Magma

Liège locavores Tom Foguenne (ex-Cantinetta), in the kitchen, and his partner Elisa Canovo, in the dining room, sure do trumpet their terroir (meat from the Ferme à l’Arbre, organic vegetables from Vent de Terre and Jardins du Longpré, cheese from The House of Cheese). In their rustic house at the foot of the Amercœur bridge, pimped out with trendy hanging light bulbs, the young duo pumps local produce into their set menu with transalpine accents. That evening: terrific homemade coppa; steamed potatoes and sour cream with trout roe and samphire; tasty sardines in saor (a Venetian sweet-and-sour dish made with pine nuts and raisins); plump pizzetta with spinach, stilton and spring onions; meat tortellini bobbing about in a mushroom broth (fungi from the Eclo urban farm in Brussels) and black garlic; then a vegetable interval with insane braised kale lapped in an orange-infused beurre blanc sauce and some sexy leeks with Mornay sauce, guanciale and lemon; crispy, finger-licking, surf-and-turf chicken and gray shrimp dipped in mayo; before some indulgently sweet dulce de leche and whipped cream for dessert. // Lea Pelotti

FEELING THIRSTY? All natural options! MUZ Catalan vermouth from Partida Creus (€7 a glass), Poil de Lièvre, a Loire Chenin from Bobinet (€8.50), Tôt or Tard from Bottes Rouges in the Jura (€62 a bottle), Bedeau a Burgundy Pinot noir from Cossard (€78) and around 10 cocktails made using spirits from Les Vintrépides in Liège and syrups from La Framboiserie in Malmedy (€6-9).
PRICE: Menu €39-49, dessert or cheese €9-10.