How I score
Four scores, one honest verdict
Every restaurant on this map is one I have eaten at myself. No press releases, no second-hand lists: if it is here, I have sat down, ordered, eaten and scored it. Each place is rated out of 10 in four categories, in half-point steps.
I have eaten at far more restaurants than this over the years. The map only includes the ones I have properly reviewed and scored, so if a place you love is missing, it may simply be one I have not reviewed yet. Vote for where I review next.
01Food
The heart of every review, and the score that matters most.
It comes down to how good the food tastes, judged against everywhere else I have eaten the same kind of dish. With smoked meats, I want meat that is soft and juicy, its flavour built over hours in the smoker, not a thick coat of sauce masking a lack of it. With steak, I look at the quality of the cut, whether it has been cooked exactly as ordered and properly rested, and whether it is well seasoned with a real depth of flavour.
A few seconds too long on the grill is all it takes to overcook something, so getting that balance right is half the battle. Freshness of ingredients and presentation count too, and top marks are kept for food that is genuinely memorable: the kind of dish I would come back for.
02Value
What you get for what you pay.
Value is relative to everyone’s own budget, so I judge general value for money. I am happy to pay more when everything else lives up to the price: great food, attentive service, a lovely setting and a good location. When the bill is high but the rest falls short, the value score drops. I also compare like with like, against similar cuisine in a similar part of London.
Portions matter too. Turkish platters are a good example: prices keep rising while portions shrink, and too many places now cut one chicken shish in half and call it two pieces. The spots that still serve generous cuts of meat at a fair price stand out, and their value scores show it.
03Service
How well you are looked after, start to finish.
I look at how attentive the staff are throughout the meal. Do they check how the food is? Do they top up your water before you have to ask? If you drop a fork, how quickly does a clean one arrive? And when you ask for an extra knife, is it simply handed over, or wrapped in a napkin and brought to the table on a plate? These details are small, but they make a real difference.
The friendliness and presentation of the staff count too, and as a dad I now notice how restaurants treat families. Is a high chair ready? Do they think to bring the children’s food first, so little ones are happy before the mains arrive? A colouring book goes a long way. You do not need to be fine dining to get this right: even simple spots like Chicos are brilliant with children, because their staff are trained to look after families.
04Atmosphere
The room, the mood and the details.
For many diners, especially younger ones, the vibe matters as much as the food: they want the photo for their feed. For me, atmosphere is the least important of the four. I am happy to eat somewhere plain as long as the food, service and value are good. Even so, the setting shapes the whole experience, so it counts.
I look at the décor and how much has been invested in the fit-out, how comfortable the seating is, and cleanliness throughout: tables, floors and especially the toilets, which should be clean and well stocked. Then there is the overall feel, from relaxed and homely to elegant and upscale. A takeaway counter is not marked against a fine-dining room; I judge how well each place delivers on what it sets out to be.
A note on older scores
I have been reviewing for over ten years, and the more restaurants I eat at, the tougher I have become. My earlier scores were more generous than the ones I give today, so a 7 from a recent visit is a stronger result than a 7 from 2016.
I do not hand out top marks lightly. A 9 means a restaurant is exceptional, and in all these years I have only ever given two restaurants a perfect 10.
Honesty and small print
Some meals were invited or gifted. That never changes the score, and the review always says so.
Scores reflect my own visits, on the day. Restaurants change owners, chefs, menus and halal status, so always check with the restaurant before you go.
Copyright: all reviews, scores, photos and restaurant data on this map are © Halal Food Guy. They may not be copied, scraped, stored in another database or republished, in whole or in part, without written permission.
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