The story
Utopia is a bistro at Rue Chapuis 40 in Seraing, Belgium, part of the Liège area, and it earned 13.5 from Gault&Millau in 2026. The kitchen works from a menu that changes every month, with a short supply chain and a focus on local producers.
Benjamin Gaugué and Amina El Banouti run the kitchen. Gaugué trained with Georges Blanc, and Le Fooding describes their cooking as travel-inspired. Guests choose how many services they want, and the restaurant offers three formulas of six or seven courses. The team aims for zero waste and works with small local suppliers.
Recent courses included roast cauliflower with mirin and soy, topped with miso sabayon, and langoustine ravioli in a sauce made from the shells, finished with thin slices of Comté. Brussels sprout yakitori came with a red cabbage and black garlic jus. Monkfish cheeks were served with herb jus, asparagus and a tarutaru sauce. The meal closed with braised endive, citrus marmalade and yogurt ice cream.
The dining room has ochre tomette tiles, teal blue walls and a wooden bar, and it can feel loud on a full evening. Utopia also hosts concerts, exhibitions, DJ sets and cooking workshops for children, plus occasional four-hands dinners with visiting chefs.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” Come daydream in Seraign, where chef Benjamin Gaugué (a Georges Blanc alumnus) and Amina El Banouti (a socio-cultural sector escapee) have taken over a village hideout sending out Rhapsodian cuisine. Sitting like sardines in the noisy dining room (ochre tomette tiles, teal blue walls, a wooden bar), the juice is definitely worth the squeeze: deliriously good roast cauliflower with mirin and soy, crowned with a miso sabayon and vibrant tabbouleh; fabulous Breton langoustine ravioli doused in an emulsion made from the shells and served with thinly sliced Comté cheese; smooth Brussels sprout yakitori reveling in a red cabbage and black garlic jus; cheerful monkfish cheeks and herb jus, with crunchy asparagus, tarutaru sauce (Japanese tartare sauce) and a vibrant calamansi jelly; ending with a fantastic lamb shoulder sausage flanked with eggplant caviar, bathing in a spicy green curry. And for the final sweet touch: braised endive, citrus marmalade and yogurt ice cream. // Amber Oisy
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