The first I went to Belgium in 2009, I was told about how there were 3 great things there - chocolate, mussels and fries. Of the three, I think fries interested me most. Who doesn't like fries?? Although as the years have gone by, I admit I've become more sophisticated and the lure of quality dark chocolate or white wine mussels is probably more tempting.
Maybe one of the reasons is that in 2009 I tried several fries places that were highly regarded - probably 2 or 3 in Brussels and 2 in Bruges. They were all quite average. Perhaps the attraction is in the incredible number of sauces you can select from, but for me it's the chip itself that matters. Crunchy outside, smooth inside and just some salt and pepper that shows the true quality.
The two places in Ghent I tried them were firstly a well known cart (Frituur Jozef) along the side of plaza Vrijdagmarkt, and a small shop that was close to the castle (Het Gravensteen) near my hostel. The shop was actually a better quality chip.