Out with the pasta & in with the paella yang feiyue

Maiker Valdivia was the man for the moment at the Beijing restaurant Aria when he arrived there three months ago.

It was in the process of making a subtle shift in its award-winning dining room. Long a celebration of fine European cuisine, backed with an acclaimed wine list, the backbone of the menu is now Spanish rather than Italian.

With an eye on maintaining the restaurant's reputation for quality, a move was made to a less-fussy look and a more "business casual" style to broaden the restaurant's appeal.