Blade Runner & Kill Bill References Meet Japanese Ryokan In This Houston Dining Fantasy.

Houston’s dining scene just levelled up with Haii Keii, an immersive experience where reality bends through portals of perception. Buckle up, as we take you on a wild ride through one of the most mind-bending restaurant interiors we’ve seen in ages.

Designed by Gin Design Group, the interior blends references from the neon-drenched futurism of Ridley Scott’s 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner and the cinematic intensity of Kill Bill. This surreal reimagining of a Japanese ryokan pulls visitors through a series of reality-distorting portals and deposits them into a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

The journey begins with arrival through a glowing red glass entrance. Blue light cascades down organically formed walls plastered in shimmering metallic finish, creating an undulating, dreamlike environment that immediately signals you’re not in Kansas anymore. A shadowed passageway lined with illuminated lucite panels (created by Raydon Creative) guides visitors toward the heart of the space, and that’s where things get properly bonkers.

The showstopper has to be the breathtaking inverted bonsai tree crowning the bar. This creation by Moon Pappas hangs suspended from a highly polished red disc, its reflection warped and multiplied in a red-tinted circular mirror.

Below, the bar itself is a study in contrast—a red metal top and gold-mesh scalloped skirt casting a warm, molten glow against a backdrop of river rock mosaic that could easily pass for a dragon’s scaled hide. Pure drama!

Along the walls, Fibrous Co has installed over four thousand linear feet (approx. 1.2 kms!) of crimson rope that descends from cove-like seating areas, wrapping the turquoise banquettes in layers of intrigue. The effect is both intimate and provocative.

The mezzanine level is reached via a striking staircase with treads of solid shou sugi bahn blocks, dramatically contrasted against illuminated, fin-like lucite balustrades by Objektfab. Up here, the private dining space unfolds behind red-framed moon-gate portals and heavy black velvet drapery, where soft black leather booths are punctuated with intricate red metal detailing.

Another intriguing element is the circular floor-to-ceiling portal that connects the private and public realms, allowing diners to gaze down into the main dining room, creating a tension of being both observer and observed.

The design plays with perception and the liminal space between realities. The strategic use of mirrors, portals, and reflection creates an environment where guests oscillate between feeling seen and hidden. The interplay of red and green creates a phosphene-like visual storm, while inky blue-purple hues vibrate at the edge of perception.

Haii Keii definitely isn’t your regular ol’ place to eat, but rather a pocket realm where time, perception, and reality blur into a single. It’s a bit like dining in a lucid dream.

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[Images courtesy of Gin Design Group. Photography by Leonid Furmansky.]