Yaka Afrotoria

The fervent city of Liège has hit the jackpot with Yaka Afrotoria! In a former Belle Époque pharmacy with teal blue walls, colorful tiled floors and African accents, ex-chemical engineer and Congo-native Aris Kumeso Mateta sets the record straight when it comes to African cuisine, whipping up fiotis fiotis (tapas-style dishes) and popular sub-Saharan preparations on mamma’s advice. That evening, à la carte: crazy beef and veg samosas dipped in homemade tzatziki; maddeningly-good double-fried fish fritters; makemba, a delicacy of fried plantain chunks with a sweet chili tomato sauce; before some generous mafé, a chicken peanut stew with plantains and sticky rice, plus a dash of explosive pili-pili sauce; and for dessert, thiakry 4.0, a mix of sweet millet couscous and mascarpone mousse. And to end the saga? A shopping bag loaded with fair-trade products from the continent: herbal infusions, beers, spices, tropical fruit jams… Yaka! // Amber Oisy

FEELING THIRSTY? Afro(disiac) cocktails like the gin-based Bisso na bissap or the African Mule (€12), masanga Congolese beers (€6.50 to €12.50), African soft drinks and a few well-chosen wines, like Solerte, a Sicilian orange wine from Vino Lauria (€37).
PRICE: Set menus €35-40, tapas €7-15 (minimum three per person in the evening), mains €25-33, desserts €6-7.