We continue the Sip Family’s Vancouver Island odyssey, leaving Victoria to go ‘up island’. Let’s see what we got up to for the second half of our vacation, as well as finishing the month back at home:

Our next port of call was in the Nanaimo/Ladysmith area. After returning from an afternoon at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, we had dinner at Nanaimo’s Longwood Brewpub. I selected the Scottish Ale to go with my Brewmaster Salad (smoked salmon, chicken, baby shrimp, mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, tomato, feta). I loved the smoked salmon in this dish and would suggest taking the chicken out, in favour of more salmon.

Prior to our journey to Tofino the next day, we quickly stopped at the Old Town Bakery in Ladysmith for Mini Egg Nanaimo Bars and a Peanut Butter Cinnamon Bun. Before reaching Tofino, we also visited Alberni Brewing in Port Alberni. I took advantage of their Beer & Burger for $20 on Tuesdays, choosing the amazing Crispy Chicken Burger to go with my Alberni Blanc pint. The Sip Family also shared a Pretzel Pull Apart.

Reaching Tofino late, we didn’t venture into the tiny town until the next morning. With the Siplings hungry for some breakfast and Mrs. Sip and I wanting something in our stomachs before drinking, we went to the Rhino Bakery, where Triple Chocolate Donuts were eaten by the kids – and some for the Sip Advisor too. I also had the café’s California Chicken Club, which was the perfect meal for a guy who doesn’t love traditional breakfasts.

Up next, was Tofino Brewing, which was already filling up at their noon opening. I opted for the Ethereal IPA, while Mrs. Sip went with the Cosmic Wave Double IPA after sampling a couple brew options.

Unsure of how to spend our three days in that area, we made our way to Ucluelet, drawn the local aquarium, brewery and family restaurant. At Ucluelet Brewing, Mrs. Sip and I shared happy hour pints of In the Mist Marzen and Resurrection Red Irish Red Ale.

We finished our day in Ucluelet with dinner at Howler’s Restaurant, which offers arcade games, billiards and other activities in a family-friendly setting. Being the driver, I merely had a sip of Mrs. Sip’s Dark N’ Stormy, which was the perfect drink for a day filled with constantly changing weather. To eat, we shared a pound of Sesame Daebak Wings ($10 for Wing Wednesday) and two-piece Howler’s Wild Cod Fish & Chips. I also finished off Boy Sip’s order of Chainsaw Popcorn Chicken.

Our final full day began with checking out the Tofino Distillery, where we ordered the Cheeky Tiki (Gin, Beach Fire Cinnamon Liqueur, pineapple, mango, coconut, lime) and Strawberry Whiskey Sour (lemon, strawberry syrup, egg white, bitters), while finishing with a Mini Cocktail Flight: Gin Strawberry Lemonade, Astro (Limoncello, cranberry, lime), Demon Dog (Psychedelic Jellyfish Absinthe, San Pellegrino Blood Orange, lime, bitters).

Following that, Mrs. Sip had to do some work, so I took the kids out for a late lunch/happy hour at Browns Socialhouse. My meal of Social Ale and Steakhouse Sliders was good and the waterfront setting of this restaurant offered much to look at when I wasn’t on dad duty. My only complaint was this Browns didn’t have my usual Sesame Ginger Gyoza, but that offered the opportunity to try something different and I was not disappointed.

For our last dinner, we ate at Roar, inside our Hotel Zed accommodation. My feast started with The Last Wave (Tequila, Maraschino Liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, Cointreau, lime, habanero chili, pineapple shrub), followed by a serving of Good Night Out/Hotel Zed Quad Hopped Hazy IPA, brewed by Small Gods Brewing. For food, Mrs. Sip and I split the Cedar Planked Salmon, with a side of Seared Scallops.

After checking out of the hotel, we began our return journey to the Duke Point ferry terminal, stopping at two breweries along the way. First, at Twin City Brewing in Port Alberni, I had the Poindexter Hop Swap Pale Ale, while sharing a P.A. Pepperoni Pizza with Mrs. Sip and fighting the Siplings for a scrap of their Biergarten Pretzel. We also had a quick drink at Wolf Brewing in Nanaimo, drawn to the location as Girl Sip is a wolf lover. Here, we downed the Black & Tan (Golden Honey Ale/Dark Malt Porter), with an order of Pretzel Sticks with Beer Cheese. For the road, Mrs. Sip bought a tall can four-pack of their Smoked Doppelbock, which was the feature beer of the week, meaning she got a second four-pack free. Eight beers for $18 seemed like a very good deal to us!

Back home and returning to the regular routine always sucks, so Mrs. Sip and I made sure to take advantage of it being our 24^th dating anniversary. We started with early dinner at El Santo, which offers all night happy hour on Mondays and Tuesdays. I munched on Quesabirria, while also sampling Mrs. Sip’s Chili Relleno. To drink, I had a Main Street IPA… not sure which one, but it was good.

That wraps our very busy March. It was enough to make one go mad, but we had so much fun exploring Vancouver Island and even with our time at home before and after the vacation. April will certainly be lighter, but there’s still some fun stuff on the horizon!