The Bar

Although I am not James Bond nor Frank Sinatra, I too claim the martini as my lifes signature beverage of choice.
As such, I love great upscale bars, because it is only the upscale bar that can properly make a Grey Goose martini served up with a few olives… blue cheese stuffed if you got em! (My signature beverage of choice). I say this with twenty years of research in consuming martinis from Vegas to NYC to Hong Kong, from hotel lobbies, to Carnegie Hall to back street bars on Bourbon Street.
Well, how more upscale can you get than The Bar at the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon? What a great set up for cocktails to saunter through the beautiful, iconic lobby in root to your destination. Located up two flights of stairs through the lobby, then hang a quick right, you will find The Bar.
This is a swanky spot. Dark wooden walls, small intimate space, piano playing softly, staff in white jackets, dim lighting, well stocked bar. In the back of the tiny bar, there is another small space with some lounge spots for bigger groups of 4 – 6 people, but still intimate.
They serve you little snacks with your drinks, including some amazing cocoa covered nuts dusted in fine salt and some high quality olives.
So you ask how was the martini? Well, it was exceptional. Most barkeeps tend to put too much vermouth and a vodka martini is then ruined. This barkeep was perfect. They bring the martini already poured, so you do not see the shaker or its contents. My only beef was that my martini was served in a great piece of traditional normal size martini glassware (not too thick and the perfect thinness as it hits your lip!), but the drink itself only took up about 40% of the glass. It was almost as if the bartender made me a «half» martini. It was so noticeable that we thought this might be an accident and were kind of giggling. It would be for this reason my Unilocal review of a 4 versus a 5. The drink itself though was perfect!
And as par for the course for a fancy «mini» drink in a swanky spot, the prices are expensive.

Fantastic dark and intimate atmosphere, featuring an extensive drink list and exceptional service. The Bar is an excellent alternative to the more boisterous salon de ning in the basement level of the Peninsula. If you are looking for a quiet classy place for a drink, I highly recommend stopping by.