Ministry of Crab goes to Singapore

Ministry of Crab by chef-restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa together with Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara opened its first restaurant in Singapore on July 3. Located in Dempsey Hill, the restaurant showcases the best of Sri Lanka’s mud crabs and freshwater prawns, in Ministry of Crab’s signature recipes. 

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. 

“Singapore is the world's ‘Mud Crab Capital’, and our crabs have always been highly regarded here. The inception of Ministry of Crab dates back to a TV show I filmed in Singapore. Since then, we have always been eager to establish Ministry of Crab in Singapore, but factors such as timing, finding the right location, and the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. However, as the saying goes it’s never too late as we're thrilled to finally be here, plating up our original recipe Sri Lankan mud crab dishes,” says Dharshan.  

Ministry of Crab Singapore is housed in a standalone colonial building at Dempsey Hill, a tranquil hideaway lifestyle destination surrounded by lush greenery, gourmet grocers, art galleries, antique shops, highly acclaimed restaurants, cafés and wine bars. Its architectural style is inspired by the flagship in Colombo, incorporating many elements from Sri Lanka such as the open kitchen, seafood display and the signature heliconia flower centrepieces, as well as designing and making all the dining tables and floor tiles of the restaurant in Sri Lanka. The restaurant has a seating capacity of 68 inclusive of two private dining rooms. 

Ministry of Crab was built on the ethos of serving only the highest quality ingredients in their freshest form, and the restaurant in Singapore will employ the same no-freezer policy. In ensuring freshness, all crabs are flown from Sri Lanka live three times a week.

The menu will feature the line-up of dishes as that of the Colombo flagship, including the signature Garlic Chilli Crab, Pepper Crab, Crab Liver Pâté and the Coconut Crème Brûlée, as well as signature Nihonbashi dishes namely, Crab Croquette and Shirunashi Ramen. Dharshan has even found a local bakery to recreate the signature Kade Bread exclusively for the restaurant.  

Ministry of Crab Singapore is open for dinner from Wednesday to Monday 6 pm to 11.30 pm and is situated at 6 Dempsey Road, Singapore.