If you have visited Sri Lanka, it’s very likely that you travelled in and out of Colombo, and it’s probable that a trip to Ministry of Crab, the legendary seafood restaurant in the capital’s Old Dutch Hospital, was on your itinerary.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Sri Lankan chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa, and former Sri Lankan cricketers Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. It is known for serving up enormous Sri Lankan crabs, dubbed “crabzillas”.
We would love to have a permanent Ministry of Crab restaurant in Dubai one day soon
Chef Dharshan Munidasa
But what makes Sri Lankan crab so special? “They grow into gigantic ‘crabzillas’, [that can weigh more than] 2 kilograms,” Munidasa told The National, ahead of the Ministry of Crab pop-up coming soon in Dubai.
“It is this size that made our crabs popular in the beginning. Today, it is difficult to find crabs that weigh more than 1kg [around the world], but in Sri Lanka, it is still possible. Our mud crabs come from the lagoons on the coastal belt of the country and are wild-caught, which, combined with the sweetness of the meat, makes it special,” he says.
Ministry of Crab is hosting a pop-up at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort from Wednesday to Sunday, November 3 to 7, the brand’s first since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Munidasa says it will include headline hits from the Sri Lankan eatery’s menu.
“Ministry of Crab is invited to do pop-ups because of our classics,” Munidasa says. “The main challenge we face at these events is sourcing our amazing mud crab and freshwater prawns, as these key ingredients are what makes us who we are. If we deviate from the classics, we will not be giving the people what they want.
“The garlic chilli preparation method for both freshwater prawn and crab is our most unique and popular method of preparation, but our pepper crab is also up there, so we are serving both dishes at our pop-up in Dubai.”
Click through the gallery above to see dishes that will be served at the Ministry of Crab pop-up.
The five-day pop-up will be hosted poolside at the hotel in Palm Jumeirah, an area Munidasa says will be transformed “into a little piece of Ministry of Crab”. Diners will enjoy a five-course menu for Dh425 ($115), which includes crab liver pate to share, baked crab, as well Sri Lankan pepper crab, garlic chilli prawn, and coconut creme brulee for dessert.
There is no doubt that chef Munidasa is excited to share his dishes with a Dubai audience, saying that he is particularly keen to show off “the quality and the size of the crab we will be plating up”.
“Dubai has not seen crabs of this size, in this quantity ever,” he says. “We are so excited to show this aspect of Ministry of Crab, where knowing the provenance of an ingredient is our core philosophy … keeping that ingredient in its best condition throughout its journey from lagoon to plate.”
Regional crab is not on the menu for the pop-up. The chef explains that the team has organised “five shipments of ingredients for the five days”, which he hopes will provide the most “authentic Ministry of Crab experience”. The restaurant is known for its no-freezer policy, so it seems the same ethic will be applied here.
Past Ministry of Crab pop-ups have proven to be popular in the UAE, with events taking place at Abu Dhabi’s Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, and at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai, in April 2019. As well as the original Colombo location, the restaurant now has outposts in Shanghai, Manila, Mumbai, the Maldives and Bangkok – so is a Dubai Ministry of Crab a far-fetched dream?
“We have been working on this for some time,” says Munidasa. “We would love to have a permanent restaurant in Dubai one day and I hope that day will be soon!”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Meydan Racecourse racecard:
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 | 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 1,600m
8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,600m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,600m.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
