MURCIA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL: HILLTOP RESTOBAR

I was so tired of the 2-day Management Development  Training  I had with the  Alter Trade Corporation. Being the lone speaker  was really challenging and enjoyable but physically  demanding as well. So the following day, I thought of going to the spa because late in the afternoon I was supposed to start  teaching  in the graduate school in one of the Universities in Bacolod City.

But a pleasant news  came to me that day – there will be no class yet because the enrollment  was extended. I got excited! Instead of going to the spa, why not drive a bit and visit  the  place that’s part of my bucket list?

Yes, I wanted to dine out  and  spent some time with myself  for self-reflection and some  planning. Sounded emo? Lol. Well, that’s how I do my planning and generating creative ideas for  my activities.

Since I wanted some time for myself, I need to go and  eat somewhere  that’s not crowded and conducive for some mental  relaxation. Then I thought of the Hilltop Restobar in Murcia Negros Occidental. Murcia is a municipality that is a 20-minutes drive from  Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

When going to Mambukal Mountain Resort, Hilltop Restobar is just a few meters from Lopue’s -Murcia

After a few minutes of driving, I arrived at the place. That was around 5 in the afternoon and the sun is about to set – perfect for a photo shoot. Hilltop Restobar is located atop a hilly portion of the place, offering  beautiful vistas of Bacolod City and other neighboring cities in Negros Occidental.

The entrance of Hilltop Restobar from the main road

Excited to share with you the view and the experience I started to take photos with my DSLR, but  I just realize that it’s a good opportunity also to try the new  phone Asus gave me, the Asus Zenfon Laser 2.  Using the phone amazed me, it’s light and handy, very versatile, but most importantly, it captured the emotions of the  place at that very moment.

“HUGOT” MOMENT: Seeing these 2 trees standing side by side brought me to introspection… The other is already dead, but the other one still standing and just watching the mountain at the backgroud populated by trees…he spoke to me: ” My strength is trust.  I know nothing about the thousand children that will spring out of me. I just live out the secret of my seed to the very end. I trust that God is in me and my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.

Hilltop Restobar has an air conditioned dining area which can accommodate I guess up to 25 persons. But they have a very wide garden with some covered tents  that were installed separately for various sizes of table settings. Of course, I opted to eat outside  to enjoy the view.

it’s awesome seeing the sun slowly disappearing from the horizon…

After taking a  few pictures, I just realize that I need to eat as well. I have read  great reviews about their food and even from my siblings who already tried the place.

Some tents at the garden of Hilltop Restobar

After browsing their menu, I decided to order for Crispy Tadyang and Spring Chicken.

Crispy Tadjang  or Crispy Beef Ribs is a type of Filipino dish that is enjoyed as an appetizer or even with rice, nice and easy dish which is best when served with spicy vinegar. Crispy Tadjang  is a dish that was boiled first,  then deep fried.   I didn’t regret ordering for this dish because it was really flavorful and crispy at the same time. The waiter told me that the dish was good for 2-3 persons. Well, maybe he was right..but you need to have another dish to share this one with another.

The Crispy Tadjang at PhP 290/serving..the fatty portion was very enticing, but I’m proud to have controlled myself

I also tried their fried spring chicken. Spring chicken is a  young chicken, especially one from two to ten months old, having tender meat. I was excited about this dish because they told me that they were using native or organic chicken. Well, I am not a technical person when it comes  to food, and just realize that for this dish one should really be using a native chicken because what we are buying from the market  are 45–days old chicken and its big. For a native chicken, a 45 days old or even 60-days old chicken is still very small. And indeed it was. The dish was also good and very crispy. Definitely, this dish is only good for one person.

Fried Spring Chicken at PhP 197/serving

Enjoying the food while watching the sun disappearing from the horizon was awesome. The place was very relaxing considering the cool breeze of the wind.

That was around 7 in the evening when I decided to go back to Bacolod City. Much as I wanted to linger for a while, I really need to go because I’m quite scared to drive  alone and it was already very dark.

Personal Review:

I just don’t like the plastic they have installed as tents to cover some dining settings outside. The colored plastic is just too strong and somehow has destroyed the total ambiance. Maybe more natural materials would be appropriate or even metal sheets painted with earth or neutral colors.

The view is already beautiful, but adding more ornamental or flowering plants would be of great elements to add to the place.

The place is best visited late in the afternoon for an early dinner.

Getting there:

Murcia is approximately 9 kilometers from Bacolod City, only a 20-minute drive from Bacolod City by private car.  The Municipality of Murcia is bounded by the cities of Talisay, Silay and San Carlos on the north, Bago City on the south, the Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto on the east, and the City of Bacolod on the west.

You can reach the place by taking a jeepney from Bacolod to Murcia proper and, from the Murcia proper just take a tricycle to reach the Hilltop Restobar. It is best, of course, to get to the place by private car because there is no tricycle servicing to and from  the place during night time.