Haato (Ridgewood Close)

Haato Ridgewood is definitely not a place to go for food. I can definitely recommend the gelato and waffle but the food needs more than just improvement.
The menu looks too 'big' for a cafe type eatery, you can find anything from Japamese soupy udon to donburi(rice with stuff on top); then there are pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, nibbly type snacks. You can tell they are trying to please ALL customers. Sad to say, apart from the waffle and gelato, none of the 4 food items were decent.
We ordered a gyudon, first to arrive, tasted incredibly sweet, on top of a bed of not so freshly cooked cold rice. The seafood pasta came about 10 minutes later with seafood smelling rather 'fishy'--not fresh! Then came the miso soup, which clearly is from a instant packet type stuff.
The last dish of carbonara came nearly 20mins after the soup!!??? Which means we could have finished our food(but luckily it was too yucky to eat) while our friend watched. Anyhow, the carbonara arrived cold and bacon tasted old.

Although I agree with some of you that Haato is not know for it's food but I strongly feel that if the restaurant offers food that it is it's responsibility to offer good decent eats or stick to what it can offer: gelato and waffle.

went there the first last sat, no many ppl in the afternoon. but as the day passes, more and more ppl came. so i suggest going there on weekday. i order a pizza with german sausages (not sure of the name) and it was good. one wasnt enough for me. my friend order pasta, it looked and smelled better than it tasted. we also order the waffle, how can you not when the whole place is filled with waffle smell. also order the raspberry sorbet wich is so so. didnt try other flavours though. the service is good, waiter are very friendly and accommodating but abit slow at clearing the plates. the place has interent access and powerpoints, definitely a nice place to do work. best thing is haato has no gst and service charge.

Had the mudpie and it tasted like water. will the management please put some emphasis on their food..it's horrible!

Haato is a hidden gem tucked away in a corner of Ridgewood Close, and I have been there for 3 times now. When there aren't too many diners, the place has a nice, cosy ambience to it, filled with comfortable and cushy sofas you can sit on for all day.

For the second time, I went there with the Husband and ordered one of their Chicken sandwiches. It came in a very small portion, and the quality was found wanting. It tasted like something thrown together carelessly and thoughtlessly, or something we can easily make at home. The fries that came with the sandwich was alright though, but nothing special.

The Cookies mudpie (can't really remember if this is the name) was not too bad, had a rich chocolate taste with huge cookies chunks in it. The size of it was just right, and I especially love the crust of it.

Haato provides board games for diners to chill out at the place, and when we found a Chinese chess set, the Husband and I grew excited. To our dismay, the chess pieces were way too big for the chess board made of paper, and it was just ridiculous trying to fit the oversized pieces into their respective places. We ended up having to improvise and borrow some pieces from the English chess set to replace some of the oversized pieces.

Overall, the experience was not too bad, just that the food was seriously lousy and not value for money.

The third time we stepped into the place, it was a Sunday afternoon and we were there for some gelato and quiet time for reading.

We wanted to try a few flavours before ordering, and this is when we found the service lacking. The service staff was distracted and didn't hear us when we called her a few times, and also didn't look enthusiastic about letting us try the flavours. She had a sulky face on the whole time, and her attitude was that she couldn't care less about serving us. This was a great contrast with Tom's Palette at Shaw Towers, where the service staff was cheerful and allowed us to try almost all the flavours they have and also kept recommending us the nice ones. We chose the Black Sesame in the end, and ordered a small cup instead of a large cup like we originally wanted because we weren't in a mood to give them too much business after the attitude of the service staff.

I hope the Haato management doesn't allow the reviews (which are over-rated) to get into its head and become lax in monitoring the service staff. While the place by itself has nice ambience and great gelato (not food), service is something not to be lax about and should always be top quality. Haato's tagline is "From our heart to yours", but where's the heart in the service?

I like that the restaurant had comfy couches that I could just sit all afternoon in. The food was very mediocre, and tasted very "homemade" (which in my mind means that they were just edible enough to fill stomach).

What I would recommend is the waffles and their gelatos. The waffle was thick, bouncy and fluffy, with a slight hint of eggy goodness and no floury taste.

While it was hot and the crust was still crispy, it was extra delicious with cold gelato. My personal favourites are: green tea with red bean and the sweet potato with chestnuts. I think 2 scoops of gelato is just nice with one waffle. Not to mention, it was sweltering today so an extra scoop was necessary.

At this outlet, the service rather slow though. Tables were not cleared and there were no smiles. But I would return to any Haato outlet for the waffles.

Visited Haato Ridgewood Close for supper on a Tuesday night after reading on this website that the closing time was 11pm.

Arrived about 9.50pm. Waitress was sweeping the floor, largely ignored us. Me and friend sat down at a table and helped ourselves to the menu. Flipped through a few pages. Guy behind the counter kept gaving us a funny stare. After awhile, i asked if their kitchen was still open, and the waitress looked up surprised and told us that the kitchen closed at 9.30pm and only Gelato was available.

Geez... I needed real food; and after driving all the way to such a 'ulu' spot.

Anyways, so we stood up and went next door to this cafe (can't remember the name but it starts with 'E' (something like Equanamity?). Went in and enquired whether they still serve real food, and the lady behind the counter was very nice about it, saying we still could order sandwiches and some rice. So in the end we ordered 2 slices of cakes; waffles; grilled salmon sandwich and 2 coffees. Food was good, and deco was nice. Had a rather cozy/family feel to it. Found out that the cafe's only been open for 3 weeks. (I also found out later their closing time was at 10pm! Gosh, so nice of them to stay open for a late customer and to take the trouble to do up the food.) If any friend ask me to recommend a nice quiet spot i'd say GO HERE :)

Haato didn't leave a very good impression on me if u haven't gotten my drift by now...heh.

Being a sucker for good hideaway food places, we decided to head down to Haato at Ridgewood Close to check out what it has to offer.

After reading some over-rated reviews (in our honest opinion), and even comments from the management, we promptly and excitedly ordered lunch: Seafood Ramen, Unagi Pasta and Chicken Curry Katsu.

As I mentioned, a hideaway food place would probably be a good distance away from essentials, which includes an ATM (nearest being Jelita/Buona Vista MRT, which aren't in any proximity, near).

Just as the waitress was about to send our order to the kitchen, my boyfriend checked his wallet and enquired about the modes of payment.

"Cash only, currently."

And a sense of impending doom fell upon us.

The manager (we presume) was nice and said that we could leave our contact number and return on a later occasion to pay for the bill because it is a common occurrence and they understand that the next atm is $6 (cab ride, to and fro) away.

So we were placed at a comfortable level of ease and was ready to try the food.

The Unagi Pasta has made an Unagi lover not want to eat Unagi for the next three years. The Unagi portion was not generous, but I understand that I am paying little for it. However, the sauce tasted like a cross between black pepper crab sauce, teriyaki sauce, and microwave-d plastic. I couldn't help but comment, "Feels like I'm eating the display set." to my boyfriend, who could only nod in response while he toyed with his Chicken Curry Katsu. The Chicken Curry Katsu and Seafood Udon can only be described as "What You Pay Is What You Get".

I think that Haato should just relinquish the mains off the menu and just serve their Gelato because the food isn't value-adding. In fact, it degrades Haato's reputation, and getting mediocre food just doesn't help customer retention. If you want to have food at least serve something that taste nice, we understand that the prices are low and that Haato is trying to bring convienience to their customers, but seriously the quality just isn't there. We'd prefer if we only had gelato to start with. We strongly feel, we wouldn't have mind paying slightly more for a better meal and I believe there are others here on hungrygowhere that feel the same way too.

I would say that the Gelato (we had Yuzu Sorbet, Lychee Sorbet, Wild Berry, Rum and Raisin, Black Sesame and Sweet Potato with Chestnut and Honey) was very good and value for money. My boyfriend has a very high expectation of ice cream and feels that his sorbets are just slightly above average, but I loved my Sweet Potato with Chestnut and Honey to bits and pieces. Infact, I would just pop by Wheelock's outlet for that in the near future instead of travelling to the suburbs. The Wild Berry and Rum and Raisin were normal.

My boyfriend cabbed down to Jelita to withdraw money because after eating the fare, we couldn't visualize returning to such an 'ulu' place with poor food fare in the near future (especially since we didn't live very near, my guy grew up here so he was famillar with the place). This eventually added cost to the very affordable menu prices, this is absolutely dissapointing and disheartening. Perhaps the person serving should have said something about only accepting CASH payments only or at least put up a notice, before we ordered. (Especially knowing that this was a common occurence.)

To add the burnt crust to the pie, Haato @ Ridgewood did not have sufficient change for my $50, causing us to wait for the change while they proceed to neighbouring shops for the change.

We hope that through this review the management will take a more serious stance on the food and modes of payment, ASAP.

By the way the food ratings are for the GELATO ONLY. The mains are N/A.

Till then.

Recently:
i've been there for many many times.. everytime i just eat the pasta.. but this time i've tried the chicken don... is quite salty.. the miso soup is worst.. you like drinking salt water..

Last Week:
This time i still stick with my pasta, and tried my friend curry don. is not bad.. the curry is thick and really taste abit like japanese curry. the pasta i ate was with salmon.. the salmon was abit fishy..


but after all i love the place.. cos you can have your meal already and slack there.. there is board games for you to play together with your friends, you can play while waiting for your food, or you can play after eating before you go slack abit 1st.. is a quiet place.. you can run away from the city stress for awhile and go there and relax..

the best things there is gelato waffles.. wow.. that is always my favourite.. everytime i go there i must have one of it.. haha.. the cookies and cream is good.. haha. i love chocolate stuff so i must always have chocolate syrup on top of all the waffles and ice cream.. wow think of it makes my mouth watery. haha..

Haato is a feeling, you don’t give or receive haato.

You just feel it. It comes to you so long you open your heart

Haato celebrates the Art of Giving from the heart … to the heart

you won’t See it, Smell it, Touch it, but you can Feel it, its always around you…

Every scoop of Haato is a special experience.

Haato is a unique brand of gelato based on traditional recipes from Japan. It is one of the first gelato counters in Singapore to offer freshly made gelato that is free from artificial colouring and preservatives.

With their flagship outlet (formerly known as Gelato di Crema) at Liang Court Shopping Centre has been serving gelato for more than 16 years and continues to earn rave reviews from people all over the world. Haato is perfect for any occasion. A premium quality treat to be shared with friends and loved ones.

For the hungry pack, Haato @ Ridgewood serves food ranging from Japanese pasta and Japanese don. For sweet delights, enjoy an affogato or waffles with gelato. So drop by this quaint cafe at Ridgewood Close (off Pandan Valley Condominium and Ridgewood Condominium) for a quiet afternoon and some savoury food. (And not to forget the gelato of course!)

Haato @ Ridgewood is rather inaccessible and difficult to find. For one, it is off Pandan Valley Condominium, and if you are coming by Public transport, you need to stop at Ulu Pandan Rd, with the walking distance about 10-15min. Lucky for us, my usual foodie companian Hong Yi and Wee Hong drive, we went there by car. Even so, we spent some time looking for the place as we went one round around Mount Sinai rise before we realise its the wrong way, and found Ridgewood Close. However, despite all the hassle, Haato @ Ridgewood greets me with a delightful surprise when i got there.

Located at Ridgewood Condominium, the place where Haato’s at is actually a row of shops below the Condo. The interior of Haato is actually smaller than i expected, there are also outdoor seats though. Well, if i were to compare with Island Creamery or The Daily Scoop, , i would say Haato win hands-down for its laid-back and chill-out environment. You can order Gelato and sit there chat with your friends whole day. Who says you need to go to Demspey to chill out?

Unagi Pasta ($6.50)

The Unagi Pasta ($6.50) is great value for money. A generous slice of unagi (eel) engulfed in homemade sauce is served with warm Japanese pasta. The taste is not too strong and subtle, very much like home-cooked food. However, the portion is a tad too small.

Chicken Katsudon ($7)

I like this one. Like all Katsudon, the egg cover the layer of chicken and rice underneath it. Nothing special you’ll say, but then sometimes ordinary food taste extraordinary in the company of good friends, and good environment.

Chicken Teriyaki Don ($7.50)

Not too bad, considering the price is relatively inexpensive, and the fact that you are here more for the Gelato than the Japanese Don. But really i think the portion could be a bit bigger : )

Double Cone Gelato chocolate banana & Sweet Potato with Honey chestnut ($4.50)

Chocolate Banana (left) was great, the chocolate Gelato with a hint of banana flavour within. The Sweet Potato with Honey & Chestnut was more disappointing though, relatively tasteless. The double scoop was very generously given by one of the staff. Definitely value for money at $4.50.

Waffle with single scoop Gelato chocolate hazelnut ($6)

Chocolate Hazelnut, my favourite! I always like to order hazelnut ice cream whenever i go to a ice-cream palour. Nutella! The waffle took about ten minutes or so. The Waffle mix is made in-house using an exclusive recipe. Toasted to perfection – crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, it tastes heavenly even on its own. First bite of the waffle was cripsy and soft, and i would say this is one of the better waffles out there.

The Gelato simply melts on my tongue together with the waffle. However the scoop was not as generous as the one above (the double scoop), because this time it was another staff who scoop the Gelato. He gave much smaller scoops for both our waffle compare to the one who gave us the double scoop cone.

Waffle with single scoop Gelato milk tea ($6)

For something different, yet close to home, try the Milk Tea gelato, which tastes exactly like the “Teh Tarik” found in local coffee shops. Milk tea fanatics would like this very much on swelteringly warm days, instead of their usual hot cuppa.

Actually my conclusion of the waffles, they are wonderful, but don’t order Waffle with Gelato, just take waffle with melted butter and treacly maple syrup instead. Reason is simple, the waffle is so good on its own that you don’t need the Gelato to compliment it. Besides, its more worth it to take double scoop at $4.50 than a single scoop on waffle at $6. Furthermore, i found that you could taste the Gelato better on its own, than together with the waffle, because the hot waffle sort of cover the Gelato flavour. So just take Waffle with butter syrup, den a couple of double scoops to share around.

Haato @ Ridgewood is a delightful place to chill-out, will definitely go back again, i’ll take bus the next time if i have to. If you find it far, there are other outlets at Wheelock, Liang Court and Serangoon Gardens. Check em’ out! Their Japanese Don and Pastas might not be the best, but they are there to act as compliments to the Gelato. Total Bill of $37.50 for three person was really not expensive at all. Oh ya, there are board games around to play while you chill with friends. And always feel free to ask for sample of the Gelato if you are not sure which flavour are nice, the staff will always provide you with samplers if you ask.

You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )

" From our heart to yours "

Heard many people recommending this place so i just had to try it out.

Had the Waffles, which came with butter and maple syrup. Also ordered Rum&Raisin ice-cream separately cos i was told to eat the waffle separately as it was better this way. Tried out samples of other flavours (green tea, chocolate mint, chocolate) and in all the gelato ice-cream was rather decent in taste.
The waffles on the hand was surprisingly quite well made, unlike those i have eaten elsewhere. Crisp enough and the staff were accomodating in providing my butter when requested.
Overall a plesant dessert experience.