We know the most authentic Korean barbeque restaurants are probably in Koreatown (Wangjing, Wudaokou), but both areas are a little far for us, and we just haven’t managed to hike our way to a good restaurant.  Instead, we have found a reliable chain restaurant called San Qian Li (韩中阁三千里烤肉城), which in our experience has been the most consistent in delivering the two things we care about: fresh food (safe raw meat) and good taste. The restaurant has been in operation for over thirty years (since 1978), which, I don’t know about you, but certainly assures me on the quality and service of a restaurant in an ever-changing city like Beijing.

San Qian Li can be found in 24 cities in China. The location we visit regularly is in Dongsi (within second ring, near Chaoyangmen), which is walking distance from our home. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it is near the Muslim Mosque, walking distance from Wangfujing, and is generally in the “hutongs” area (but on the main street). San Qian Li, being a chain, also has locations in: Hepingmen, Fengtianjie, Pingan, Wanjing New City, and Yangqiao.

The restaurant often has combo deals for dine-in, but we ended up at the restaurant because of their awesome Nuomi set meals. We often invite friends to dine with us, ordering meals for four or six.  The combo deals are mostly for ready cooked Korean food, such as bibimbap, cold noodles, and ready-cooked hot pot. The Nuomi set meals are for the actual do it yourself barbecue (DIY BBQ), which start at RMB 78 for a two-person set meal.  We normally get the three person set because it includes a cold noodle, a bibimbap, fruit, a plate of chicken, a plate of very nice beef cuts, and a veggie plate — all in addition to the cold plate appetizers Korean restaurants serve.  The variety here usually includes a potato salad, a mushroom salad, soybean sprouts, kimchi, and sweet potatoes.

When you stay till closing hours (note: they close at the normal 9:30pm hour), you can see the staff taking out grills and properly scrubbing the tables down.  It’s very reassuring that the restaurant is clean, the restroom doesn’t smell, and everything looks pretty neat for an old restaurant.  The staff provides decent enough service in that they respond quickly, they’re familiar with the groupon system, and they accommodate for children.

Most importantly, for a BBQ place, San Qian Li is not smoky. The tables are placed at reasonable distances where we don’t have to worry about our son getting accidentally burned, or bumped into.  The round raised grill at the center of the table is very small, which can be annoying if you have big eaters, but it’s very hot and is beneficial when you have children who might reach for the grill.

Note: Groupon/ Nuomi prices vary by location and time periods. Currently, SanQianLi Dongsi branch only offers 20-42% off on Nuomi with prices ranging from RMB 80-198.

San Qian Li (Dongsi), 韩中阁三千里烤肉城(东四店), Dongsi North Avenue 345, Dongcheng District, Beijing (东城区东四北大街345号). Contact: 10-67202981 for reservations. 

Photos: courtesy of Jessica Suotmaa, Nuomi.com

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We stumbled upon Tie Fen (literal meaning: iron) restaurant while on our way to our regular late-night dining location in the heart of Dongsi.  A real hole-in-the-wall, we might have missed the whole place if it weren’t for the fact that we were hungry and searching for immediate gratification.  Turns out the porch, with statues of elephants and bodhisattvas, is home to a newly opened Vietnamese restaurant serving our beloved pho, spring rolls, and beef stews.

Since it’s a small restaurant with a relatively simple menu, we’ve managed to go often enough to have tried almost everything in just a few weeks.  Tie Fen’s short and sweet menu is divided into appetizers, side dishes, pho, rice dishes, a la carte, and desserts.

The appetizers include three salads: a shrimp salad, a beef salad (pictured above), and a mango beef salad (pictured below).  I’m not a fan of seafood, and our son’s too young for it, so we’ve only tried the beef salads so far.

The Mango beef salad is the tastiest, though after our first time ordering it we were smart enough to order it without spice (it normally comes with fresh red peppers to balance the sweetness of the mango).

They also have rice rolls with fish cake (pictured above) and fried spring rolls (pictured below), (non-fried).

Our son really likes the fried spring rolls, and I eat both types of spring rolls without the sweet and sour sauce (comes with the dish) and opt for hot sauce instead—yum!

We enjoy pho all year long, and our son enjoys soup, so we’ve ordered the beef pho (pictured), the raw beef pho, the chicken pho, and the spicy seafood pho (for the record, we didn’t feed our 2-year-old the last one).  Personally, I prefer the chicken strip pho because it has a milder taste (and is not raw), but our child likes beef.

We have tried two rice dishes, including the beef stew and the chicken curry.  The beef stew (pictured above) was well-made, but a little on the salty side for kids. The chicken curry was very spicy.  It’s a good thing they serve ice cold water.

We honestly have not been ordering much of the a la carte because we simply don’t need that much food with the three of us, but we did order the fried fish. Our friends ordered the fish this one time we dined there with others and I hear it was good. It was during this dinner that we had also ordered the chicken skewers (they have beef as well), which had a refreshing tangy taste (pictured above).

For dessert, we’ve ordered the mango tapioca (pictured above) and the fruit cup (pictured below).  The fruit assortment was perfect, and didn’t taste like canned fruit at all. However, the mango tapioca tasted more like passion fruit (perhaps they got the name wrong?), and was far too sweet.  The tapioca was also too hard, lacking the chewy consistency that makes tapioca great.

We have also ordered their home-made drinks: Vietnamese coffee (both iced and hot) and Thai tea.  The coffee was excellent, strong as should be, but the Thai tea wasn’t sweet enough.

Currently, for their grand opening, Tie Fen reimburses 20% in the form of a voucher (RMB 10 for RMB 50 spent, RMB 20 for every RMB 100 spent, etc.).  In the future, Tie Fen also has a WeChat point system that allows subscribers to collect points for discounts.

Finally, Tie Fen has daily set combo deals where one can opt for a slightly smaller portion of pho or other main dish with an appetizer and dessert for a discount of over 25%.  They will claim that the combo deal portions are not smaller, but they are.

Tie Fen, 北京市东城区东四北大街373号
Photos: courtesy of Jessica Suotmaa

There’s more than chocolate in this classic fantasy fiction for ages 7 and up!
Brit Jason Wallien, Library Manager at International Montessori School of Beijing, shares his favorite childhood book, which he happily rereads with his students regularly.

Jason Wallien

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a time-tested masterpiece from a true storytelling master, Roald Dahl.  It is undisputed that Dahl had a knack for writing books for children seven and up, with the ability to instantly capture a child’s imagination. Just as children are left mouthwatering for the tasty treats described in the book, they will also want more of Dahl’s whizz-pop writing.

“Readers can relate to the protagonist, Charlie, in his love for chocolate, and dream of visiting the magical chocolate factory that has been closed off and shrouded in mystery for the past 15 years.  When Willy Wonka, the factory owner, announces a competition where finders of his five golden tickets will be allowed a visit to his factory, the world literally goes crazy for his chocolate bars. Charlie finds one out of pure luck and joins four other children in the exciting tour of the factory.

“The tale has a very firm sense of right and wrong, of justice and injustice, where Charlie is clearly put in an unfair situation despite his kind and caring character just because he’s poor. The story follows a strong, positive role model into a world full of unjust and wickedly wacky characters, but who ultimately, through perseverance and strength of character, comes out on top. Dahl’s vivid characters exist in a well-governed world of cause and effect that children can understand and believe, allowing his message to be clearly delivered to children despite his classic flare for description.

“Characters and descriptions in this book have stuck with me since I read it as a child. When I read it aloud to my students now, I can see a captive audience devouring those descriptions and rooting as whole-heartedly for Charlie as I did. I loved, love, and will love reading this book and sharing that feels good.”

Rebecca Taylor

A magical Australian culinary adventure for the younger crowd
Australian Rebecca Taylor, Elementary School Librarian at Beanstalk International Bilingual School, shares an award-winning picture book about Australian culture and foods, which connects her to her childhood whenever she reads it.

“Possum Magic by Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas, is a book suitable for younger readers, aged 3 to 7 years, as its lyrical prose lends well to read-a-louds. The evocative illustrations combined with a magical storyline make a natural page-turner that sucks children in immediately.  The book unlocks a child’s curiosity and opens a door for families to discuss the unusual animals and foods from Australia, serving as the perfect springboard for talks about different cultures!

“The story begins with Grandma Poss, a cuddly, magical possum, who desperately wants to protect Hush, her baby possum, from the dangers of the Australian bush. So, Grandma Poss uses bush magic to make Hush invisible.  Being unseen is fun for a while, but then Hush realizes she wants to know what she looks like. Unfortunately, Grandma Poss can’t find the magic that would make Hush seen! She knows the cure has something to do with people food, and so they start an epic culinary journey around Australia to find a cure for Hush’s invisibility. Grandma Poss and Hush sample iconic Australian comfort foods ranging from savory (Vegemite sandwiches and tuna mornay) to sweet (pavlova and laminations)–which food will make Hush visible again?

Possum Magic gently delves into many concepts of interest to today’s internationally minded families, such as safety, security, perfection, culinary variety, and culture.  The subtle pacing of the book invites readers to come together in anticipation of finding out which foods will help make Hush visible. Taylor always surprises her students with Vegemite sandwiches after a first read through.

This article originally appeared on page 34 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: MSB, BIBS, and Roalddahl.com

Run by a Chinese-American native of Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Shanen’s offers cream cheese bagels in a variety of flavors, including jalapeno cheddar, sesame, and cinnamon raisin. Their mostly organic food menu also includes  toasted muffins, smoked salmon, soups, salads, sandwiches, artisan pizza, burgers, falafel, and pasta. Loaves of bread can be purchased for home; their Challah bread is in high demand and should be ordered beforehand for pick up on Fridays. Produce and other organic products from the owner’s other venue, Green Cow Farm, are also available.

Annika Norberg (age 7) gets ready to dig in at Mrs. Shanen’s

This month’s food critic, Annika Norberg, 7, studies at Springboard International Bilingual School (SIBS). She was accompanied by her mom, Sara, and months old little brother, David. Sara and Nathan Norberg moved to Beijing from Alaska four years ago. Annika is their only daughter in a family of five kids, and Sara joked that she truly is the princess of the family.

Their kids have fairly adventurous palettes and are mostly open to trying different cuisines, but comfort food for them is typical American food, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and pizza.
Although Annika’s favorite dish is pizza, Mrs. Shanen’s menu has plenty of American comfort food so Annika had a hard time deciding what to order. In the end she went with macaroni and cheese (RMB 40), a hot ham and cheese sandwich (RMB 50), waffles (RMB 45), a sunny side up platter with a side of home fries and bacon (RMB 65), and lemonade ice tea (RMB 35). Sara ordered a plain pizza (RMB 20 per slice) to share and a cup of coffee (RMB 20).

While we waited for our food, we chatted with Denise, the friendly face of Mrs. Shanen’s, who took our orders and relayed it to the kitchen. She is known by all regulars, and mothers everyone like only a grandmother would.

Annika devoured the mac and cheese before Sara could get a chance to taste it. She paused for a giant gulp of the lemonade ice tea, which she told me was “lemony and refreshing.” She described the mac and cheese as “cheesy, gooey, and melted in the mouth.” When I enquired if the sandwich was good too, I got an enthusiastic nod before another bite.  When the waffles arrived with the sunny side up egg, Sara commented on how appetizing it looked, reiterating that both Annika and Sara loved the presentation of all the dishes. Sara also added the pizza was really very good, with the right amount of cheese, sauce, and basil.
Annika gave Mrs. Shanen’s a five star rating and promised to bring dad and her other three brothers next time.

Family-friendly Facts: Small and cosy, with no free WiFi distractions. Limited outside seating is available on a beautiful day, and a nice play area for little children. Best to come prepared to pay cash as their card machine often doesn’t connect.

Mrs. Shanen’s
Sun-Thu 7.30am-8pm, Fri-Sat 7.30am-8.30pm. 5 Kaifa Jie, Xibaixinzhuang (next to Capital Paradise), Shunyi District. (8046 4301)顺义区西白辛庄开发街5号 (紧邻名都园)

This article originally appeared on page 20-21 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos by Dave’s Studio

From 1950 to today, many films are produced to show the flaws and injustices of our society and the impossible ways other people have managed to conquer. These are examples that will teach us important life lessons and guide us in the near future. This list contains movies that aren’t suitable for younger audiences. Enjoy!  More after the jump.

 Unbroken
Plot/ Description: As a child, Louis Zamperini was a trouble maker but also a remarkable runner. With the influence of his brother, Pete, he began his running career. He competed at Hitler’s Berlin Olympics and later joined the US army. Unfortunately, his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a rescue mission and he, along with his crew member, survived in a life raft. They drifted for 47 days (2,000miles) into the Japanese territory. They were captured and sent to prison camps. After they found out that he was an Olympian, they tortured him and made him work in mines for years up to the end of the war.
Rated: PG-13
Pros: An exciting and nerve-wracking film. It captures Louis’s determination with a clear distinctive message.
Cons: It’s leaving out some of the inside thoughts of the characters and when there’re too many characters moving in and out it gets kind of confusing.
Lessons/Take away: Always have hope, strength, and perseverance. It gives another view of the war and it also teaches kids on WWII.

127 Hours
Plot/ Description: This is based on an outdoorsman, Aron Ralston. Ralston always believed that he doesn’t need anybody and that he can do everything on his own, but nature proved him wrong. When Ralston was hiking through a slot Canyon, a boulder fell on his right hand and he was stuck there for 127 hours with approximately 350ml of water and two burritos. He didn’t tell anyone that he was going hiking and therefore no one came to rescue him.
Rated: R (18+)
Pros: The graphics are beautiful. It’s realistic especially with the video he made when thinking that he was gonna die. It’s a mystical and marvelous film.
Cons: The amputation moment might unpleasant for some people.
Lesson/Take away: For introverts, a necessary safety precaution is to notify a friend, colleague, or family members on their whereabouts especially when going outdoors. This film teaches us that we all need someone in our lives.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1950)
Plot/ Description: This is about a Dutch Jewish girl, Anne Frank, and her family. The story takes place during the holocaust, when all Jews were identified as inferior and were sent to concentration camps where they’re persecuted. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, was a lieutenant in the German army during WWI and he arranged a hiding place for his family. But eventually they were betrayed by an anonymous informant and the Frank family along with their friends hiding with them was sent to concentration camps. Otto Frank became the sole survivor of his family and his friends that hid with him during that period of time. This is based on a novel of the same title.
Rated: Parental Guidance
Pros: It’s emotional and very raw. It depicts the real life of Jews during the holocaust; their fears for their lives and for their loved ones.
Cons: The scenes of the camp can give people nightmares and generate negative feelings.
Lessons/Take away: Life is way too short, so live your life to the fullest every day.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Plot/ Description: Based on the Pulitzer wining book by Harper Lee. Through the view of a little girl names Scout Finch, we see racism and inequality between the citizens of the fictional town of Macomb in Alabama. From Boo Radley to the unfair trial of Tom Robinson, Scout’s perception changes her views and ways of seeing things.
Rated: Not suitable for young children
Pros: Great capture of racism.
Cons: It’s black and white.
Lessons/Take away: Everyone should be equal.

The Sound of Music
Plot/ Description: This is an all time classic. The protagonist, Maria, tries to become a nun, but fails miserably. The Navy captain, George Von Trapp, hires Maria as a governess for his seven children. Maria brings happiness to the strict, lifeless home and music as well. Maria and the captain then find themselves in love and they struggle through many conflicts before finally being together.
Rated: G
Pros: It’s a wonderful musical and very joyful.
Cons: It is a 3 hours long movie, about twice the length of a regular movie. The songs will keep playing in a loop for days after watching.
Lessons/Take away: Kindness does have its rewards and share your happiness. The various story lines about coming of age show how to work through those times.

Amari Zhang is, our July Intern, from San Fransisco, California and here to visit friends and family. She loves to doodle, shop with friends, play tennis, and travel.

Photos: Movieguide.org, moviepostershop.com, listal.com, & ramascreen.com

From the breakup of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance (MCR) last year comes lead singer Gerard Way’s debut album Hesitant Alien. Hesitant takes on a style largely consisting of a mix of Britpop and fuzz punk and makes a departure from the alternative rock side of MCR by including a new, retro vibe.

Overall, this record is outstanding with creative riffs and simple structures that give off an old-fashioned feel to each song. Although MCR may be gone for good, this album shows that there’s still some MCR left in Gerard. Each song seems to sound like an MCR song in one way or another, and they altogether fall in to the genres of fuzz punk and Britpop.

Starting from the first song off the record, “The Bureau”, Way showcases his abilities to write simple yet memorable lyrics and perform them using sounds ranging from distorted guitars to telephone beeps. Despite the record’s heavy emphasis on the Britpop genre, songs such as “No Shows” and “Brother” make use of vocals similar to those of Coldplay and Death Cab for Cutie while the song “How It’s Going To Be” is reminiscent of songs like “Some Nights” by Fun. However, the songs “Action Cat” and “Maya the Psychic” best embody Way’s change from MCR’s riff-heavy alternative rock sound to his imitation of 80’s style music by showcasing Way’s strong influence drawn from artists of the time period like David Bowie and The Stooges. But for the die-hard MCR fans, the songs “Zero Zero” and “Juarez” best imitate MCR’s style in their final studio album, Conventional Weapons.

Similar to the way that themes and concepts were presented in previous MCR albums such as The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Hesitant Alien exhibits a futuristic yet retrograded flair. In the music videos, casts consist of quirky aliens and humans dressed in flashy clothing that look as if they came out of a Star Wars movie. And, unlike the emo-goth type of character presented in The Black Parade and the punk-like defiant character in Danger Days, Hesitant Alien features Way simply as himself – a man who feels alienated from the world around him (hence the title).

However, despite his new direction, the music videos of Hesitant Alien are artistically confusing, borderline trippy, and hardly suit the style of music presented in the album. They display video editing skills that would be referred to as futuristic…30 years ago. Lights intentionally flare, videos are low resolution and the audio is often out of sync. Still, although the overall quality of the music videos is a bit lacking, its purpose is to contribute to the trademark 80’s vibe presented in each song and videos themselves don’t detract from the impressiveness of the album as a whole.   

Overall, Hesitant Alien is filled with a myriad of musical genres and mesmerizing lyrics and is a must for any fans of MCR or similar bands. Gerard’s new way has taken him in a positive direction, and we like where he’s going.

This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Alan ke, a student at the International School of Beijing.

About UNIT-E

UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.

Photo: abcnewsonline.com

This app is mainly for preschoolers as it covers tracing lines, matching colors, recalling the alphabet order and counting. Little Bit Studio develops Bug Mazing to a fun with colorful thematic graphics app meant to grab and hold the attention of young kids. The developers are veterans in making fun education based apps for young children and their latest addition does not disappoint.

Features
This app’s uniqueness is the colorful bugs randomly walking around the screen, which happen to be very detailed and colorful makes this app a winner with the young kids. The creative formatting of the mazes and challenges enhance the learning experience in that kids have a balance of game play and actually subject-based lessons.

The app has four adventures or subject areas Tracing, Letters, Numbers and Colors. What can kids get out of this app? Familiarity with pattern, number and letter recognition, fine motor coordination, following directions, and counting.  Bug Mazing Adventures in Learning is an automatic leveling system with five levels of difficulty for each activity and unlimited challenges of each adventure. It offers two rounds then takes the user back to the home screen with the option to continue within the same level or move to the next. The levels do not skip therefore there is a limited chance of having children jumping to a level beyond their skill. The lower levels can be accessed over and over again at will.

 Apart from learning, the animations used make for a delight chuckle as the bugs move realistically across the screen as the response to taps and drags. The use of a maze makes it interesting in that there is something challenging for the kids to look forward to. There is sound accompanied that lets the user know about the rewards and saves. All in all, this is one very entertaining app.

 There are no in-app purchases, outside advertising, and the links to the apps developers site is hidden via a protected area. The setting options and contact information are hidden via a gate where adults have to complete a multiplication problem to enter.

 Drawbacks
The app takes a long time to load while in China that might get the younger kids frustrated. To take full advantage of the app, the device has to be connected to the internet at all times.

Ages: 3-6
Category: Education
Content: Videos
Platform: iOS (iPad), Amazon
Language: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish
Price: USD 1.99

Photos: appannie.com

Located in Shangdu Soho, new bakery Umassif plays to the cosmopolitan tastes of the well-healed CBD crowd with a dazzling array of breads combining global flavors. Although Umassif initially seems more in the style of a Chinese bakery – you select the breads yourself, piling them high on a tray, before taking them to the counter to be packaged – the sleek modern industrial décor and hardwood tables give away their global ambitions.

What Umassif peddles is not your average loaf of sliced white; these are breads with something to say. The piquant Hollandaise Sauce, Mustard and Bacon Roll (RMB 22) is just begging to be served with a Bloody Mary at your next brunch. The Honey Multigrain Pineapple Roll (RMB 28), with its secret swirl of cream cheese filling, is the voice in your ear convincing you to cancel your plans and curl up on the couch on Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a good book.

The flavors may not be what you’re used to (although you can pick up a plain baguette as well), but step out of your comfort zone and you will be rewarded with a feast of carbs worth the extra hours on the treadmill.

This post first appeared on thebeijnger.com on September 17, 2014.

The Beijing restaurant scene is incontrovertibly diverse. Whether one walks into the cozy confines of a feline filled café or the modern interior of an all-organic diner, the depth of variation in the flavors, feelings and atmospheres of Beijing restaurants always has more to offer. And now, from the heart of Wangjing, emerges another new café attempting to make a name for itself among the who’s who of dining experiences: Cup One.

Entering Cup One, the first thing a person may experience is the distinctive ambiance the café offers; aside from the building itself being literally shaped like a cup, the modern industrial furniture combined with strong wood accents contribute to the café’s somewhat organic, lounge-style atmosphere. The café’s playlist of alternative yet folk-symusic obviously aims to relax, while its relative obscurity among young Beijingers guarantees it’s never crowded; even with the exception of the occasional group of Korean hipsters, Cup One’s crowds never seem to swell during dinner hours.Yet, though the café offers a comfortable minimalistic ambiance, it still lacks a vital aspect shared among most Beijing restaurants: a no-smoking zone. Despite the comforts of the furniture, music, or quirky silverware in Cup One, the secondhand smoke from surrounding customers is sure to overwhelm your senses, making for an unpleasant dinner if you can’t even handle Beijing pollution on good days.

Hazy atmosphere aside, Cup One again falls short in perhaps the most important aspect: food selections. Though the café advertises itself as having an “extensive food menu”, the reality couldn’t be further off; after flipping through ten consecutive pages of alcohol selections, you’ll finally find the scarcity of actual food options in the very back of the menu. The café simply offers two pages of appetizers and entrées, excessively priced from RMB 38 to RMB 140.  A lacking portion of French fries or a bland strawberry milkshake will set you back RMB 38 , while a simple spaghetti bolognese costs RMB 58. For those of you looking to enjoy a warm drink while tackling some homework, Cup One will once again fail to deliver; though their tea selection features unique and interesting flavors (passion fruit honey, anyone?), the coffee offered is slightly watery and fails to impress amongst those of less-expensive chains like Starbucks or Costa Coffee.

Additionally, Cup One’s cuisine is often unremarkable and just barely hits the mark of mediocrity. Though some dishes can truly satisfy your palette, others definitely leave you with something to be desired. The sauces on the spaghetti dishes (which make up a good 2/3 of the food menu) are often plain and provided sparingly. The “chef’s recommendation”, a sausage and spinach spaghetti (RMB 5 ), creates an interesting balance of flavorful ingredients yet fails to provide value for the money; a common fault found in many of the dishes offered. And, despite few customers in the restaurant, food can take up to 40 minutes to arrive and the service is often inconsistent and sporadic; simply put, it’s one of those restaurants where you’ll have to yell “Fuwuyuan!” before anyone even attempts to notice you.

In sum, although Cup One attempts to provide young Beijingers with a modern and somewhat upscale café experience, it disappoints when balancing cost with quality. The food is similar to that you may order out from your local pizza restaurant, though it lacks value for money and fails to stand out from other restaurants in terms of flavor, quality, and simple originality. In fact, you’re better off getting a meal from the Burger King just downstairs; you’d probably get a nicer deal.

But then again, this is just the opinion of some of us here on the UNIT-E core team. Feel free to visit Cup One and try it out for yourself!

This article originally appeared in the May/June, 2014 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Alex Gong, Kathleen Ma, Kathy Zhou, Kristy Cheung, Lauren You,  students at the International School of Beijing and  Sarah Lu, a student at Beijing World Youth Academy. 
 
About UNIT-E
UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.

Photo courtesy of thebeijinger.com