Reviews – Bunny Wives

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

Address: 401 Havelock Rd, Singapore 169631. Hotel Miramar

I’ve been wanting to bring Dear to Ikoi Japanese Restaurant for the longest time since I tried it with my ex-colleagues many years back. I remember vividly that my experience was good and affordable and the sashimi was fresh. But of course, we didn’t have the chance to visit as Dear was still studying in Digipen Singapore, while I was busy getting my grooming certificate. We were on a tight budget back then and every penny was like very precious. Then I kind of forgotten about it till recently and finally we made time to pamper ourselves to a nice Japanese meal. We made a reservation through the Whatsapp number that we found on their Facebook page. We’re not sure if they’ll take walk-ins, so best to make a reservation in my opinion to secure yourself a table.

We arrived about 15 minutes early and they weren’t open yet, so we waited at the hotel lobby. As we waited, the crowd at the lobby started to formed and everyone was waiting for Ikoi Japanese Restaurant to open. Once we were seated, we were welcomed with appetizer on our table. A plate of sashimi each and a bowl of edamame to share, which I totally didn’t touch and Dear seemed to enjoy it more than I do.

Before we even enter the restaurant, we do know what we want and started to order when the waitress came over. We ordered almost everything we wanted at one go despite it being a free flow buffet.

We ordered some sashimi which in our opinion, fresh! Thankfully they disappoint me on my second visit after so many years. Dear approved and is satisfied which is good enough. The tempuras were good, crispy even after quite a while as we savour every dishes that we ordered. My favorite is the ebi tempura, or rather I’m just bias as I have a personal preference towards seafood. It goes well with the dipping sauce provided.

I saw Japanese curry rice and soba on the menu. We were told the portion would be small, so we ordered. When it arrived, we weren’t expecting palm size curry rice and soba. It was cute and we were so happy receiving them like two teenage girls giggling at the sight of it. It’s nice, but since it was carbs, we didn’t order again. Dear did order the fried rice to try, it was normal and nothing special. Go for the curry rice, it’s more worth the carbs intake in my opinion.

I love oden and I’m ecstatic when I saw the menu. And I just have to order it! No regrets as it was indeed oiishi! The flavour was just nice, not too salty or overwhelming. A very light taste enough to cleanse the palate. It’s refreshing to me, though I wanted another bowl, but by then we were almost full. We did order more sashimi and sushi which kind of filled up our tummy fast.

The meal comes with a complimentary soup. Though Dear said it’s a buffet, what’s complimentary? Ok, don’t ask me but that’s what it was called I think. It came in a nice ceramic pot. The taste to us was exactly the same as the oden, just without the ingredients. It’s nice, warms up the tummy as we ended our buffet dinner.

I’ve asked Dear if she would want to visit again, she said yes when we have craving for a Japanese cuisine buffet. It’s nice to have free flow sashimi and eat till we’re satisfied. But of course like most buffet, there’s a wastage fee. I can’t remember how much, but do order what you can finish. Don’t be the typical kiasu Singaporean and order more than you can chew!

All in all, I give this place a 4 stars out of 5.

Connecting the Dots (Animal Communication)

I wanted to write a review for Angie, but as I wrote a draft on my mobile phone’s notes app, I came to realize there were too many things to write. It will be a very lengthy review. And I thought to myself, why not just write a blog entry about my experience which can be a lengthy review itself as well.

Early this year, I signed up for a 3-day Connecting the Dots (Animal Communication) course that took place during the Labour Day long weekends (29 April to 1 May 2023). I was contemplating between the course conducted by Angie and her master, Lucia. I ended up going with Angie’s as I was available on the dates the classes were on.

Before attending the class, I was encouraged to take up animal communication by customers as they think it will benefit me in my grooming career. One even told me that it’s more than just communicating with the animals. I didn’t know what she meant then, I was told to experience it myself to understand. And it’s best to go with an open mind.

Here’s what I packed for the class:

Warm water in my trusty thermos bottle
Hot coffee to perk me up in my Tiger brand thermal bottle
Jacket & thickest shawl to keep me warm during class
Pen
Umbrella in case the sky decided to cry
Lunch because I’m lazy to head out to get food
Yoga mat cos limited sofa seats available

The class was conducted at HometeamNS Kathib. I planned to take the bus to Kathib on 29th April, Saturday since there’s no free parking at the nearby HDB area. But I left home a little late and waiting for the bus takes longer time than I expected. I returned to retrieve the car and thankfully made it in time for the class. I spent around $12 for parking, from 10 am to around 6 pm. Expensive, but I was to blame for heading out late. Subsequently on Sunday and Monday which was a Public Holiday, I parked the car opposite HometeamNS Kathib because there’s free parking. If you’re driving and don’t mind the walking, can consider this parking option if your classes falls on a Sunday and Public Holiday.

During the first day of class, we got to share why we were there attending Connecting the Dots. Everyone shared that they were there so they can communicate with their pets. To be honest, I didn’t know why I’m there. It felt like a calling to be there to attend the lesson.

The first day was more of a theory during the first half of the lesson. After which we got to try meditation and get into the zone to prepare for animal communication. The notes that Angie prepared and her explanation of how the meditation works are as easy as ABC in my opinion. I can’t say it on behalf of others, but for me, it’s easy to understand.

The second and third days were more practical, where we communicated with pets. We got to practice on Angie’s Smoochie and Galaxy before moving on to practice communicating with our fellow classmates’ pets. It was kind of interesting and fun. We also got to know how accurate our readings were from the owner’s feedback. We also communicated with fur kids at the rainbow bridge. It’s a whole new perspective and a nice closure for the classmates.

On the last day before the class ends, Angie got us to draw a card. Not sure what cards were those, but each of us had to draw one and asked a question. The question was, what is the exact purpose for me to attend this Connecting the Dots class? The answer surprised me. Indeed, through the class, I’ve found myself. It was an amazing experience attending the class and very mind-opening.

For those who are still considering taking the class, just go! There’s an upcoming beginner’s class in September and December this year. Go sign up to enjoy the early bird’s fee. If in doubt, feel free to contact Angie, she’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

[Review] Zhou Kee Hainanese Chicken & Roasted Rice

Address: 527 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 S(560527), Cheng San Market & Food Centre
Operating Hours: Daily 9 am to 8 pm
Affordability: $$

Dear said I sort of became a chicken rice connoisseur as I’m always having it for lunch when I’m at work. My work requires me to travel around all the time, and lunch break usually will be a very quick meal due to a tight schedule. And chicken rice stalls typically have the shortest queue or they are quite fast to pack me a meal. That’s why it’s my go-to meal for lunch. I joked to her about starting a chicken rice review which I have put off because I can’t describe food well enough to influence people’s decision to order from the particular stalls that I’ve visited.

But here I am giving it a go with my first food review on this blog. Hopefully, I can describe it well enough like those food bloggers or journalists. Crossing my fingers that I am able to pull this food review off.

Ok, so my first food review would be Zhou Kee Hainanese Chicken & Roasted Rice. It is located at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, Cheng San Market & Food Centre. It is at the first row directly facing the open space car park which is easy to locate if you’re unfamiliar with the area.

I had the chicken rice both dine-in and takeaway. And I would say, having it takeaway tastes much better. I thought I was the only one who thinks that way, but no. My mother-in-law thinks so too. Maybe wrapping up the chicken rice brings out the fragrance better? Hmm…

My dine-in experience was late at night after work for dinner. Was too hungry and decided to have a quick meal at the food centre. Dining in, you get a bowl of soup which is pretty much standard when ordering chicken rice. Though it was a one-time eat-in and it was a long time ago, I remembered that the rice wasn’t as fragrant and it was a little hard like it wasn’t fully cooked. The meat was dry and a little tough to chew on.

However, having it takeaway is another story. It’s much yummier in my opinion! Most people believe that the chicken rice that was packed in the brown paper is the most delicious chicken rice. And I would have to agree. The picture above was my recent order. Half a roasted chicken rice packed in a white styrofoam box, and a packet of rice packed in the legendary brown paper. The takeaway comes with a packet of sauce for the chicken, and a packet of chilli sauce.

The chicken was much juicier and flavourful. However, the sauce that was supposed to go with the chicken, I find it a little too salty for my taste buds though Dear seemed to find it OK. The rice was well cooked and had the chicken rice fragrant to it. Eat it with their chicken, the taste was heavenly.

Portion-wise, I think it’s reasonable for the price we paid considering the recent chicken price hike due to the chicken shortage in Malaysia and we had to find another source to import our chicken supply.

Overall opinion, recommended.

[Review] My Experience With J&T Express As A Seller

Selling on shopee

I’ve tried selling on Shopee previously and gave up because I didn’t get any sales. Yes, I wasn’t patient enough to wait for someone to purchase something from my store. And with my limited products, I’m trying to compete with the other bigger players. Which I definitely lose out. Eventually, my store got taken down automatically because I didn’t log in for quite some time.

Then I decided to give it another try with my friend’s encouragement. She told me not to give up as it takes time for someone to purchase something from my store. She started from zero and now her Shopee store is doing well.

With the friend’s encouragement, I set up the store again. Adding products that I’ve already have on hand. Stumbled upon the shipping information and I had to ask my friend between Ninja Van and J&T Express. Although I did my research, both had equally bad reviews online, I asked which she would recommend since she had the experience for both courier services as a seller.

My first experience

So I’ve decided to choose J&T Express and set it as my preferred courier service on all my products. Then the waiting game for a buyer to purchase something on my store. It took about a month to received the notification from Shopee about a purchase being made.

Sharing my happiness with Dear and the friend who encouraged me, I went on to find a carton box to recycle and pack the order. Arranged for J&T Express to pick up the parcel at my place the next day. Dear helped me set up the printer we rarely use for me to print the shipping label. It was all so happy and exciting. I mean who wouldn’t be when there’s a first order coming in?

Woke up early on 10th September as I’ve arranged the parcel to be picked up for the time slot 9 am to 12 pm. Happily waiting while I had my morning coffee. And was thinking of having lunch after the parcel is being picked up.

12 pm went by and there’s no sign of J&T Express staff. So I thought maybe there’s a delay due to traffic. And I waited for another hour before contacting J&T Express directly.

Hi, pickup has been assigned for today. We have notified the pickup team to contact you on the ETA
J&T Express (on FB Messenger)

I was told the pickup team would contact me, but after another hour’s wait, there’s still no sign of J&T Express. I contacted them again yet there’s no reply back. It’s like they ghosted me.

It’s OK, so much for the service. The pickup guy came at about 3:30 pm. 3.5hours late without an apology or reason to explain to me how “early” he was. My first experience with a courier as a seller wasn’t pleasant. Thank you J&T Express for the awesome experience.

I think with all the wait and hassle that I had to go through, I think it would be much quicker if I deliver the parcel myself. Was told that the courier is very slow with delays but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. They have my contact number, why didn’t anyone contact me if they’re going to be late?

Also, what’s the point in allowing me to choose my preferred time slot according to my schedule for the team to pick up my parcel? If they can’t be punctual and adhere to the time slot that consumers like me chose, then what’s the point with the option? Your lateness has caused me inconvenience. I had to cancel my lunch appointment just to wait for your pickup team to arrive.

I hope the team will improve better. As sellers and buyers, we all trust you to take better care of the parcels that were entrusted to you to deliver. I will give you another chance but I won’t be having any more expectations after such a disappointment in my first experience.

Thankfully the receiver received the parcel. So all is good. Was waiting to check if the parcel had reached the receiver before I post this up on the blog. Maybe J&T Express is just slow, but I do hope they treat the parcels well instead of the kind of horrors we saw online.

[Review] Experience at Mount Pleasant Gelenggang

Before Our Visit

After Twix had her x-ray at Namly Animal Clinic with Dr Ling, we were told she doesn’t do orthopaedic surgery and had to refer us to a specialist. She mentioned that there’s two specialist she would recommend us. Dr Landon and Dr Dennis Choi.

As I know who Dr Landon is as I spent most of my time scrolling on Facebook, his name was mentioned a lot in the Poodle Club Facebook group. It was mentioned that his fee can be expensive.

Due to budget, we opted for Dr. Dennis Choi who is based at Mount Pleasant Gelenggang. We’ve read a lot of bad experience with Mount Pleasant, but we decided to trust Dr Ling in recommending us the best veterinarian for Twix’s condition.

First Visit

Dear drove while I carried Twix in my arm during the journey. Upon arrival, we entered to find it quite crowded yet social distancing were adhered to due to covid-19 measures. As I stood looking lost because no vet technicians were available for me to approach at the reception desk. No one greeted me or asked me to wait while they finish with their task. Some were even seen chit-chatting casually among themselves.

So we managed to register after a good 5 minutes of waiting, we were told that only one owner is allowed in the premises although we noticed that some fur kid do have more than a owner around. But thankful to Dr Choi who allowed Dear to enter the room because I can’t decide on which treatment would be suitable for Twix. His kind understanding did help in our decision making and taking the stress off me.

Second Visit – Twix’s Discharge Day

Arrived at the clinic after work to pick Twix up. The reception’s vet technician called up to request for Twix’s discharge twice because we waited but no Twix walk out the door. Although it was about 30 minutes to get Twix discharged, not sure why the hospitalization room took so long to bring the daughter out to us.

Instructions of aftercare and medication were given to us clearly. Which I am satisfied with as I had a friend who told me nobody told her anything about after surgery care. And yes, she went to the same Mount Pleasant clinic as us.

Stitch Removal

When it’s time for Twix to remove the stitches, which I was told I don’t have to make an appointment and there’s no cost for the removal, I made time for it.

Took her to the clinic myself and was ushered into a room where a group of vet technicians was standing around as though they were waiting for our arrival. It was a quick procedure. Fuss and pain-free. Could see how comfortable Twix was.

However, there’s one vet technician who wasn’t friendly at all and insists that I head to the counter to check if I need to make payment for the stitch removal. Although I didn’t like the way she said it, I made my way there to check with the receptionist. Thankfully, no payment needed and we get to go home.

Review

The first review we had was a week after the surgery. Then another a month later. I would say the services rendered were much better than our first visit. Not sure what’s going on there or that it’s quite normal for a corporate kind of veterinary clinic.

From registering to seeing Dr. Choi to making payment, everything was a breeze and much better compared to our first visit. I would say, definitely there’s an improvement.

Skinny Bunny’s Thought

Many negative reviews about Mount Pleasant, but I’m thankful that our overall visits were pleasant. I guess, it depends on individuals and what’s your expectations are. For us, our main concerns was to get Twix treated by one of the best veterinarian in Singapore. As long as she recovers well with no complications and comfortable with the doctors and nurses there, I’m OK.

Do give Mount Pleasant a chance to prove themselves worthy if you have not visited the clinic before. I’m sure there is some nice and good staff there. Let’s not penalize them just for a few bad feedbacks online. (Maybe I’ll get flamed for trying to put good words for Mount Pleasant. Haha…) But honestly, everywhere will definitely have some bad apples around that tarnish the company’s reputation. Don’t let these bad ones deter you away from good veterinarians in the clinic.