Capital Bites: Tapas, Lollipops and Caffeine Wayne

The trend for tasty savory nibbles hurtles on. Popular Moroccan restaurant Argana has launched a new tapas menu that includes chorizo a la plancha, paprika king prawns, anchovy bruschetta, Jamon Iberico and more.

Following news that cupcake mania has finally imploded in the west, Lollipop Bakery, a London-based delivery company, has extended its operations to Beijing. Their delicate creations are iced to order at RMB 200-220 per dozen. Email cupcakes@LollipopBakery.cn for more info.

Barolo, the fine-dining Italian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, welcomes an excellent new head chef, Massimo Miagletta. A protégée of triple Michelin-starred Marco Pierre White, he’s cooked for everyone from the Sultan of Brunei to footballer Frank Lampard. And me. And it was really special.

After a brief hiatus, Budapest is open and back under Hungarian management, with a native chef to boot. Egészségetekr! (“To your health”, or something like that.)

Wayne is to Swedes and Norwegians who that chap “Buck Star” is to the rest of us. The chain of coffeeshops. Wayne’s Coffee, Scandinavia's premier coffee brand, has opened its first China store in Wangfujing. They’ll be keen to do what Latvian chain Double Coffee failed to do. Conquer the east. Or survive, at the very least.

A new Joy City Shopping Mall is going up in Chaoyang outside the East Fourth ring, a bit beyond expat comfort zones but an area targeted for future development. Dining options will include a Golden Jaguar buffet, Bellagio, Banana Leaf, Tang Palace Seafood Boat and other Beijing chains.