Think homegrown seafood restaurant and names like Jumbo or No Signboard might come to mind. In Sri Lanka, the equivalent of these is probably Ministry of Crab – a restaurant specialising in all manner of crustacean dishes, but most notably, the Sri Lankan mud crab.
Come this July, Ministry of Crab will be opening its first outlet in Singapore in the Dempsey neighbourhood. Based in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, the brand currently has branches in Shanghai, Chengdu, Mumbai, Maldives, and Bangkok. The restaurant is named in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list, making it one of the only two Sri Lankan restaurants to be awarded the coveted accolade.
Ministry of Crab is most known for serving fresh Sri Lankan mud crabs which can weigh anything from 500 grams to two kilogrammes, as well as giant freshwater prawns that range from 100 grams to more than half a kilogrammes. These can be prepared with a wide variety of methods, from baking to steaming, or with Sri Lankan curry or garlic chilli.
Chef Dharshan Munidasa, together with cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara, set up the chain back in 2011. The inspiration for the restaurant came from an episode from Chef Dharshan’s TV series ‘Culinary Journeys with Dharshan’, which showcased how the Sri Lankan mud crab was exported to Singapore to be made into the famous Singapore chilli crab dish.
While a full menu and prices for its Singapore outlet at Dempsey are not confirmed yet, diners can likely expect similar dishes as its Colombo flagship. In the meantime, watch this space for updates and find out more about Ministry of Crab here.
Ministry of Crab opens on July 3 at 6 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249683.
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