Resto: Baan Chann

Asian eateries have everything to gain from being transparent. This is due to their complex dishes, the ingredients of which can be difficult to identify for newcomers. Remarkably, Baan Chann has grasped this point.

Situated on the corner of Savoiestraat/rue de Savoie and Albaniëstraat/rue d’Albanie, this pocket-sized restaurant serves twenty or so at a time. The space is tightly organised. It’s arranged around a counter where a chef, 100% Thai, works with manic energy. So, total disclosure, in an establishment with nothing to hide. The only drawback of this approach is par for the course: the extractorfan, though powerful, didn’t prevent the smells of the food from reaching us…but we have seen worse.

The decor, which is fairly simple, includes black chairs and placemats, red panels on the walls, and white surroundings, decorated with photos of traditional dance.

The place made the right choice by preparing the dishes, from the sauces to the desserts, entirely on-site. This was made apparent with the starter, a very simple “Sa te kai” (€8) consisting of four chicken skewers, served with satay sauce. Impeccable, the chicken was perfectly tender, while the sauce was richly peanut-flavoured and worthy of its name. The dish was ingeniously brought to life by some small grated carrots with chilli and vinegar. Likewise for the main course, a “Kareng kari kai” (€14), chicken fillet with a green curry sauce. The curry, with chunks of potato through it, was original, and one of the best that we have eaten. It tasted somewhere between spicy and hot, without being completely one or the other. The dessert was equally quirky, a crème brûlée with red tea (€6), which was definitely interesting but failed to impress.

Baan Chann, rue Savoiestraat 13, Sint-Gillis/saint-Gilles, 02-534.50.01, Mo > Fr 12 > 14.00 & 19 > 22.00, Sa 19 > 22.30