Ministry of Crab turns one

Tuesday, 11 December 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A name now recognised not only within Sri Lanka, but also internationally, Ministry of Crab is celebrating its one year anniversary.

The restaurant, which launched with the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct in early December last year, officially opened its doors to the public on 12 December 2011.

In the year since then the restaurant’s success has exceeded even the expectations of its three co-owners, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Dharshan Munidasa, and the fact that it is already considering a range of franchise opportunities is unprecedented.

Named the best restaurant in Colombo by Yamu.lk, Ministry of Crab sets itself apart in that it is not an imitation; it serves dishes that have no better iterations anywhere else in the world. The first and only restaurant in Sri Lanka dedicated to serving the best of Sri Lanka’s export quality lagoon crabs, Ministry of Crab serves them fresher than they can be served anywhere else in the world.

With its daring no freezer policy, the restaurant’s commitment to fresh produce is well known, but what is perhaps less recognised is its commitment to local produce. Its signature Pepper Crab famously combines two ingredients endemic to Sri Lanka, and even the salt used is locally sourced.

Munidasa, co-owner, chef and restaurateur, explains that this inclination towards local produce is not purely patriotism, but because we are lucky to have some of the best fresh ingredients in the world at our disposal.

The restaurant’s commitment to showcasing the best of Sri Lanka extends beyond its use of local produce. It is one of few fine dining restaurants in Colombo to serve local dishes. While its curry dishes (Crab Curry, Clay Pot Prawn Curry, and Chicken Curry Rice) are all excellent, it is the Pol Sambol, which is scraped on order, and the Kade Bread – the perfect accompaniment for any of the crab dishes – which have proved the unexpected successes of this past year.

The other stand out items are the Chocolate Biscuit Pudding, the only dessert on the menu, which uses dark Belgian chocolate to elevate this ubiquitous desert, and the Iced Tea Soda, an all-natural preservative free alternative to traditional soft drinks, which is unique to Ministry of Crab.

While there was speculation when the restaurant opened that the involvement of Mahela and Kumar was merely to add PR punch, it has become apparent over the past year that their involvement goes much beyond this.

That being said, one of Ministry of Crab’s greatest strengths has been in ensuring that the crabs, not the cricketers, are the stars of the restaurant.

Though the involvement of Mahela and Kumar was certainly a draw for the international media in Colombo during the T20 – with CNN, ESPN, NDTV, Gulf News, and The Hindustan Times, among others, doing features on the restaurant – Ministry of Crab’s loyal following returns regularly, not for a glimpse of the cricketers, but for the inimitable dining experience.