Merlion Marketplace

Came here for a private event, so yes we did have reservations for 50+ people. I have never been in here so... more

Came here for a private event, so yes we did have reservations for 50+ people. I have never been in here so... more

We visited Merlion on a friday evening and was surprised to see almost no crowd. I guess its the location that makes it a little less crowded on a weekend evening. We were happy about it as our 7 month son was sleeping in his seat and we were looking forward to a quiet meal. Started with the roti-prata, which is usually an indicator and gives me a quick glance at the cooking style and marks the 'taste meter' of the place. It was a good start. For the main course, we had ayum chicken n' the pineapple prawns on crispy noodles...I simply loved the prawn dish and recommend it to anyone who likes seafood. We had no room for dessert and was happy with the wholesome meal. The menu and the food preparation reminded me of Straits Cafe in Santana Row, without the busy crowd! Overall a good eatery and will surely visit again! Pros: The pineapple prawn...yummy Cons: Not very happening for a weekend evening out! more

Had lunch there today & found this restaurant as excellent.\r It's named after the Merlion w/c is a giant white fish and a lion statue\r in which the original is from Singapore. \r \r I was in Singapore last Feb this year, and had a taste of their type of food.\r The Merlion Restaurant in Cupertino is as close as you can get.\r They also have fresh oysters in the half shell also btw.\r \r --BSD more

Appearances can sure be deceiving. This place looks very nice but that's about all there is to it. I've been here many times and the food never fails to disappoint me. I don't know what the other reviewers find so great about their garlic noodles; from my experience, the noodles are mushy and not very flavorful. Everything on the menu is overpriced. Their roti, for example, is more than double the price of the roti at other comparable asian fusion or southeast asian restaurants. \r \r I'm not sure why they have coffee listed on their menu because most of the time I tried to order it they said it wasn't available. My last time there, they finally had the coffee but it was some of the worst coffee I've ever had. It tasted just like the instant coffee you get at the supermarket.\r \r I normally don't come back to a restaurant if I don't like the food, but since this place was new and had a nice decor, I came back in hopes of the food getting better. Unfortunately, it didn't. I eventually stopped going, not so much because the food was no good but because I had concerns about the sanitation of their food preparation. The last time I was there, I happened to glance in the kitchen on my way out and I noticed one of the workers using a dirty rag to wipe off the edge of a plate that they were about to serve to a customer. The plate already had food on it and it appeared as though the worker was wiping off any extra sauce that might have dripped near the edge of the plate so as to make the dish look more presentable. While I do think that food presentation is important, especially at a nice restaurant, I do not think it should be at the sacrifice of sanitation standards. Who knows what kind of bacteria gets transferred to the plate of food when a dirty rag is used to wipe it down? Since then, I've been afraid to eat at Merlion. I would advise others to likewise stay away from this restaurant. Pros: Ambience Cons: Not Sanitary, Subpar Food, Overpriced, Limited Menu Selection more

I decided to try out this new restaurant in my neighborhood for my brother's surprise birthday party. I had friends and relatives coming from SF and the East Bay so I was really hoping that this restaurant would work out. We were there at 7:30PM and liked the service so far...then at about 7:50PM, the power went out. We hung around for a bit waiting for the power to turn back on. The staff was amazing in keeping us informed and making sure that we were okay. They gave us some options of ""cold"" food items that didn't require cooking. We were a large group and finding another restaurant on a Friday night would have been difficult. Finally, the GM, Andy, offered to seat us at the outside patio while his kitchen staffed cooked up our order (it would be too smoky inside). So, we stayed and the kitchen staff cooked under candlelight! I kept telling myself, I hope that the food is good! It was! It was great! It made it all worth it and to top it off, the restaurant staff went above and beyond making sure that we were okay. Highly recommended. If you are looking for great Asian Food cooked with a differrent flare....huge selection of great wines...excellent service....try Merlion in Cupertino! Plenty of parking and a great looking restaurant. Pros: Great food; great service; huge wine selection Cons: nothing more