How to interpret the Food Rating

People have been confused about the way I rate food, so I want to help you, my valued reader to understand how I rate food.

I usually give an Overall Rating of the whole dining experience at the end of the blog. The overall experience is based on a few factors of which taste plays the major role. Below is a table outlining the weightage given to the various factors:

Weightage Table for Overall Rating

1. Taste - 4
2. Value for money - 3
3. Service - 2
4. Environment -1

From today, the new Overall Rating will be upon 10 to better reflect the weightage.

In my experience, unless you have an unlimited amount of money, you really need to manage your resources to maximise your satisfaction. For example, you can have a really nice steak, say at Morton's and pay $90 for it. If you quantify the satisfaction by giving satisfaction points, you might give it 9 points for satisfaction. So the amount of money you pay for 9 points of satisfaction is $90 or $10 per point (Satisfaction Cost Unit - SCU=$10). Now let's say you went to e.BlackBoard and had their $12 steak ($11 plus extra fries) and you derive 6 points of satisfaction from it, your SCU is $2. The SCU plays a big part in your decision making process on whether to go to a certain establishment, which is why "Value for money" has a weighting of 3 in the overall rating.

Good service will also enhance the enjoyment of food. If you ever had to wait 20mins for your Mee Pok Tar only to be scolded by the hawker when you say "Mai Hiam, Mai Ter Kwa and Mai Tau Gay", suddenly the Mee Pok Tar doesn't taste as shiok. You know what I mean.

Environment plays a small role in my books, I really focus on the taste and value for money. So I really don't mind sitting beside a drain to eat my KL Hokkien Mee if it is supershiok. However, if the supershiok Hokkien Mee is also in a pleasant, convenient, easy to park environment, then it deserves to score better.

So when you interpret the Overall Rating, do understand that I take all these into consideration. As in the example above, Morton's may rate 4 because of the quality of the steak, service and environment, but e.Blackboard may also rate a 4 because they score on "value for money". It certainly does not mean that Morton's steak taste the same as e.Blackboard. To simplify things, rather then give a rating for each factor, I just emphasise why a certain place is rated highly by putting a remark beside the overall rating. (So please read carefully the remarks!)

Now when it comes to individual food items, say in my Zi Yean Dim Sum, La Mian blog, the rating is a Shiokness Score and reflects only the taste of the item.

This is how to interpret the Shiokness Score.

5.0 - Phwaaa Sayah!! What secret ingredient did they put in this to make it so shiok? I am already planning my next trip back. I can't get it out of my mind and continue to ruminate on it throughout the night.

4.5 - Shiok Ah! This is almost as good as it gets. I am definitely coming back next week.

4.0 - Wha this is good man! I am going to be a regular customer

3.5 - Good lah, I'll eat this again if I am in the vicinity

3.0 - Edible though nothing to rave about

2.5 - I rather save my calories on something better.

2.0 - Why bother? Or if you wish you can bring your worse friend to eat this.

1.5 - Now I am really upset. Even my worse friend does not deserve to eat this.

1.0 - This grade of food does not deserve to exist as it ruins your whole day!

Hope this clears up the air and Happy Responsible Makaning!