Four separate things
LISTED means a place exists in our directory, usually from OpenStreetMap data. It has not been reviewed.
VERIFIED means the business has confirmed its own details with us. It says nothing about quality.
EDITORIAL PICK means we visited and recommend it, and it carries a BatamGems Score.
SPONSORED means a business paid for placement. It is always labelled and never changes a score.
The BatamGems Score
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are only given after a visit. They combine six parts: Experience, Value, Service, Cleanliness, Atmosphere and Accessibility.
We never invent scores, reviews, prices or opening hours. If we don't know something, we leave it out.
Visitor reviews
Visitors can rate and comment once they have an account. Visitor ratings are shown separately from our own editorial picks and are never blended with them.
A reviewer's first review is checked before it appears. We remove spam, fake, abusive or off-topic reviews, and anyone can report a review. We never sell review removal or ratings.
We do not import scores from other websites.
Halal labels
We use three labels: halal certification reported (a source says it is certified — we have not seen the certificate), states halal or no pork (not certification), and unknown. We never assume halal status from the cuisine, the owner or the staff.
Badges
Badges like Hidden Gem and Worth the Ferry are editorial judgements, not formulas. A Hidden Gem isn't simply a place with few reviews — it is somewhere we think rewards the effort of finding it.