TWO FAMILY-STYLE EATERIES ARE WHERE ANIMALS ROAM

Esther's Bear, Water and Nature strive to balance the needs of adults and children for a harmonious night out, Wu Ni in Shanghai reports.迷你倉最平Bringing children to a restaurant is always nerve-wracking for parents. Will the dishes suit the palate of both adults and children? Will it have healthy alternatives for children who are picky about what they eat? Will the establishment's decor be attractive enough to divert naughty boys from disturbing other tables? Restaurants that are truly family-oriented are hard to i nd in China, but there are two in Shanghai that may be ultimate destinations for a family night out.Esther's Bear employs an artisan to tutor customers on how to stuf and stitch up a teddy bear. The price of the bears varies from 128 yuan ($20.93) to more than 500 yuan, depending on the materials.PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Hundreds of ? sh ? ll the aquariums at Water and Nature. The napkins, chopstick racks and trays are all shaped like ? sh. Cute ceramic turtles and ? sh are placed on plates to entertain children.PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY On the ? rst ? oor of Esther's Bear is a teddy bear museum showcasing the owner's lifelong collection, some of which are limited editions. The second ? oor holds an overwhelming number of handmade teddy bears by a small cabinet.h e Water and Nature restaurant is part eatery, part aquarium. Located near the Pudong New Area's Century Park, the city'slargest, tropical i sh swim in giant glass tanks built into the establishment's walls or posi- tioned through the middle of tables.Eric Zhang, the 31-year-old owner who also designed the i sh tanks, said he never expected his restaurant would become a well- known family spot. A lifelong fan of tropical fish, Zhang has always wanted to own an aquarium that was i lled with astonishing sea creatures from all over the world.After he finished his studies in Austra- lia in 2006, Zhang returned to China and worked at Citibank as a technician for seven years, never letting go of his dream of owning an aquarium. With the support of his wife, who had always wanted to open a restaurant, Zhang quit his high-paying job in 2012 and created Water and Nature."We combined our dreams," he said.h e biggest draw among the hundreds of i sh at the restaurant — there are 30 species — is a 30-centimeter-long goldi sh named China Lion Head. And as you might have guessed, the restaurant mainly serves sea- food. h e napkins, chopstick racks and trays are all shaped like i sh. Cute ceramic turtles and fish are placed on plates to entertain children."(h e restaurant) has gradually become a happy place for children. Especially during the weekends, parents like to bring their children here to have dinner, observe the i sh and enrich their knowledge of marine biology," said Zhang, who added that every child is given a goldi sh as a git to take home.h e restaurants imports marinades from Japan and mixes them with other ingredients according to the owner's secret recipe. One of its most popular dishes is the crispy fried sot -shell crab. h e crabs, which are caught right after they have molted their shells, are imported from Malaysia and are fro- zen before the new exoskeleton can harden.At er defrosting, they are marinated in sauce before frying.Zhang, who has a i ve-month-old daugh- ter, said the restaurant is like his other child, adding that he hopes both grow to be healthy and strong.But Water and N迷你倉ture isn't Shanghai'sonly unique family-style restaurant. Esther Tseung, a Hong Kong native, turned her childhood fascination with teddy bears into Esther's Bear, a shop that initially taught cus- tomers how to make teddy bears in Shanghai but eventually incorporated a restaurant."I wanted to create a retro atmosphere relying on the fact that teddy bears were important friends for many people when they were younger," said Tseung, who opened the establishment in 2007.The vintage look reflects the establish- ment's location at Tianzifang, a maze of alley- ways that features traditional stone-framed houses and small crat stores, trendy art stu- dios and boutique shops.Hundreds of bears can be found through- out the two-story, 800-square-meter restau- rant, said manager Billy Sun.On the i rst l oor is a teddy bear museum showcasing the owner's lifelong collection, some of which are limited editions. A wide range of the cuddly stuf ed animals in dif er- ent colors, sizes and clothing crowd shelves and chairs. h e walls are full of paintings and grai ti of bears.h e dining space is adorned with posters and sofa cushions of bears. Even the chairs are in the shape of bears. Upon climbing the narrow wooden staircase that leads to the second floor, there is an overwhelm- ing number of handmade teddy bears by a small cabinet, many of which have not been completed."Many parents bring their children to spend a pleasurable afternoon, learning how to make a teddy bear by themselves and enjoying some snacks and beverages,"said Sun, who added that the establishment employs an artisan to tutor customers on how to stuf and stitch up a teddy bear.h e price of the bears varies from 128 yuan ($20.93) to more than 500 yuan, depending on the materials, he said.h e restaurant serves mainly h ai food, though Italian dishes were added to the menu a year ago. Fried shrimp cake, pineapple fried rice, lemon i sh and bear-shaped pizza are popular with children.It also serves a dessert called the bear's paw cake, which is a chocolate mousse cake with the imprint of a bear's paw.Contact the writer at wuni@chinadaily.com.cn Water and Nature restaurant 11 am- 2 pm, 5 pm- 9 pm Room 102, Zendai Wudaokou Plaza, No 1, Lane 1199 Minsheng Lu, Pudong New Area Phone: 021-6100-1670 Esther's Bear 11 am-11 pm No 23-2, Tianzifang, Alley 248 Taikang Road, Huangpu district Phone: 021-6473-0645 Other family-style restaurants in Shanghai: Danbo Fun The d�cor looks like something out of a cartoon, with lemon yellow and white the predominant colors. The restaurant'sspecialty is Japanese omelette rice, which is fried rice wrapped in an egg omelette.10 am- 10 pm B2 Cloud Nine Shopping Mall, 1018 Changning Lu, Changning district Phone: 021-3372-7079 Dry Leaves DIY Veggie Hotpot The vegetarian restaurant features simple healthy food that allows the ingredients' natural ? avors to shine through. The hotpot soup base is made from ? ve kinds of Chinese herbs that ap- parently reduce your body's heat levels.It of ers more than 100 kinds of organic vegetables.11 am - 2:30 pm, 6 pm- 9:30 pm 359 Xinhua Lu, Changning district Phone: 021-5230-1558 Peter's Tex-Mex Grill The Mexican restaurant is a family-style villa with a children's playground. The menu includes Tex-Mex food and sand- wiches, burgers and salads.Mon-Fri 9:30 am-11 pm; Sat-Sun 7:30 am-11 pm; Unit 7, Lane 3911 Hongmei Lu, Changning district Phone: 021-6261-2505儲存