapas Plus is that it has no bathroom. There is a sink for washing your hands, but if you’re dining here with little ones, you’ll have to head off out across the plaza in search of a public toilet or smile sweetly at the staff in Burger King. I don’t know whether it’s a lack of sewage pipe network, restaurants not wanting to set aside space for a bathroom, or assuming that we like the whole communal toilet experience. If Tapas Plus had worked with its neighbor Loft Eatalicious, I’m sure they could have installed something at that location. 

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photo by Sally Wilson