Food Review Guidelines

As I embark seriously (hahahaha) on my new found vocation as a food reviewer, I made a simple list of guidelines which will help me review the restaurants and food which I will be featuring in my blogs.

Each category will be graded from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). The passing mark is 3 (weighted average).

The categories are FOOD, AMBIANCE, SERVICE and VALUE FOR MONEY. I will also be discussing the restaurant's STRONG POINTS and WEAK POINTS. Of course, the FINAL GRADE will not be forgotten as this will determine whether or not my experience with that restaurant (and the food that I ate) is worth it or not.

FOOD is the central theme of my blog. I will discuss the quality, taste, texture and presentation. I did not include smell in this category because this will be prejudicial to the food itself. Certain food items emit peculiar smell due the ingredients used by the chef. Without this ingredient, that particular food is no longer palatable. Beside, food and smell are Siamese twins that cannot be separated.

AMBIANCE is all about the pervading atmosphere of the restaurant. I am particular about room temperature, lighting, interior and the smell. I will also include music (if applicable). A restaurant must have a wash room and/or comfort room for customers. This is mandatory because one needs to wash his/her hands before and after a meal. Comfort room, as the term implies, is a place for personal necessity. One doesn't expect to leave a restaurant and go to the mall's comfort room/s in order to wash one's hands or do a personal necessity. Doing this means great inconvenience to the eating patrons in general.

SERVICE, for me, is the second most important criterion in my personal guidelines. The interaction between the attendants and customers and their knowledge on the food they serve greatly make the difference. Attendants can make up for the lousy food if proper apologies are given to customers. Grooming and personal hygiene are important. They must also have the proper knowledge of the food and wine that they offer. Nothing beats an 'intelligent' attendant who knows what the food/wine is all about.

VALUE FOR MONEY is not just about the size/portion of the food served. Literally, its the value of everything equated in pesos or dollars.

STRONG POINTS highlight the restaurant's positive traits. A restaurant can exploit and develop these traits in order to gain a foothold in the competition. This is the competitive edge of one restaurant, given its class, over other restaurants.

WEAK POINTS are areas for improvement. These are areas that leave much to be desired, so to speak.

Food (being reviewed) is totally different from a restaurant. A restaurant may be lousy, even filthy, yet the food served tastes heavenly to its loyal patrons. Likewise, a first class restaurant does not always equate to good food. These are just some of the nuances in my blog.

DISCLAIMER

Opinions written here are solely mine.

Let me reiterate this: I will be reviewing food served by McDonald's or Jollibee and the selection of food offered by Makati Shang or Manila Pen.