I realise that, in this day of affiliate links and social media posts, not all reviews carry the same level of objectivity and honesty. This page is intended to walk you through how I choose whether a restaurant or a theatre production is worth recommending, describing the various criteria used to carry out my reviews.
My review process
All reviews on Ramonadepares.com are honest and transparent. I follow a specific process, whether I’m carrying out a restaurant, book, or theatre review. Reviews are never done against payment so as to maintain independence and to be able to be 100% honest. Below, you’ll find some more details about the different types of review I do.
Restaurant reviews
Do I get paid to carry out restaurant reviews? No, because the restaurant reviews are honest and unbiased. I am sometimes hosted on a complimentary basis as part of a press event. However, this does not mean that the restaurant will not be subject to criticism or that I won’t be listing any negative elements I encounter. I have, sometimes, after being invited to review a restaurant, declined to run the review simply because the experience was too bad to fit within the tone of my site.
Ramonadepares.com is an aspirational site, so I only publish restaurants that I know will appeal to my readers. My readers look for ideas for a good night (or lunch/brunch) out and this is exactly what my reviews focus on. You won’t find bad reviews here – experiences that don’t measure up simply do not get published, with a polite conversation with my host and a hope of seeing improvements the next time round.
The review is always honest and based on a mix of fact and subjectivity. Food is, after all, a very emotional affair. The factual criteria I judge on include the following:
- Service
- Ambiance
- Menu
- Food
- Price – does this reflect the quality of the experience?
Do I get paid if I link to a restaurant? No – none of my reviews carry any affiliate links. I use links purely for the purpose of facilitating the lives of anyone wishing to book a particular restaurant.
Theatre reviews
Culture vultures can also find a selection of theatre reviews. The process here is somewhat different, and negative reviews are published as well. This is because the purpose of such reviews is not aspirational, but is to inform readers whether a production is worth their time or not while also providing a journalistic commentary about the local theatre landscape.
Do I get paid to publish theatre reviews? No, for the same reason I don’t get paid to do restaurant reviews. All reviews are 100% genuine and will also highlight the negative aspects of the production. This is what theatre companies actually want – a genuine critique that they can use either to show off, or to improve. There have been cases where directors have contacted me to elaborate on a critique, and adjusted their production accordingly.
Do I get paid if I link to the ticket site? Again, no. My reviews do not contain any affiliate links and are done purely to support the theatre scene in Malta. My theatre reviews also contain an element of subjectivity, as is the nature of things. However, the below are the objective criteria I take into consideration when reviewing a theatre production:
- Direction
- Acting
- Pacing
- Set, lighting & A/V
- Whether the venue works for the piece being put up
- Ticket pricing – does this reflect the quality of the experience?