| Writing informative and objective restaurant reviews | | | | not be the backbone of the review even if they |
| can be tricky if you don't know what to look for or | | | | might be mentioned. The review is about the |
| how to structure the review. While everyone has | | | | establishment, not you. |
| their own level of ambition and knowledge the | | | | To illustrate my point I'll finish with an example, an |
| following guidelines will provide you with a solid base | | | | review of the Beirut Cafe in Stockholm. Although my |
| to write informative reviews which are useful to your | | | | knowledge of Lebanese food is not the best it |
| readers. However, these guidelines can easily be | | | | serves as a good example for a nicely structured |
| modified for any kind of service or experience and | | | | review of the compact type: |
| equally well for any other type of media. | | | | First off, Beirut Cafe is very popular so book your |
| Anyway, the guidelines: Keep it centered on the food | | | | table in advance. My party showed up a Tuesday at |
| - Describe it with detail, use adjectives, mention the | | | | 7pm and it was jammed! The host was very helpful |
| dishes original name but explain them if it isn't obvious | | | | and eventually managed to seat us in the lounge |
| what they are. Other details to note: | | | | area. The locations is a little bit off, it's not that it's |
| | | | very far from the central parts of Stockholm, it's just |
| 1. Surroundings - Location, view from window, | | | | that there's nothing else that way except fancy |
| neighborhood | | | | residences. There's a mixed clientele although there's |
| 2. Atmosphere - Interior design, décor, | | | | mostly groups probably having some kind of |
| cleanliness, other guests, sound volume, mood | | | | after-work get together. |
| 3. Menu - Menu and Wine list contents broadly | | | | They have a wide array of mezes with a very good |
| described | | | | overall quality. The Kras Nana and Sojok stands out |
| 4. Service - Speed, presentation and demeanor | | | | as the best mezes. The minced meat beef with mint |
| 5. Exclusives - What makes this restaurant stand out | | | | and lemon (Kras Nana) is perfectly balanced and the |
| 6. Make notes - Mental or in a notebook, if possible | | | | lamb sausage with vegetables (Sojok) is without |
| take pictures | | | | competition the hottest dish with the most punch |
| 7. No novels - don't work in yourself in the story, | | | | served (in our selection at least). Most of the other |
| keep it factual and unbiased | | | | ones just beautifully complement each other without |
| 8. Don't go too hard on failures - think of the possible | | | | taking over the show. The only thing not quite up on |
| reasons for the failure, is it just an "off" night | | | | par with the rest was the Sojok bel baid (lamb |
| 9. Ask for information - make the staff tell you | | | | sausage omelet), it was a little bit soggy and bland, |
| about the establishment, the food, the menu and so | | | | maybe because I only sampled that one towards the |
| on | | | | end of our sitting. |
| 10. Sample the courses - If you can't sample the | | | | The wine list is rather limited although they have an |
| whole menu, try to sample a few dishes at least with | | | | impressive selection of the Lebanese producer |
| the help of your friends | | | | Chateau Musars champagne from 1956 and forward. |
| 11. Extras - You can nick (or ask for) press material, | | | | A Merlot (Santa Helena Vernus Blend) and two red |
| menus and so on to use as reference later, this is | | | | wines from Chateu Musar are available by the glass, |
| also often found on the restaurants website if they | | | | the Merlot is fairly average while the least expensive |
| have one | | | | of the Chateu Musars (can't remember the name |
| And don't forget to keep it personal! The review | | | | though) is very good, full of life without too much |
| should reflect your experience there, it might sound | | | | tannin and great value for the money. |
| counter-intuitive to keep it factual, unbiased and | | | | I cannot stress how good atmosphere they have |
| personal at the same time, however it really isn't. | | | | created, the interior design is just fabulous and never |
| What it means is that although the dinner might be a | | | | fails in any detail, the music is clear but never |
| part of a big night out or some kind of celebration | | | | intruding, the service is very swift but at no point |
| that you want to write about, those things should | | | | rushed and the service staff is helpful and friendly. |