On Chinese Restaurants and The Perfect Hutch

Varen & I were supposed to try out another Deals on Meals restaurant last night, but I really wasn't in the mood ... and neither was he. So instead we went to our new favourite sushi spot Yi Ping Ju (or something like that ... it's in the Newscafe Center behind Malibongwe MacDonalds, if you're interested). It's so funny, we were saying last night, I wonder if there's one guy (or little old lady) that does the decor in ALL the Chinese restaurants in South Africa. Seriously ... for the most part they all look identical. Lanterns hanging from the ceiling, fans on the walls, some kind of water feature / fish tank, tiled floors and plastic table clothes ... oh, and don't forget the menu with pictures! Are they doing it for us, to feed into what we think a Chinese restaurant should look like? Is this what restaurants actually look like in China (I haven't been yet, but it's on the list)?

Anyhoo, we started with some very hot Hot & Sour Soup, which did wonders for my blocked nose ;) And then followed up with some 30% off sushi (I think it's some sort of opening special, but I'm loving it!). Again, I don't like ordering 8 pieces of the same thing, but Varen was happy for us to make up a platter and share. Which worked out perfectly :) It was delish and we were home early.

Should be collecting the new baby boon this evening. I'm nervous! Still have not made much progress on the new giant hutch. Finally got a quote for the original design this week. But on Monday night I'd completely re-designed it in my head. And I really feel the new one will be much better, easier to clean and provide them with more space. And I think it'll work out more cost-effective over time. It's basically a stand-alone wire-mesh outer cage (this is the bit I'm struggling with ...), this is the bit that will last and be easy to clean. Inside we'll put wooden boxes and levels for them to climb onto. The wooden boxes can then be chewed to their hearts content and easily replaced when neccessary, or when I feel like re-designing (and can even maybe be made by us ... maybe). See, that is a huge problem with the combo wood-n-wire hutches you get generally. They only last so long before you have to turf the entire structure because they've chewed away at it and it's looking grotty because it's quite hard to clean a porous substance like wood. The wire-mesh cage I've designed caters for up to 3 storeys and will be so much bigger than what they've got now. I can picture it so clearly, I just want it already?!!