January was a fairly busy month, highlighted by celebrations for Mrs. Sip’s birthday. Let’s see what the Sip Family got up to for the beginning of the year:

Our first outing of 2023, saw Mrs. Sip and I take Girl Sip to a showing of the movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Prior to the film, we had a quick dinner at The Hub, where I really enjoyed my Yankee Burger (with subbed Smoked Pepper Jack Cheese) and Fries. I also had a serving of Moody Ales Amarillo Brown Ale and we received great service from all who worked our table.

That weekend, Mrs. Sip and I received our annual Vancouver Canucks membership perk, being invited to a Road Game Viewing Party at Sportsbar Live. We were able to each bring a few guests with us for the occasion, which offered an appy (one per two people), meal and first drink for each on the house. To drink, I had The Mule, followed by pints of Parkside Dreamboat Hazy IPA and Stanley Park 1897 Amber Ale. Our appies included a half serving of Sportsbar Nachos, two plates of Sportsbar Wings (Salt and Pepper and Honey Garlic) and XXL Mozzarella Sticks. For my meal, I went with the Sportsbar Cheeseburger. Aside from food and drink, the Sipplings received a stuffed animal of Fin the Orca mascot, while some members of the Canucks alumni members were on hand to sign autographs and take photos. To top off the outing, on our way home, members of the Canucks community team gave us vouchers for free tickets when they spotted us all decked out in out Canucks gear.

For Mrs. Sip’s birthday, we took the Sipplings to the Vancouver Aquarium, where I walked the exhibits with a pour of Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA. Despite it being only 11am, we were celebrating, so why not!?

The fun continued through the weekend, as Mrs. Sip and I spent a couple kid-free days in Downtown Vancouver, staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Upon arriving, we hustled off to the H Tasting Lounge to enjoy a meal in one of their Winterlust domes. Our 3pm reservation meant we only had to reach a spending minimum of $150, which was very easy to achieve when we had pre-ordered a two-person Seafood Tower (crab legs, prawns, oysters, clams, mussels, salmon tartare, tuna tataki, wakame salad, chips). I’m typically not a tuna fan, but it was my favourite part of this platter.

My drinks during our 2.5-hour seating were the happy hour special House Daiquiri (Havana Rum, lemon, coconut, hojicha); Korean Medicine (Dewar’s Blended Scotch, lapsang, lemon, gochujang, honey, ginger); Night Market (Appleton Rum, Sov Chili Vodka, five spice, pineapple, apple sidra); and Icons of Bayshore (Tanqueray Gin, Campari, Cointreau, passionfruit, orgeat, coconut, lime). Each drink was delicious and well-balanced. For additional eats, I had some Smash Beef Sliders and Truffle Fries, both off the happy hour menu. Lastly, I paired a Strange Fellows Talisman Pale Ale with my sliders, as I thought the two would make a good combo.

The next day, we had lunch at Cactus Club, where I tried the Polynesian Margarita (Teremana Blanco, guava, pineapple, ginger, lime, hibiscus, Thai chili), while Mrs. Sip had the Kyoto Fizz (Smirnoff Vodka, sake, yuzu, white peach, chamomile, lime, soda and thyme). To eat, I went with an old classic in the Chicken Tenders, harkening back to our early dating days as teenagers. The dish was a good way to fill up for all the drinking that lay ahead.

For an activity on this rainy day, Mrs. Sip and I tried Partee Putt, which allows folks to enjoy some mini golf action with drinks. We planned our visit for the venue’s happy hour, which rewarded me with a double Spiced Rum and Coke. I also tried one of their cocktails, going with the Lazy Hazy (Tanqueray Gin, elderflower, grapefruit and Stanley Park The Captain Hazy IPA), while Mrs. Sip had a pair of Very Berry Prosecco helpings. The golf provided lots of fun with interesting themed holes.

For a group dinner with friends that night, we ventured to the Top of Vancouver. The restaurant had an odd rule that everyone at the table had to order from the Dine Out Vancouver menu or nobody could. Everyone had to unanimously agree, which was potentially tougher to do with a group of eight, but everyone decided to go off the special menu. My selections included the Caesar Salad, Roasted Jerk Chicken Breast and White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake, all of which were scrumptious (as was the bite I had of Mrs. Sip’s Cajun Arctic Char). As for beverages, I had a Parkside Humans IPA, followed by a Bourbon Arnold Palmer, sticking with the golf theme from earlier in our day.

Before heading home at the end of our weekend getaway, our group met up again for brunch at Café Medina. I really enjoyed the Liège Style Waffles they serve and also ordered the Sandwich au Porc. Sadly, all good things have to come to an end, even with a wonderful 2pm hotel checkout.

To wrap up the month, we popped into Mainland Whisky, following a walk through the nearby Redwood Park Fairy Forest with the Sipplings. Mrs. Sip and I shared a trio of cocktails, comprised of the Iced Normando 2.0 (Cherry Whisky Cordial, NoCo, Dr. Pepper), Pineapple Express (Cinnamon Whisky, pineapple, lemon, sugar, egg white, cracked pepper) and Pie-Face (Cinnamon Whisky, Caramel Liqueur, apple cider, spices). For a snack, we demolished an order of yummy Garlic Parmesan Frites.

February is already filling up quickly and although our Family Day long weekend plans have gone through numerous revisions, it looks like we’ll have a ton of fun no matter where we end up!