One of this year’s highest profile new Japanese restaurants has closed after only three months in business. Molihua has served its last meal, CultureMap has learned.
A representative for Molihua provided the following statement in response to CultureMap's request for comment: "Molihua is currently closed as the restaurant undergoes a reconceptualization. We look forward to sharing new details soon."
Signs of Molihua's closure first appeared on Thursday, August 1. Its Instagram account has disappeared, it has been removed from the Houston Restaurants Weeks website, and it is no longer accepting reservations on OpenTable.
Located in the Blossom Hotel, Molihua opened to considerable fanfare in April. The restaurant is part of the Boon Group, a hospitality company led by chef Ho Chee Boon, who Houstonians may remember as the culinary mind behind Yauatcha, the short-lived dim sum restaurant in the Galleria. As the executive international chef for the global Hakkasan Group, Boon held one Michelin star for Yauatcha’s London Soho location.
Chefs Hideki Hiwatashi and Ho Chee Boon teamed up to open Molihua.Photo by Brian Kennedy
To bring Molihua to Houston, chef Ho recruited Japanese chef Hideki Hiwatashi to lead the kitchen. He brought an impressive resume to the project, including time with the global Hakkasan Group and as head chef at Kikunoi Roan, a two-Michelin star kaseki restaurant in Kyoto. Together, they created a menu that focused on Japanese fare with a few dim sum-inspired dishes.
Why did Molihua close so quickly? Yelp reviews aren’t always reliable, but consistent complaints about service issues, high prices (also here), and a lightly-populated dining room suggest that Molihua did not meet diners’ expectations for a fine dining Japanese restaurant. Perhaps the new concept will be suitable for Houstonians.
Another confusing aspect of Molihua’s quick closure is that chef Ho planned to open a second restaurant at the hotel. Called Duck House by Boon, it was expected to serve a similar menu to his San Francisco restaurant Empress by Boon. Molihua's representatives did not comment on whether those plans are still on track.
