Botèye

By leaving the capital to take over this small square in Spa, sommelier Laëtitia Bogais and mixologist Cédric Lansival (ex-Humus and Hortense) shortened the distance from the soil to the bottle (botèye, in Walloon). In their cool little bar with giant windows, off-white banquettes and candle-lit tables, the pair shake up the drinking landscape with foraged plants, natural hooch and other local artisanal fuels. Take the sunny On Dirait Le Sud (gin, lavender, Valencian blood orange, lemon, €12) or the honeyed Dents de Lion (Mirabelle plum eau-de-vie, dandelion, dessert wine and verjus from Siorac, €12). As for the wines, there are a few bangers: a Beaujolais-Villages Cuvée à l’Ancienne from the Domaine Joubert (€6 a glass), or a Chablis from the Sarnin-Berrux duo (€55 a bottle). And for hunger pangs, feast on onions rings and wild garlic mayo (€9.50), or Ondenval trout tartare with marc de Muscat (€15)… Radicool! // Amber Oisy