The Grading Scheme

You may have noticed that I assign letter grades to each of the dishes that I try. What does it all mean?

A

A carefully prepared dish with superb attention to taste, texture and aroma. The food is very enjoyable and fresh and has no major faults. Style and presentation are both excellent.

B

A typical dish you would expect from a mid-scale restaurant. The food is fresh and enjoyable, but lacks the "wow" factor. There may be one or two minor faults.

C

A dish that demonstrates some attention to taste, texture and aroma. There may be more of a focus on quantity rather than quality, the food may be bland or the ingredients do not work well together, etc.

F

The food is not fresh or is unpleasant to eat. A dish gets an F if I can't finish it and have to return it to the restaurant. Let's not even go here, shall we?

Things Taken into Consideration
  • taste
  • freshness
  • correct/reasonable method of preparation
  • temperature of food
  • smell
  • texture
  • presentation
  • innovation
Things Not Taken into Consideration
  • authenticity
  • price
  • portion size
  • decor/ambience
  • service quality
  • my prior expectations
  • how good the server thinks the dish is
Notes

Each type of nigiri or sashimi in an assorted dish receives its own grade. Assorted tempura dishes receive a combined grade unless the best and worst pieces differ by a full letter grade or more.

Price ratings are in comparison to other Japanese restaurants in Greater Vancouver.

Distribution of Grades


Grade    Count
A+error
Aerror
A-error
B+error
Berror
B-error
C+error
Cerror
C-error
Ferror

Note: This table is updated automatically.