The first visit to any place is anonymous and paid in full. No reservations under the site's name, no mention of the notebook, no photographs of the staff. It is the only way the second visit tells you anything useful.
What earns a return trip
A return happens when the first visit raised a real question — a dish that should be better than it was, a service rhythm that might be an off-night, a price that seemed high for the room. Consistency across two visits is the whole verdict.
What we skip
Press dinners, opening-night invitations, anything where the bill is settled by someone else. If a place cannot be experienced the way you would experience it, it does not appear here.