The Cheesecake Factory, Dubai

As a fan of The Big Bang Theory, a visit to The Cheesecake Factory was mandatory after it opened its doors in Mall of the Emirates.

In typical Dubai-fashion, what I had anticipated on being a cosy restaurant tucked in between two equally cosy restaurants, was actually a cavernous space filled with endless tables and chairs that could never possibly be filled simultaneously. 

Dubai's Cheesecake Factory really should be in the record books for Largest Restaurant to have Ever Existed, Ever.

After the 5-mile trek to our table and scouring the novel-esque menu for something that whetted our appetites, one of the hundreds of waiters milling around took our order and we sank our teeth into the deliciously warm, soft bread placed in front of us. 

The menu at the Cheesecake Factory was ridiculously large; so large, in fact, that I got bored of flicking through it and never made it past the "Glamburger" section, which boasted over 15 different types of burgers at 60dhs a pop, from the "Classic Cheeseburger" to the "Over the top Meatloaf Sandwich".

Peanut butter, banana and honey milkshake - 28 dhs

I wasn't overly hungry and fancied being healthy so I ordered the Cobb Salad for 76 dhs. With promises of chicken breast, avocado, blue cheese, beef bacon, tomato, egg and mixed greens tossed in a vinaigrette, I thought I'd done well for myself, plumping for an all-round nutritious option. This proved to be a massive error on my part.

I have never seen such a large salad in my life. The whole concept of salads being light and healthy was bulldozed the minute the waiter set the gargantuan creation in front of us: there was more cheese in it that is probably healthy to eat in a lifetime, let alone a sitting, and the salad was so drenched in dressing it seemed pointless having any actual food on there.

With an appetite rivaling a killer whale, I'm all for big portions, but the size of food at the Cheesecake Factory verges on gluttony and just seemed like a complete waste. Not only that, but the salad tasted artificial and judging from how much water I guzzled down, was plied with salt and other nasty additives.

And as for the cheesecake, I was spellbound by the number of cheesecakes on display, but when it came to settling on a contender (I went for The Original) I found it to be extremely heavy and lacking in taste; none of this melt in the mouth delectability that I had assumed would have been necessary to catapult the restaurant into the limelight. The cheesecakes aren't cheap either, at around 30dhs for a standard slice.

So. Many. Cheesecakes.

Overall, I found the Cheesecake Factory to be a disappointing experience and certainly doesn't live up to its hype.