Food Rating System

First, to clear up any confusion, my rating system is the same one used by the Good Food Guide. It is important to take note that the food rating system is not a linear scale.This is intentionally done to help highlight a truly memorable meal from one which was ‘only’ excellent – to differentiate the creme de la creme. As such, I would like to stress that while a score of 1/10 may seem a poor score, it represents a decent achievement.  Think of it this way, a score of 1/10 means that the restaurant is in the top 10% of restaurants in the country. Are you confused yet? The rating system is not affected by the price paid, service or general ambience of the restaurant- it is simply a reflection of the quality of the meal as a whole. Ultimately some may say that this system is flawed – and it is… no system is perfect.

Rating System (adapted from the Good Food Guide 2009)

0/10 – Shocking. Abomination. Food is completely inedible, shows flaws even in the most basic cooking techniques or is so conceptually flawed with tastes that simply do not work.

1/10 – Capable cooking, with simple food combinations and clear flavours , but some inconsistencies

2/10 – Decent cooking, displaying good basic technical skills and interesting combinations and flavours. Occasional inconsistencies

3/10 – Good cooking, showing sound technical skills and using quality ingredients

4/10 – Dedicated, focused approach to cooking; good classical skills and high quality ingredients

5/10 – Exact cooking techniques and a degree of ambition; showing balance and depth of flavour in dishes, while using quality ingredients.

6/10 - Exemplary cooking skills, innovative ideas, impeccable ingredients and an element of excitement (This is roughly equivalent to 1* Michelin)

7/10 – High level of ambition and individuality, attention to the smallest detail, accurate and vibrant dishes.

8/10 – A kitchen cooking close to or at the top of its game – highly individual, showing faultless technique and impressive artistry in dishes that are perfectly balanced for flavour, combination and texture. There is little room for disappointment here. (This is roughly equivalent to 2* Michelin)

9/10 – This mark is for cooking that has reached a pinnacle of Achievement, making it a hugely memorable experience for the diner. (This is roughly equivalent to 3* Michelin or Rising 2*)

10/10 – It is extremely rare that a restaurant can achieve perfect dishes on a consistent basis. A memorable meal which will stay with me for years to come.

I have individually marked each dish I have eaten as well as the dinner as a whole. The overall rating is more than just an average of individual marks. I take into account various other factors such as variety of ingredients (e.g. not reusing ingredients during the course of a meal), overall balance of the meal in terms of taste, texture, temperature, and cooking techniques and the ‘wow’ factor. I have to stress that the scores here ONLY score the food and the food alone. It does not take into account other factors like price, atmosphere and service unless they severely affect the food itself (e.g. slow service resulting in cold food on the table).

A few notes :-

• I have only scored dishes which I have had a significant taste of (ie. each and every component of the dish as a whole) so as to make a fair judgement. In most cases this shouldn’t be a problem as J and I swap our plates half-way.
• The scores reflect MY dining experience and what is put out in front of me. As such it does not indicate any inconsistencies which may occur if a particular dish is ordered in multiples (e.g. if 3 people other the same steak course, it will not affect my score if the person next to me got his well done despite requesting it medium rare). I will however make notes of such inconsistencies should they occur.
• I will not mark a dish which has been requested by my guest/host to be cooked beyond my liking (e.g. beef which is done medium well instead of medium rare or pink).
• I do not (and will not) receive any compensation in any form whatsoever, be it gives, freebies etc. in return for writing a more favourable review
• Whilst the scoring is based on a solitary visit, in most cases, I will try to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt should I feel they are underperforming by paying a return visit.