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Review: Merlion(Dining)
Posted: Aug 9 2007, 06:46 AM
Reviewed: Merlion
Description: Singaporean Fusion Cuisine in a swank "rustic-modern" setting.
Review Title: An Expensive Comedy of Errors with Questionable Food
My Rating: Thumbs Down
My Opinion: Mary and I went to this very trendy looking fusion restaurant in Cupertino with my family a few weeks ago on the recommendation of my sister. Despite it being Sunday evening, the place was packed and there was a fifteen minute wait to get a table. The owners of the restaurant are Singaporean immigrants themselves and already own other restaurants in the area.
Water spouting "Merlions" welcome you at the front and rear entrances of the restaurant and a very hip looking cocktail bar with widescreen HD TV's make Merlion a fusion of modern and traditional decor as well as a fusion of cuisines. It all seemed very promising.
Then they seated us and it all went downhill from there. They didn't have any room indoors, so they sat us on the front patio that faces the scenic traffic of Stevens Creek Blvd. Our table wobbled and our seats were obviously chosen for how they looked rather than how they felt when you sat in them. They were slightly more comfortable than say if someone replaced your bike seat with a ski. Unless you have extra padding, one side of your pelvis kept falling through the large slats in the chair.
Then there was the anxiety over the water spouting Merlion. I'm no bacteriophobe, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how great it would be if a strong wind blew and I could get my dinner coated with some delicious bateria infested water from the large fountain about 10 feet away.
Ok, so how's the food, you're probably thinking. We had differing opinions about the quality. We had differing opinions about the quality, but it definitely came late, came wrong, and forgot to come. The wait staff there on that night could only be described as the 18 stooges... They delivered to the wrong tables, forgot orders, and just generally appeared completely lost to the point that one guy came out with one of our dishes and stood there staring blankly as the wonderful mobile like movement of cars humming down Stevens Creek Blvd. We actually called out to him, but the cars sound like the ocean if you're standing in the right place. He was in his happy place, holding a plate of somewhat warm food. We called again and he snapped out of it and came toward our table with our food.
The only bright spot I could see in the experience is that the food was very artfully presented. If you like food that looks good, they get high marks. Call me picky, but I want my food to taste good too. Some of it did. Some of it tasted pasty and less than warm.
To be fair to the restaurant owners, they did show up in person and appeared to very sincere in their apologies and took one of the entrees off the bill. It was also only a couple of weeks since their grand opening and they just lost one of their managers so things were really screwed up. I'd like to be sympathetic, but its hard for me to believe that you can get a comedy of errors this spectacular by a perfect storm of dumb blind bad luck alone.
Mmmm.... bacteria infested fountain water!
This is an automatically generated post created when a new opinion has been posted to the Opinion Boards. You can comment on this opinion directly or post your own opinion
Description: Singaporean Fusion Cuisine in a swank "rustic-modern" setting.
Review Title: An Expensive Comedy of Errors with Questionable Food
My Rating: Thumbs Down
My Opinion: Mary and I went to this very trendy looking fusion restaurant in Cupertino with my family a few weeks ago on the recommendation of my sister. Despite it being Sunday evening, the place was packed and there was a fifteen minute wait to get a table. The owners of the restaurant are Singaporean immigrants themselves and already own other restaurants in the area.
Water spouting "Merlions" welcome you at the front and rear entrances of the restaurant and a very hip looking cocktail bar with widescreen HD TV's make Merlion a fusion of modern and traditional decor as well as a fusion of cuisines. It all seemed very promising.
Then they seated us and it all went downhill from there. They didn't have any room indoors, so they sat us on the front patio that faces the scenic traffic of Stevens Creek Blvd. Our table wobbled and our seats were obviously chosen for how they looked rather than how they felt when you sat in them. They were slightly more comfortable than say if someone replaced your bike seat with a ski. Unless you have extra padding, one side of your pelvis kept falling through the large slats in the chair.
Then there was the anxiety over the water spouting Merlion. I'm no bacteriophobe, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how great it would be if a strong wind blew and I could get my dinner coated with some delicious bateria infested water from the large fountain about 10 feet away.
Ok, so how's the food, you're probably thinking. We had differing opinions about the quality. We had differing opinions about the quality, but it definitely came late, came wrong, and forgot to come. The wait staff there on that night could only be described as the 18 stooges... They delivered to the wrong tables, forgot orders, and just generally appeared completely lost to the point that one guy came out with one of our dishes and stood there staring blankly as the wonderful mobile like movement of cars humming down Stevens Creek Blvd. We actually called out to him, but the cars sound like the ocean if you're standing in the right place. He was in his happy place, holding a plate of somewhat warm food. We called again and he snapped out of it and came toward our table with our food.
The only bright spot I could see in the experience is that the food was very artfully presented. If you like food that looks good, they get high marks. Call me picky, but I want my food to taste good too. Some of it did. Some of it tasted pasty and less than warm.
To be fair to the restaurant owners, they did show up in person and appeared to very sincere in their apologies and took one of the entrees off the bill. It was also only a couple of weeks since their grand opening and they just lost one of their managers so things were really screwed up. I'd like to be sympathetic, but its hard for me to believe that you can get a comedy of errors this spectacular by a perfect storm of dumb blind bad luck alone.
Mmmm.... bacteria infested fountain water!
This is an automatically generated post created when a new opinion has been posted to the Opinion Boards. You can comment on this opinion directly or post your own opinion
