So I have been quite eager to try this place out.it is located in the Dubai mall. I have been hearing so much about it and was really glad when an opprtunity came to go. Now the one thing that put me off and which is a huge reason that I hadnt gone before, is the waiting times. You cant make a reservation on the phone it seems. You have to book a table in person and it is clearly a waiting game. Luckily (as I am told), we only had to wait 40 minutes. So with buzzer in hand we went around the mall trying to fill up the time.
40 minutes later.......we were shown to our table. People, the place is a buzz with activity. It seemed more like a market place. It is noisy, waiters running around all over trying to get the orders to the table....tables quite close together to maximise the space. I guess business is business, to each their hustle. So we were seated at our table and our waiter introduced himself, gave us our menus and gave us some time to look through them.
For drinks, I had to settle for a strawberry daquiri and my friend had the pina colada. Alcoholic drinks are not served here, so no wine for me:-(....anyway I digress. The drinks were actually quite good. I enjoyed mine, but its quite filling and one was enough for the evening.
We then had our starters. I am not adventerous at all and so I quickly went for the safe choice of buffalo wings, my friend had the crab meat wontons. The portions are massive. It is a meal all in itself. I loved the crab meat wontons and proceeded to eat all my friend's wontons(I think thats their name;-) ). They were so tasty and crispy, not too heavy for a starter especially if you're sharing. My buffalo wings were tasty as well. Seasoned well and left you licking your lips for more. Unfortunately after all the wontons I was unable to have more than two wings. I wanted to give the main course a chance.
For the main, we opted for the pasta. Ofcourse there are other options available. I had the, let me see if I can remember this; shrimp and chicken jambalaya pasta(I hope that's what it is called) and my friend had the seafood pasta. My pasta was nice and spicy but once again the portions are too big. I think one has to share all meals, there is just no way anyone can finish a whole plate on their own.
Finally we had the dessert. I am embarassed to say that I was always too scared to try cheesecake. Why? because I have never understood how it was possible to combine cheese and cake. Seriously, I didn't understand how it worked. I have never been a fan of cheese on anything other than pizzas, and don't even get me started on McDonalds who keep putting cheese on my burgers despite my strict instructions not to....vent!!! But seeing as I was at the cheesecake factory and tired of my sister making fun of me....well....you catch my drift. My friend ordered the red velvet cheesecake. At first taste, I found it to be very very creamy but I am a red velvet fan so I had another bite. It is okay, my friend loved it. I can't say it was as magical as people make it seem. To each his own.
All in all, it was an okay evening. The waiters are friendly, some of them bordering on the "over friendly let me join your conversation" side. The only thing I really didnt like was the waiting for a table. I think the best thing is to book your table first and then do your shopping or whatever else you have to do in the mall.
