From the motherland of crab that gave birth to the foremost crab institution, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Crab by chef maestro Dharshan Munidasa has opened its doors and is shelling up a feast of Sri Lanka’s best catch at Dempsey.
Arguably the most famous restaurant that’s not to be missed in Colombo, Ministry of Crab cracked its way to the fore as one of the only two Sri Lankan restaurants to ever make it into the revered Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The other awarded restaurant, Nihonbashi, is also by Chef Dharshan, who was conferred ‘The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays’ by the Government of Japan for his contribution towards promoting Japanese Food Culture in Sri Lanka.
Founded by Chef Dharshan together with Sri Lankan cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Ministry of Crab has carved a name for itself as the place to go for the best crustacean dishes. Each dish is cooked using the freshest catch from the waters of Sri Lanka and perfected by Chef Dharshan’s recipes that draw
from his dual-heritage, meticulously combining Sri Lankan ingredients with Japanese culinary philosophies. Its promise to every guest, as written into its own ‘Constitution’ of house rules, is the serving of only fresh crabs, prawns and other seafood, never frozen. It boldly lays down the claim of not using a freezer nor buying anything frozen as proof. Integrity and provenance of ingredients remain a fundamental part to the team, as seen with crabs that are wild-caught and not farmed, as well as only serving the best weight and sizes; no crab that is small, meatless, or has uneven claws will be served.
To ensure freshness, all crabs are air-flown from Sri Lanka live three times a week. Wild caught in small batches, never farmed, they are sustainably obtainedvia the extensive network of fisherfolk who catch crabs around the isle of Sri Lanka. The mud crabs served range from the 500g ½ Kilo Crab to the Crabzilla that weighs more than 2kg, while the giant freshwater prawns served range from 150g Small Prawn to the Prawnzilla that weighs more than 500g. Crabs are cooked in a variety of ways to bring out the purest flavours: Try them baked, steamed, wok-ed with garlic chilli, cooked to a curry and more for a truly colourful crab experience.
The Singapore restaurant marks the brand’s sixth international outpost after Bangkok, Shanghai, Chengdu, Maldives and Mumbai as part of its mission to share the goodness of Sri Lankan crabs with the rest of the world.
On the menu, mud crabs are the ‘star of the show’, prepared in different styles to bring out their best flavours in varying ways. They are accompanied by other seafood such as freshwater prawns, clams, oysters and fish as well as non-seafood options like chicken for inclusive dining.
