Ministry of Crab to serve Thailand and Maldives

By Charumini de Silva

Listed among ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants,’ Ministry of Crab will expand its culinary journey to Bangkok and Maldives in the second half of this year, promoting Sri Lanka’s finest produce and best in gastronomy.

“Today Ministry of Crab is four strong. We have opened in Shanghai, Manila and Mumbai. By the end of the year there will be two more, adding Bangkok and Maldives on that list,” Ministry of Crab Co-Owner and renowned chef Dharshan Munidasa told media in Colombo on Monday.

Ministry of Crab opened its first overseas outpost in Shanghai, China in November last year and was followed by two others in Manila, Philippines in January and Mumbai, India in February this year.

He said the Maldives outlet would be managed and operated by the same team of Sri Lanka, while the Bangkok branch would be a franchise operation.

In addition to the Ministry of Crab, Munidasa also noted that that he would open two restaurants in the Maldives, which would include a new venture called ‘Carnediem,’ specialising in beef steak. The Maldives would also have his other flagship Japanese restaurant, Nihonbashi. He explained that crab would be imported from Sri Lanka to the Maldivian Ministry of Crab, whilst his Thai Ministry of Crab would source local crab.

Ministry of Crab was brought to light by the famous Sri Lankan cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, along with experienced Chef Munidasa.

 “It’s been an amazing journey for us. As three friends who wanted to start something new and exciting in Sri Lanka, eight years later we are now around six key cities of Asia. We only serve the best ingredients, backed by a lot of heart and passion,” he added.

Munidasa also said that they had built a strong partnerships with all the overseas custodians of Ministry of Crab and believes that they will continue for years to come.