The Belgian Café is a cozy, aptly-named restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel, and perhaps the only place in Abu Dhabi where one can enjoy the strangely romantic experience of eating French fries by candlelight. Though at this café, French fries are not French but rather Belgian, and instead of your typical McDonald’s Dollar Menu fare, this snack comes in heaping paper cones with mayonnaise on the side. The fries themselves are thick slabs of gold — plump and mushy on the inside, no skimpy potatoes allowed.

The French or Belgian fry has a muddled history, one that maybe involves American doughboys in World War I, the late U.S.-President Thomas Jefferson and 17th-century Belgian fishermen and most definitely involves contentious ownership and a lot of furious debate. Both France and Belgium claim credit for the fry, France with perhaps a little more success. As silly as some find the debate, it's not a frivolous foodie tug-of-war so much as an example of the intersection between politics and disputed gastronomic hegemony, ranking among the likes of the ever-contentious falafel.

The people of Belgium see their fries as a kind of national treasure. Truck vendors selling the snack are speckled across the country on street corners and in markets, and at their peak in the 1970s, these vendors numbered around 10,000. Belgium recently had a year-long festival to commemorate its fries, and Brussels actually boasts its own fries museum.

At Abu Dhabi's Belgian café, located in the Intercontinental Hotel, you can get a taste of these fries if you're willing to tolerate the long wait and high prices. Homemade fries are 35 AED, while entrées like the mussels or meatballs will set you back approximately 100 AED. That said, the food is extremely filling and the restaurant offers a cozy indoor atmosphere and the nice option to sit outside to enjoy the cooling Abu Dhabi weather.

"Although the food is as delicious and authentic as you'll find here in Abu Dhabi, I would still choose a cone of fries from a street vendor in Brussels over this café any day," said Belgian-born sophomore Sala Shaker. "Also, the waffle is an insult to any Belgian. However, dining at the café is an experience worth trying at least once."

Not the most college-budget-friendly, the restaurant is a nice treat for anyone who just received a stipend refill and is looking for a change from shawarma or Al Ekram. The bill will amount to approximately 250 AED for two people, and the restaurant demands smart casual attire on its website.