United Family Healthcare’s Dental Clinic in Shunyi will reopen on Monday November 6, following a recent rash of business closures at Pinnacle Plaza.

Pinnacle Plaza is an important resource for the international community in Shunyi, housing popular restaurants and cafes and a supermarket as well as the dental clinic. So the action by the Fire Department which led to the closures has been a matter of concern and speculation.

We understand that the problem is related to structural issues with some of the buildings. United Family Healthcare told us that their roof had required repairs. We approached Pinnacle Plaza’s management company for comment, but they denied any businesses had closed at all, and asked us not to write about the issue.

At present most businesses are still open, including Jenny Wang’s supermarket, but we advise you to check with your destination before setting out, to avoid disappointment. We will update this story as we receive further information.

JUICE by Melissa

A cold pressed juice and super food café, JUICE by Melisaa has now opened an outlet in Shunyi. Cold pressing is a two step process that gently grinds the produce into a fine pulp and produces raw cold pressed juice. Extremely refreshing, this raw juice is packed with wholesome ingredients that gives the body a nutrient boost, like an instant health-hit to the bloodstream.

Apart from offering lip-smacking, healthy juices, their extensive menu also has Juice Cleanses, Smoothies, Fit Foods and Coffee. Their products are made fresh daily in their store and packaged in PET plastic that’s completely BPA free. They also boast of a menu that’s developed by nutritionists and organic raw food chefs, using triple washed fruits and veggies. The healthy-living advocates in Shunyi are already flocking to this beautiful new retail store. Give it try and catch your breath in their sleek seating area, while sipping one of their thirst-quenching juices after a workout or run perhaps!

JUICE by Melissa, Weekdays, 7am-9pm. Sat and Sun, 9am-9pm. No. 702 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu, Shunyi District (+86 131 6125 8664)

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts has been America’s favorite every day, all-day stop for Coffee and delicious Donuts for years. Now you have access to that great taste right here in Shunyi, without reminiscing about the last time you had one! It was one of the most awaited store openings in Pinnacle Plaza. Dunkin’ Donuts has die hard followers everywhere in the world, and it’s no surprise that it’s an instant hit here, even with the youngsters.

With over fifteen varieties of donuts to choose from, everyone is sure to find one that satisfies their sweet-tooth craving. Next time you go out for a meal around pinnacle plaza, why not make a dessert and coffee pit-stop at the new Dunkin’ Donuts to see for yourself, what all this fuss is about!

Coming soon! A few more retail stores including a Spa and Tea Club are set to open in Pinnacle Plaza in the next few months. We’ll keep you posted as and when they do!

Photo Courstesy: Anjana Kainikkara

Fancy kicking off the spring with a nice run followed by healthy nourishment? Do it Sunday (Mar 13) with Juice By Melissa‘s latest "ambassador" and Beijing celebrity chef Rob Cunningham, who will be leading an 8k run followed by a lunch special at the brand’s Xinzhong Jie shop.

Cunningham, Executive Chef of East Hotel, is fresh off victories in the Beijinger’s 2016 Reader Restaurant Awards where he won Outstanding Chef accolades from readers and the Best Chef award from a jury of his peers. He’s currently on a 21-day juice diet designed by the juice bar and will be leading the run along with founder Melissa McKenna at 10am.

The event starts from the Dongzhimen store, heads to Chaoyang Park and ends back at Juice by Melissa for lunch, with a 15% off discount for runners.

Meanwhile, Shunyi residents feeling their pants getting tighter in the wake of Dunkin Donutsopening at the end of February will be relieved to hear that Juice By Melissa will open its second shop and first in Shunyi on March 19 at Pinnacle Plaza.

The Shunyi store’s offerings will be essentially the same to those available in town. That means cold-pressed juices and nut milks, with a menu chock full of delicious yet healthful blends that make the most of hero ingredients like fresh turmeric and raw cacao. Classic cleanses start at RMB 360 per day and they have a range of packages available to fit all requirements.

For those who enjoy a bit of a tipple, Juice By Melissa also offers organic wine and a selection of cocktails made with those signature juices. The Shunyi location will also be offering their gluten-free and vegan food menu.

Opening festivities begin Saturday, March 19 at 9am, with free samples and prizes available throughout the day until closing time at 9pm. On Mar 29, the shop will host a an entirely vegan meal designed by Cunningham. 

Juice By Melissa, Shunyi
702 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu, Shunyi District, Beijing
顺义区天竺开发区裕翔路99号荣祥广场702

– Robynne Tindall contributed to this report.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on March 11, 2016.

 Photos: Courtesy of Juice by Melissa and Uni You

The summer months are guaranteed to bring with them changes in the Shunyi area. Places close, others open up, and some undergo refurbishments, even when they’ve only been open all of five minutes. Marebella Mediterranean Restaurant on Yuyang Street (South Gate of Capital Paradise) is one that has closed its doors for a summer refurbishment. The manager has assured me that it will be open again, and ready for business, just in time for the Shunyi crowds returning from their break. I’m looking forward to (hopefully) enjoying more of their wonderful honey bread served with tapenade and their couscous dishes.

If that’s left you in search of somewhere local to dine, a new restaurant is now open on the second floor of Dulwich College Beijing’s (DCB) West Dome Pavilion, at their Legend Garden campus. The restaurant is called Legend Heights and is open to the whole community, not just Dulwich families. Watch this space for an upcoming review of what’s on their menu. Charcoal, the BBQ smoke and pit restaurant at the west end of Qingyuan Sanjie has a new chef on board. Not only is the venue the home of Arrow Factory Brewing, they also have the biggest BBQ in Shunyi. Their new chef promises original and tasty dishes, plus favorites such as jerk chicken, burgers, and pulled pork. The patio area really is a great spot for dining and sampling their craft beers.

Another closure is the DVD shop at Cathay View Plaza, behind DD’s Market. This is a real shame, as its right next door to where we live. I’m also surprised, as it was always busy with kids and parents stocking up on movie night films. That means another empty unit in this mall area, which had so much promise when it was built a few years back. Rather than closures, Pinnacle Plaza continues to see openings and new development. Behind the restaurant strip that includes Tapas Plus, Blue Elephant, and Lakers, there are buildings going up. After asking around, and finally finding someone who did more than shrug their shoulders, I was told it will be a shopping mall. Let’s hope it’s more successful than Cathay View.

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: Bryan Mills, Ben Tsai (Flickr), courtesy of Charcoal

Beijing’s expatriate community lost one of its finest Wednesday as Mike Murphy, the man who brought the IQAir brand to Beijing, died suddenly at his home in the Lido area.

A resident of Beijing for over a decade, Mike was the very definition of a self-made man. He arrived in 2004 with his pregnant wife, having been a landscaper in the US, and started his business by selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi, at a time when they were virtually impossible to buy in Beijing.

"We arrived with very little money and no job prospects. Our first apartment cost us RMB 1,000 and had a pipe in the ceiling that dripped enough water to call it a ‘shower,’" Mike recalled in a 2009 interview in the Beijinger. "Starbucks was a once-a-month treat."

His interactions selling trees to Shunyi expats soon had him retailing high-end grills, trampolines and other hard-to-find accessories.

With a true entrepreneurial spirit, he was the first person in China to reach out to Swiss-based IQAir to ask for the rights to sell their high-end air filtration machines in China.

We Beijing expats take air quality awareness for granted in 2015, but Mike started his business at a time when air masks and filtration devices were almost non-existent in China, and neither the US Embassy nor the Chinese government reguarly published air quality data.

In 2006 when his first batch IQAir machines went on sale in Beijing, many scoffed at the idea that people would be willing to pay a premium for cleaner air in their homes and offices. They were wrong: the products were an instant hit.

Along the way, his business profoundly impacted expats’ perceptions of Beijing’s air quality and enabled them to protect themselves against its dangers. By extension, he paved the way for more entrepreneurs to import and develop the vast array of air filtration devices that serve both the expatriate and the local markets now.

It’s hard to exaggerate the impact Mike has had on Beijing’s international community. The machines he retailed have graced the living spaces of countless homes and offices, and his active promotion of the brand and its specifications helped make "HEPA filtration" and "PM 2.5" part of the common vernacular of the typical Beijing expat. His business has also profoundly impacted the Chinese community as well, with IQAir among the most well-known brands in major cities across the country.

Mike was a modest person who never forgot his humble upbringings and was always eager to share his business advice. He and his four brothers and sisters were raised by their single mother, with utitilies regularly turned off due to lack of payment, he told Start Up Noodle in 2014.

"From the age of 12 on, I have always been working—I can’t remember a stretch of time that I wasn’t doing odd jobs for money.  And honestly, since the age of 12, I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have all the things I needed and many of the things I wanted," he was quoted as saying.

His strong work ethic propelled him to success in each of the ventures he started, and he enjoyed the ride as an entrepreneur. "I have loved every minute of every day that I have worked on my own," he told Start Up Noodle. "Almost every one of my friends and family growing up express discontent for their jobs or careers, some even express hatred. I have never experienced this and wouldn’t even know what to do if I did."

An avid traveler, Mike had been to over 40 countries before arriving in Beijing, and continued the tradition with his children. For the past year he has split his time between Beijing and Vancouver, where his kids have been going to school.

"Mike had an inspirational story both as a man and as an entrepreneur," recalled fellow entrepreneur and Beijing resident Jim James. "He overcame difficulties with good humor, determination and humility. He leaves behind more than he came with and so will always be remembered in my heart and mind."

Mike was a strong supporter of True Run Media’s products and via this support, allowed us to do what we do.

As of publication, there was no indication of the cause of death but foul play was not suspected.

He is survived by his wife and two children, as well as extended family in the US and in Canada. He also leaves hundreds of friends, customers, and business associates in Beijing.

"Our customers are from all over the world, and each of them has their own story to tell," Mike said in our 2009 interview with him. "I love the fact that we are able to make a difference in their lives by bringing them those things that they want and need."

A memorial service in Beijing for Mike is set for April 17 in Beijing at the River of Grace church in Wangjing (see graphic above).

Our thoughts go out to Mike’s family and friends.

Rest in Peace, Mike.

Photo: the Beijinger

[Updated: 12/10 12:23pm: updates throughout, please click here to get the updated version] CCTV-13 aired a telephone conversation with American foster caregiver Ray Wigdal last night on the News 1+1 program that implied he is currently in the US caring for an elderly father.

The conversation was part of a larger news piece on the case of Wigdal and his 11 foster children, and in the segment Ray speaks only in Mandarin. 

Some of the revelations in the 21-minute news segment include one of the elderly women involved in the children’s care stating that Wigdal was not in fact the children’s sole full-time caregiver but rather one of many volunteers that took care of the kids, with his role being primarily as their teacher, taking them out to play, and finding the connections necessary to get the childrens’ surgeries arranged via charities.

Additionally, reporters indicate that the body of the foster child that passed away Dec 7 remains at the hospital due to a bureaucratic snarl in that child had no proper identification. The cause of death remains unclear as the hospital has not issued an official autopsy report.

Meanwhile, pictures appeared on Wigdal’s website today that appear to show him at the girl’s bedside while she was in the hospital some time in September, which contradicts some Chinese news reports indicating that he had not visited the child.

Related:
Dec 5: Shunyi Foreign Foster Parent of 11 Disappears, Critically Ill Child at Hospital
Dec 8: Girl at Center of Suspected Abuse Case Dies
Dec 9: Who Is Ray Wigdal? Contrasting Views Emerge of Missing American Foster Father

We have translated the portions of Ray’s words here from the original Mandarin:

On how he treated the children:
Wigdal:  All you need to do is ask the children, I never bullied them. I’ve been a school principal in the past, so I know how to teach children obedience, how to study and to quiet down – but I never hit them. I love the children so much, I could never beat them or hit them or bully them, let alone torture them. To suggest that is just going way too far. I love the children and I think the children can testify to that.

On his role in raising the children:
Wigdal: The children do not have a hukou, and of course these are not my natural children by birth, I am just a volunteer, I just help pay for their upbringing, teach them English, take them to play, or organize medical treatment, and I’ve been doing this for the past ten years. Sometimes I spent my own money on them, sometimes friends helped out. Whatever the cost we always found a way to get these kids the surgeries they need.

On why he and the kids moved so often, which some Chinese news reports have said implied that he was running from something:
Wigdal: Neighbors who saw so many kids, it’s not that they complained they were too noisy – I think they’re actually pretty quiet – but they just couldn’t take accept the idea of living next to so many children, and would complain to the landlord. So many times we have been asked to leave the apartments we lived in – no one wants to move so many times, but we found ourselves having to find new places to live three or four times every half year.

On his relationship to the children:
Wigdal: I am Uncle Ray. “Uncle Ray” in English is not like the Chinese lei shushu. "Uncle Ray" is more like saying your real uncle, and in English we don’t use that term so casually. I always told the children that I was part of their family, I am your uncle. But I would always tell them I hoped in the future they will one day have their own mothers and fathers. This is why I always very carefully used the term “uncle”. This way if one day the children are in fact adopted, they’ll have their own mom and dad and I will remain an uncle. The children would ask me sometimes, “Uncle Ray, are you my dad?” and I would reply “no”. But remember, none of these children have mothers or fathers – so we’ve told them that we [myself and the ayis who helped take care of them]are your family.

On his future relationship to the children:
Wigdal: I hope to have an opportunity to see them, to support them, to encourage them. After all, you can ask them, I think they love me and I love them, and we all consider ourselves family. But I understand, I haven’t been doing nothing for the past thirty years, I know there’s no real chance that I could actually adopt these children … but if I can help friends to take care of them, I will be very happy to do so.

On his status as "missing":
Wigdal: I never thought this situation would get so messy. I hate to see these articles that say I have disappeared – I’m very easy to find, in fact the police found me right away. My father is 85 years old and I’ve [come back to the US]to take care of him, but I want to return to China, hopefully before Spring Festival. If customs does not allow me back, what can I say? I don’t feel I’ve violated any laws or done anything bad. I can understand why there has been some misunderstandings. I understand a lot of the regulations and sitations, including China’s hukou system, and I’ve spent a considerable amount of effort with orphanages and friends in China’s civil affairs bureau, and I know this sort of paperwork is not easy to process.

On how he came to be taking care of orphans:
Wigdal: In the 90s I worked in an orphanage in another country to do some charity work and I wanted to see if I was able to take care of children and help them get medical treatment. This is how this started. People called me when they saw to say there was an abandoned orphan at the train station no one is taking care of. All of the children were brought to me by elderly peope who told me that they had no one to take care on them. All of them were abandoned due to cleft lip or cleft palate.

On his qualifications for taking care of children:
Wigdal: I’ve been a principal in a school in Alaska, so I am quite capable from an education standpoint. As to who spends the most money, who takes care of the kids the most, we’re all working together.

The original story has generated dozens of netizen comments since its posting, with most expressing support and admiration for Wigdal’s support of unwanted children. The three top-ranked comments are translated here:

"He took these abandoned kids in — that’s admirable enough. He is way better than the kids’ natural parents and the government workers." — Zhexuejia (235 agrees)

"I don’t make comments often. If what has been reported is all true, the laowai really did as much as he could. In all fairness, how many parents have never spanked their kids? Think of how many people don’t even love their kids. The laowai has tried his best to take the kids in, take care of them and help them with their operations. We can’t ask too much — whatever he did was not his obligation. " — Yan Guikong (157 agrees)

"This laowai is way better than the ‘youguan bumen (relevant government departments)’. Who knows how many of the ten kids would have already died without this laowai’s help."   — Li Suoshi  (116 agrees)

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on December 10, 2014

Image: CCTV, rayschildren.org

Police are seeking the whereabouts of a fifty-something foreigner they suspect of child abuse whose eight-year-old foster daughter is recovering from surgery at a Beijing hospital.

The Legal Daily reported Thursday that the girl, called Phoebe, is one of 11 ethnic Chinese foster children the man has been raising in various apartments around Beijing, most recently at Capital Paradise in Shunyi.

The girl, who at 20 kilos is underweight for her age, is still in critical condition at the hospital after three surgeries to relieve a duodenal obstruction and kidney damage that doctors believe were caused by external blunt force. A volunteer attending to the girl claims she said she had been beaten by her foster father, who has not been seen nor heard from since November 24.

Reports say the man, referred to as Ray, lived for a time this year in a two-bedroom flat in Capital Paradise, where neighbors complained that the foster kids would occasionally be caught rifling through the trash to look for food. Area residents say the man was a frequent customer at the Pinnacle Plaza Starbucks where he would sip coffee while his children played in and around the store.

According to hospital officials, Phoebe is fluent in English and speaks only simple Chinese. She is extremely withdrawn and in her current condition is mostly too scared to talk to anyone.

The bulk of the Legal Daily report was based on an interview with a foreign volunteer using the pseudonym Xu Qiang, who claims to have helped the man take care of his 11 foster kids for several years.

This was the girl’s third trip to the hospital, the first two times being brought in by her foster father and also being checked out by him before doctors were satisfied that she had fully recovered. The third time she was brought in, on November 24, she was brought by a volunteer. Since then the man, nor his ten other foster children, has not been heard from.

Xu said Ray has been in China for over 30 years, speaks Chinese fluently, and as far as he knows, has not held a regular job. He has been raising orphans from infancy since at least 2004, with most of the children abandoned by their natural parents because of birth defects such as cleft palate and mental retardation.

Xu said Ray and an "old Chinese lady" occasionally found the children abandoned at train stations and other locations, while others had been brought to him. Ray posts the stories of the orphans onto a website at www.rayschildren.org and accepts donations to pay for the children’s corrective surgeries, and the children typically remained with him afterward.

Xu and an additional witness contacted by the Beijinger claims Ray was harsh to the children in public, often pushing them, twisting their ears or yelling at them.

Xu said he volunteered at Ray’s house three times per week and would bring food each time, but it never seemed to be enough to feed the children, who seemed to subsist on potato chips and other junk food. The kids were trained to not answer the door unless it was a foreign face on the other side.

None of the children were formally educated and typically lived together in one room of a two-bedroom apartment in squalid conditions. The children were home-schooled and all have some level of reading and writing skills, although lagging behind kids of their age, Xu said.

On at least one occasion the children were spotted begging, in fluent English, in front of a foreign supermarket wearing tattered and dirty clothes.

Xu said that Ray would move every several months, and after each month would cease to contact former volunteers. Reporters interviewed Capital Paradise security guards who say he has since moved out, and Xu’s latest attempts to contact the man via email and phone have failed.

This post first appeared on theBeijinger.com on December 5, 2014

Photos: Legal Daily via theBeijinger

Pinnacle Plaza has seen a plethora of eateries open up since the start of the year, making this part of Shunyi a great choice for dining at any time of the day. The latest café addition is called Palatable, and is located next door to Domino’s Pizza. The sign outside promotes Palatable as an organic, healthy, natural, and palatable, and states their supplier also serves the French and US Embassies in Beijing. Well, the French certainly know a thing or two about cafes, pastries, and cakes, so I decided to take a look and sample some of their offerings.

The café has outdoor seating, which for the time being enables you to admire the adorned flag bunting, reminding us there is a certain football tournament on at the moment. The main part of the café isn’t large, but extra seating extends along the side of the kitchen area. It has a light and bright interior and good Wi-Fi connection, making it perfect for a quiet spot to catch up on your emails. If you’re dining with little ones, there are highchairs available. All drinks, cakes, and pastries can be purchased as take out and opening times are Monday-Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-9pm. 

Palatable’s claim to healthy and organic food comes from their range of fresh juices and drinks, which include papaya, guava with green apple, pomegranate, kiwi, and vegetable. Prices range from RMB 30-45 and you have a choice of serving sizes. I tried the apple, which was not too sweet and pleasingly refreshing. My companion chose the pomegranate, which was wonderfully sharp and acidic as pomegranate juice should be. If you prefer some calcium in your juice, they serve a red dragon fruit yogurt drink and a banana milk drink. If it’s a hot beverage you’re after, the cafe serves a range of teas, which include pu’er, green tea and rooibos, all from RMB 26-30. Coffees include latte, macchiato, and macha.

There are no savory food items at Palatable apart from croissants, as their focus is on good quality cakes and pastries – although you can buy a French baguette to go. I’m not sure a chocolate tart can be described as healthy, but it was certainly palatable. A well-made buttery pastry case was generously filled with a bitter chocolate ganache. The lemon tart had a thick lemony curd, which was perfectly sharp in flavor. The pastry on the lemon tart could have been crisper, but it was nice and thin, just enough to hold the delicious filling. The tart was topped with small squares of marshmallow, which were too sweet for me but my companion loved them.

Palatable has slices of cakes too, including gateaux and tiramisu, chocolate and coffee éclairs, crème brulee, a choice of muffins, and mini pastries including a chocolate tart, strawberry slice, and coconut ball. There are a range of pastries available, including croissants, cinnamon swirls, and apple slices.

Housed in a glass display stand are pyramids of brightly-colored macaroons. Available in all flavors imaginable, try green tea, lime, blueberry, raspberry, coffee, and chocolate. These bite-size morsels were soft and chewy in the center, with a light and crisp exterior.

I took some pastries home for my family to try, and by far the favorite was the French apple, which was large enough for two people to share. The pastry was crisp, lined with an almond paste, generously topped with a mix of both tart and sweet apples, and finished with a syrup glaze. The fresh fruit tart was also a great hit with the kids.

Prices are similar to those at Comptoirs de France and Le Baker. For me, I feel the cakes and pastries at Le Baker are more authentically French in both flavor and execution. However, I would certainly return to Palatable to enjoy their great range of juices and that fabulous French apple tart.

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 by Sally Wilson

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