Dharshan Munidasa cooks in home country as Ministry of Crab pops up at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo

Conducting its first pop up restaurant in Tokyo, Ministry of Crab celebrated the Sri Lankan Crab in an exclusive four-day dining event at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo from 25-28 September. 

Born in Tokyo to a Sri Lankan father and Japanese mother, renowned Chef Dharshan Munidasa draws inspiration for his gastronomy from his Japanese heritage, largely of which is seen in the menu of Ministry of Crab. “This pop up in particular was extremely special to me as I got to brief the teams and interact with the guests in Japanese,” said a gleaming Dharshan. “I changed the Baked Crab recipe here as I wanted to marry amazing Japanese rice with the Sri Lankan crab meat.” 

Dharshan Munidasa and his team took with them the star ingredients, Sri Lankan crabs and Freshwater Prawns along with Ministry of Crab plates, bibs, napkins and runners to recreate the dining experience in Colombo as authentically as possible for the Japanese diners at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo. Guests were able to feast on a five-course specially curated menu including the decadent Crab Liver Pâté, Baked Crab adapted to the local palette, fiery Pepper Crab and flavoursome Garlic Chilli Prawn. 

The Ministry of Crab pop up was conducted at The Pavilion at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo offering spectacular views of metropolitan Tokyo to the diners. Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, is home to 200 of Tokyo’s most spacious and elegantly furnished guest rooms and suites with three restaurants and one bar. Speaking on his experience Dharshan said, “The team at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo was a great support in helping me and my team to replicate the Ministry of Crab experience for our guests in Japan. It was an honour to cook in the city that I was born in and a place I’m so familiar with. What a remarkable experience it was to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market during my break. Tsukiji Fish Market is any chef’s paradise to find culinary inspiration from only the best produce, which is what I do here in Sri Lanka as well!”