Sri Lanka’s most renowned chef-restaurateur and founder of Ministry of Crab, Dharshan Munidasa talks to TravelDine about what makes Ministry of Crab stand apart from other seafood restaurants and how some liquid libation may have been involved while naming the restaurant!
Succulent, sinful, and sensational… A meal at Mumbai’s Ministry of Crab is all these and more. Established in India by Chef Dharshan Munidasa, Sri Lanka’s most renowned chef-restaurateur and helmed by Ramit Bharti Mittal, Executive Chairman and Director, Gourmet Investments Pvt. Ltd. this seafood restaurant is all about serving the best export quality crabs in the country.
Lauded as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, its ‘no-freezer policy’ and hero product — mud crabs — make it an unmissable treat for all those who swear by their seafood. In a league of its own, thanks to Chef Dharshan Munidasa’s cooking style which is based on his Japanese culinary philosophies and practices, Ministry of Crab takes pride in showcasing India’s best seafood for, and in India. Excerpts from a conversation with Chef Dharshan Munidasa and Executive Chairman and Director, Gourmet Investments Pvt. Ltd Ramit Bharti Mittal.
Image: Facebook.
The story behind the name Ministry of Crab:
Dharshan Munidasa: When brainstorming a name for a crab restaurant with my friends, we came up with quite a few but ultimately realized that the crab itself is a powerful, strong ingredient in look, feel, and flavour and to do it justice the restaurant would have to have an equally powerful, “institution-like” name that could own the ingredients. That’s how Ministry of Crab as a name came about.
A few wine bottles may have been involved… As they say, “The inspiration behind every good story is a drop of wine.”
The thought process behind opening Ministry of Crab in Mumbai, as the city already has a number of seafood eateries:
Ramit Mittal: Gourmet Investments Pvt. Ltd. wanted to introduce Mumbai (India) to one of finest seafood restaurant brands which is not only one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants but is a concept restaurant which is known for serving the best export quality crabs in the country.
What differentiates us from other seafood restaurants is our ethos: We give enormous importance to the hero product which is the Mud Crab, and the freshness and quality of our ingredients. We serve only best catch of the day and are strongly against farmed crabs. We follow a strict no-freezer policy and when it comes to crabs, small, meatless, unevenly sized claws are unacceptable at the table.
The reason for Ministry of Crab’s continued success, despite the presence of other seafood restaurants in Mumbai:
Dharshan Munidasa: Ministry of Crab is a unique restaurant, as we are a crab-centric restaurant. Our menu is probably the most focused on crab compared to Mahesh Lunch Home or Trishna, which serve crab; but our offering is more focused and that’s what makes us different. We also take great efforts to ensure that we serve the highest quality crabs in India, and we worked hard to create the supply chain that sources only the best, export-quality crabs.
Ramit Mittal: At Ministry of Crab, Mumbai, we serve the freshest crabs in varying sizes right from a ½ kg, small, medium, large, XL, 1 kg, Jumbo, Colossal, OMG to 2 kg Crabzilla which is one of the largest available crabs in the country.
The crabs are sourced from…
Dharshan Munidasa: Our crabs don’t come from the Arabian sea. They are Mud Crabs that come from the mangroves and lagoons where the river meets the ocean. These crabs are sourced from select and scouted catchments across the vast coastline around India. Chennai being the main export hub for crab is the consolidation hub for the south (Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), and these crabs are air flown live to us.
What the vegetarian menu features at the Ministry of Crab:
Ramit Mittal: We have introduced — only for the Indian market — special vegetarian dishes such as Goan Curry, Mangalorean Ghassi, Kerala Isshtu, and Black Pearl. Our focus is our hero always — the Mud Crab — but we do cater to local dietary needs for patrons who accompany seafood consuming friends/groups.
The constant innovation with crab as the central ingredient:
Ramit Mittal: We keep innovating with crab as and when the inspiration or need arises. For instance, the recently launched Crab Biryani is an original recipe that was launched in Colombo during covid, as a delivery item.
The iconic Crab Biryani was recently launched for the first time in India as well. It is a dish infused with the flavours of delicious mud crab and is accompanied with freshly hand-ground Mint Sambol, Classic Malay Pickle and Crab Bisque (gravy).
The inclusion of local elements in Ministry of Crab’s menu:
Dharshan Munidasa: All our main ingredients are sourced locally from the Live Indian Mud Crabs to the Freshwater Prawns to the vegetables we serve.
With six Ministry of Crab outlets (apart from the one in Colombo) in Asia, future plans for the brand:
Dharshan Munidasa: We are looking forward to opening in Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Macau in the near future.
Ministry of Crab, Mumbai, too has organised a few pop-up events in cities like Bengaluru and New Delhi over the last few months where we have received a positive response from our guests who loved the food we plated up. We hope to open another Ministry of Crab within India soon.
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