beijingkids Directory Reviews

Elaine's has a cool interior courtyard and a cozy dining room plus plenty for the kiddos like a mini trampoline, plastic rocking horses and a mini jungle gym inside.

The veggie fare is fun and not boring in the least -- recommended dishes include the crispy duck (though it was a bit on the sweet side) and the winter melon and seaweed soup.

I keep saying I won't go back because of the poor service, but it was such a beautiful day on Saturday, we thought we would give it a try.

Being such a nice day, we thought it would be better to sit under an umbrella like every one else and not use the indoor dining. Maybe our mistake, as we were then overrun with dogs of all sizes who came to our table to rest, or to relieve themselves 5 feet away from where we are sitting, or worse when they do number 2 on the nice grassy area (and of course not picked up by dog owner) where my 2 year old wants to go run around.

Perhaps I won't go back and perhaps I am not alone with this as it was quite empty there on such a nice day. Also, I was the only foreigner there which is also unusual so maybe people are staying away. Bad service, high prices ? (400 kuai for a pizza, salad, bread, two juices, and some ravioli) and now the dogs.

Congratulations to Counting Sheep. We had option only from Shanghai, now here in BEIJING!!!!

oh, I forgot until I saw it, that's us at Happy Valley. I'm carrying my then-20-month old son in the back position in the ERGO (he's chewing on the strap). Ergo positions are: Front position, hip position and back.

My husband also carried our 3 year old for a lot of the day in the same Ergo. At that age, I also did a fair bit of carrying her, because she got tired so easily.... but when Daddy is around he of course that day, he carried her. Now she's 4.5 and though and does not need carrying at all!

I love the selection of quality imported items at this shop. Karen also just got the ERGO baby carrier in, and somehow it is selling for exactly the same retail price as in the U.S.!!

More information about the Ergo: http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

Both I and my best friend from Finland are BOTH Ergo users for years now, it's a really really great product and baby carrier, from birth to 45 pounds.

this dentist is much cheaper than any of the big-name international hospitals, has assistants who speak english and are very nice. facilities were clean and the dentists were honest and did a pretty good job. first time registration fee is RMB 50, and a general teeth cleaning session is RMB 280. they are located conveniently next to the Le Cool Skating Rink in Guomao and have a playstation handy to distract the kids!

We like to eat at Lemongrass, which is located next to the western wing of China World Mall. The restaurant makes very good Indian and Thai food. Alina likes going to here because the staff are very friendly. Every time we take her, they are very helpful and welcoming, and things like that make a big difference for families like us with a young child.

Xia Anchi (5), who is Chinese, loves to eat at Grand Mansion Chinese Restaurant.

Grand Mansion Chinese Restaurant is my favorite place for dinner. It has stylish Chinese traditional decor with many red lanterns, and the wait staff are all dressed in traditional clothes, which makes me feel like I’m having dinner in the past. Besides the delicious dishes, I also enjoy the traditional performances that take place over dinner: Beijing opera, magic shows, kung fu and traditional Chinese cross-talk, all which keep me entertained while eating!

When we arrived from Shanghai, we wanted to find a fun local hangout for our little munchkin. Two-year-old Ivory is our top priority! We found a place called Fundazzle, which is located in the Workers’ Stadium. It’s a really safe, fun and interactive place for young kids to spend the better half of a day, and the kid in the adult will have fun, too. They have a big color ball pit, a huge jungle gym, story time, interactive games and a free learning session for the kids where they teach language and math in a very fun way. They have good facilities and Ivory loves going there.

Casa Mia is a nice Italian restaurant that we usually go to on weekends. We like the sociable and pleasant atmosphere created by Stefano, the owner, who likes to mix with the customers. It's very homey place! Stefano comes from the same place as our father (Modena, Italy), which is also the hometown of the distinguished tenor Luciano Pavarotti. We really like the authentic northern Italian cuisine at Casa Mia, and the restaurant is often used for kids’ birthday parties on Saturdays and Sundays.