This may be one of my lightest Sip Trips ever, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy a month that completely flew by. Here’s what we got up to in May:

Early in the month, Mrs. Sip was off to a girl’s night out, beginning with happy hour at Milestones. I decided to drop her off, with the plan to stay for a quick drink and then return home. My beverage choice was the Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA, which was quickly downed as the traffic out to the Guildford area was awful and I needed to return home for dinner with the rest of the Sip Family.

The next day, we attended a show at the Anvil Theatre. Mrs. Sip took the kids up to the venue while I dealt with paying for parking in the garage. When I joined, Mrs. Sip was gleefully walking away from the concession with a glass of wine in hand, pleasantly surprised this was an option. I quickly joined, selecting a tall can of Steel & Oak Shiny Things Hazy IPA.

Following our show, we met with Ma and Pa Sip at the nearby Boston Pizza location. Ma Sip and I shared the The MVP (Most Valuable Platter), which included Honey Garlic Wings, Deep-Fried Pickle Wedges, Kickin’ Chicken Shawarma Pizza and Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. The meal was quite enjoyable, especially paired with a Boston-Sized Blue Moon.

As we’ve generally stayed away from dining out, at least compared to what we would typically do over the course of a month, we’ve spent a lot more time eating and drinking at home. To facilitate this, I recently picked up two 7 Up products that caught my attention in the Watermelon and Nimbooz Lemonade varieties. Each product has one issue attached to them, with the Watermelon only being offered as a zero sugar soda and the Nimbooz Lemonade coming with a  $2 price tag for a 355ml bottle.

Another beverage purchase was the new Verve Vodka Iced Tea pack, including Original Lemon, Orchard Peach, Iced Tea Lemonade and Raspberry Earl Grey flavours. I really disliked the Orchard Peach, while the Original Lemon and Iced Tea Lemonade were good. I probably won’t buy the pack again, a rare Verve disappointment, as I vouch for their vodka, gin and tequila cases.

Our one big night out for the month was spent at the Fraser Bar speakeasy, which sits atop the Milestones test kitchen location in Coquitlam. This is a neat little place, where you can enjoy the ambience of a speakeasy, while ordering from extensive food and drink menus. I tried the Poco Paloma (tequila, grapefruit soju, sake, lemon, blood orange seltzer, cinnamon syrup), followed by a Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA to go with my meal. To eat, I went with the Ahi Tuna Sushi Bowl. While I wish I had tried one of the test kitchen menu items, such as the Korean Fried Chicken Baos, the opportunity to get a poke bowl when Mrs. Sip and I aren’t going out very often was too hard to pass up. I also tried bites of the Moroccan Beef Sliders and Samosa Poutine, both of which were tasty. If you’re thinking of attending the Fraser Bar, be careful of getting too excited with the online menu, as many items were not available when we arrived at the restaurant. Checking out the Milestones Test Kitchen menu is a safer bet. Also, reservations, particularly on the weekend, are suggested.

May wrapped with a trip to Township 7 Vineyards for their fried chicken and sparkling wine event. Set at a reasonable $15 for members, we enjoyed a chicken strip, wing and drum from CultivATE Food Truck, paired with three different sparkling wines. Particularly good were the two sauces that accompanied the food, a spicy mango and chimichurri. We also took advantage of the members wine tasting, trying a variety of bottles on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

That’s it for the month that was. June promises to be a little busier, as we close out another year of school for the Siplings and start to get prepped for glorious summer!