Hong Kong: Afternoon at Peninsula Hotel and Goldfish Market

Hong Kong is a must-visit city whenever I am in Asia. It's a metropolitan city like New York, but with an exotic twist. With a breathtaking skyline, never-ending list of things to do, and just one hour ferry ride away from Macau, it's a convenient and exciting city for my layover.

This time I stayed at the historical Peninsula Hotel in the flagship Tsim Sha Tsui location. The hotel is in the heart of Hong Kong right along the port with people lining out the door just to take a photo of the mesmerizing facade.

We got the grand deluxe, which I didn't get a chance to take photos of before my luggages took over the entire space. Their website photos are accurate, with the 'Peninsula green' marbled bathrooms being my favorite part of the room.

When the hotel was built in 1928, it was to be the finest and the most modern hotel in the east. It's notable for playing a major part during World War 2 where the Japanese officials made the hotel their Hong Kong headquarters. Plenty of fashion shows and movies were held in the hotel as well. And their afternoon tea boasts a 1 hour line even on non-holiday weekdays; hotel guests are exempt from the wait and allowed to make reservations in advance.

The desserts on top were a too sweet. Sandwiches and scones were pretty good.

To be completely honest the $100+ bits of sandwiches and sweets weren't notable. I've had better afternoon tea sets at London Airport - freshly baked scones and gorgeous finger sandwiches - but to be in the luxurious lobby, reading about the history while sipping on tea is worth the visit.

Guo Fu Lou
For lunch, we decided to go to a restaurant recommended by the chef of Jade Dragon. He said it was his favorite Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong and even made us the reservation and pre-ordered his favorites prior to our arrival. He warned it wasn't that fancy, but little did we know it actually has a Michelin star.

We took fellow Pokerstars Pro Felipe Mojave along to try their dishes. We were told the suckling pig was a must have, but also were shown their frog, lobster, and fried chicken as well.

Garlic-y frog legs. Tastes like chicken wings.

Ok, fair warning here. If you are vegan I urge you to turn away. If you are offended by consumption of cute baby animals, stop reading.

But if you like pig, especially crispy bacon, you will never be satisfied with anything pork related after tasting THIS pig. Crispy caramelized skin on top of delicate bread with a special sauce. Then the juicy, tender baby(sorry) meat. Oh myyyy.

Suckling pig! They like to show the whole thing before serving, face included. 

CRISPY GLORY.

Lobster was tasty, done in stir fry with XO sauce.

Fried chicken - also shown with face - is super tasty and surprisingly lean.

Crab cake, Guo Fu Lou style.

Post lunch, we headed over to the famous markets of Mongkok to walk off a bit of the heavy meals. There are endless things up for purchase here. From clothing to electronics and fruits to even the infamous Goldfish Market, you can find literally anything and everything here. We only had one hour to browse, which is not nearly enough to see everything. Highly recommended with a GPS, because the streets are maze-like and certain streets are not easy to find.

Busy streets

Tons of exotic fruits like mangosteen, water apple, dragonfruits... list is endless. 

Goldfish in bags! Anywhere from $1-6 per bag.

Some are even dyed like the neon colored goldfish in the middle.

They sell bigger animals as well, but photos aren't allowed.

But the city of Hong Kong truly wakes up at night. I'll continue the second part of the post after the sun goes down.