The Cheesecake Factory (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

J.E.R.K. was supposed to meet up last week but Hanger Jack dropped out the very last minute so we decided to postpone our gathering until this week. There were a couple of places being thrown around as our potential dinner venue but surprisingly, it was Hanger Jack who came up with The Cheesecake Factory in Harbour City, a choice that everyone was happy with. It was my second visit to this Hong Kong outpost of The Cheesecake Factory. The last time I was here, it was its grand opening a few years ago. I have been trying hard to get in on a number of occasions but had to eventually give up due to the huge lineups.

California Guacamole salad ($158) - Everyone wanted to start the meal healthy so a salad with mixed greens, avocado, tomato, corn, black beans, onion, radish, crispy tortillas, feta cheese and Cilantro tossed with mildly spicy avocado dressing was a no-brainer. There's no secret that I'm a huge fan of avocado so a very good way to kick off the meal for me.

Buffalo Wings (?) - We all knew what's coming when K is around - chicken wings. The fried wings drizzled in hot sauce, was served with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks. I have to admit I've never been a fan of Buffalo wings in my life. Way too cheesy, sour and spicy at the same time. Didn't finish mine.

Fried shrimp platter ($218) - I ordered this on my first visit and I was more than happy to order it again. Shrimps, lightly breaded and fried crisp, are always huge crowd pleasers.

It was served with French fries and cole slaw like it always does! Yum~

Pasta da Vinci ($188) - J went with the safe bet here. Sauteed chicken, mushrooms and onion all tossed in a delicious Madeira wine sauce with penne pasta. Not a bad choice.

The Everything Pizza ($182) - There was just one more dish to go before our cheesecake session. They pretty much tossed everything on top of this pizza, from pepperoni to sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and tomato sauce. Didn't call this "The Everything Pizza" for nothing. 

Now here comes the cheesecakes. The list is crazily long (there's a second page).

Pineapple Upside-down cheesecake ($82) - We all agreed that we ordered way too much food tonight so no one had enough room to take on a cheesecake on his way. 

We all ended up taking one home instead. For me, it was the always-popular Pineapple Upside-down cheesecake since Jelloman has been calling for it. I didn't get a crack at it because I was so busy with Chef Dominique's Lychee & Jasmine cronut. But from what I heard from Jelloman, the pineapple cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of pineapple upside-down cake was way too small for her liking. And to add insult to injury, she thought the pineapple upside-down cakes were way too sweet that it totally overshadowed the cheesy pineapple cheesecake. That's the final verdict from the cheesecake expert.

It was good to catch up with the boys tonight. Let's hope we could do this more often once the pandemic goes away.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G102, G/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 25 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2791-6628

Website: www.thecheesecakefactory.hk

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 11:00pm (Mon - Sat), 10:00am - 11:00pm (Sun)