[Photography] Visual impression from a lunch at Som Thai restaurant on Place Jourdan, Brussels

During today's lunchbreak, I stopped at Som Thai, a rather inconspicuous looking restaurant just off the square reputed to sell the best fries in Brussels. Undeterred by the fact that I was the only guest (it was just before midday, so quite early), and no staff to be seen either, I sat by the window. Soon a smiling and very friendly Thai lady appeared as if out of nowhere and wanted to get me the menu. I said I'm already decided, and just told her what I'd like, and she gladly obliged. She explained that momentarily she's having to manage the whole place alone - everything from cooking to serving to cleaning up, her man having left her, so she's now looking for an assistant. She quickly added: "She must hard working and... good person, esepecially good person, to make no trouble." Then she smiled again, and scurried away into the kitchen. Through a narrow passage way, I could sometimes catch a glimpse of her preparing my food with incredible speed. It was all ready in no time...

What about the food itself? I took a spicy soup with scampi and lemon-grass, and outright burning chicken with hot green chilli coconut sauce and a double portion of vegetables. My throat was burning, tears welling in my eyes and even water running from my nose... but I couldn't deny that the food tasted delicious and seemed very authentic. By the time I was leaving, the place was filling up with people, and I wasn't surprised.

Before leaving, I stopped by to admire the owner's Buddhist shrine area dedicated to the Buddha, Dharma, and the Masters. It was generously, to our western eyes perhaps somewhat haphazardly adorned with all manner of statues of human and animal forms, garlands, fruits and pictures, and contributed to the overall authentic feel of the place. The owner explained to me that her Master's shrine actually has a branch somewhere in a village in Belgium. Almost sounds like an inspiration for a little day trip out of Brussels one day during this summer!

Something is telling me it might not be the last time that I eat at this nice little place.