Famed Sri Lankan restaurant Ministry Of Crab's first Kuala Lumpur outpost is a crab lover's heaven. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
In Sri Lanka, Ministry of Crab is something of an institution. Founded in 2011 by chef Dharshan Munidasa and cricket legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the eatery’s fame and heft has grown over the years. It has swept accolade after accolade including a spot on the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for eight years running, from 2015 to 2022.
To this day, the original Colombo outlet typically seats 300 people a day while simultaneously having to turn away 150 people daily during peak times!
So what inspired the self-taught Sri Lankan-Japanese Dharshan to start Ministry of Crab? It turns out it was a cooking show that birthed the kernel of an idea for the restaurant.
The celebrated Dharshan is the chef behind the famed Ministry of Crab, which has now spread its wings to KL. — MOC
“In 2011 I did a TV show called Culinary Journeys With Dharshan. Five to six episodes were filmed in Japan and one in Singapore featuring Sri Lankan mud crabs. When the programme aired, one of my friends asked if I wanted to do a crab restaurant.
“In the 1980s, crab prices kept going up and therefore it started disappearing off home dining tables and people were switching to blue swimmer crabs.
“However, I wanted to serve the best crabs of Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka ... that’s how Ministry of Crab came about,” says Dharshan.
The KL outlet is housed in Tuah 1895 and boasts an impressive walkway, which leads to a sprawling, dining space dotted with orange accents.
Over the years, Ministry of Crab has spread its wings and now has outposts in places like the Maldives, Mumbai (India), Bangkok (Thailand) and Singapore.
This spirit of expansion has finally reached our shores as the restaurant recently opened in Kuala Lumpur, in collaboration with Lotus Capital DKR, the investment arm of the Lotus Group.
The KL outlet is housed in Tuah 1895 and boasts an impressive walkway, which leads to a sprawling, dining space dotted with orange accents. One end of the restaurant is bookmarked by an open kitchen.
On a wall just above the kitchen are an array of back-lit crab shells of varying sizes. When the light goes out, that means that particular size is no longer available.
The KL outlet is housed in Tuah 1895 and boasts an impressive walkway, which leads to a sprawling, dining space dotted with orange accents.
Ministry of Crab has a no- freeze policy at all its outlets, so Sri Lankan mud crabs are brought in live and kept alive until they are cooked.
In Malaysia, the wild-caught mud crabs are flown directly from Sri Lanka every two days. Each delivery takes 12 hours from the time the crab is caught to the time it arrives at the restaurant.
Once at the restaurant, they are kept in a “crab hotel” where each one gets a suite. The crab handler even plays music for them so they are not stressed!
The KL outpost is helmed by seasoned executive chef Lingesh Dimitrus Joseph.
This commitment to freshness comes with a price tag – at the restaurant, 0.5kg of mud crabs starts at RM188 while a colossal crab that weighs 1.2kg is priced at RM638.
The most expensive crab is the “crabzilla”, which is any mud crab weighing 2kg. The price for this gargantuan crustacean? RM1,188!
When it comes to recipes, there are currently no variations from the original Sri Lankan outlet. In fact, the KL team flew to Colombo to experience the restaurant first-hand and train with Dharshan.
The KL outpost is helmed by seasoned executive chef Lingesh Dimitrus Joseph, who is passionate about maintaining the Japanese-Sri Lankan ethos and recipes that have driven the brand to success.
The crab liver pate is Ministry of Crab's equivalent of caviar. — MOC
To begin a meal here, try the Crab Liver Pate with Melba Toast (RM75). Limited quantities of this are available daily, because the liver percentage of a crab is 1% of its weight and it takes about six crabs, each weighing about 500g each, to produce a single portion of this dish.
The pate is enhanced with crispy crackers as well as kithul treacle (palm sugar syrup). The pate is sensationally good – earthy, rustic and chock full of rich crab flavours underscored by a hint of brine sluicing through its veins.
It’s a fabulous opener that tests the limits of what crab can be – in the right hands.
The char-grilled prawns with sea salt is simple but simply satisfying.
Up next, sample the Ebi Shioyaki (RM15 per prawn) which features salt-grilled prawn cooked on hardwood charcoal. The salt-crusted prawn is fabulously good – hints of char lace its surface and this gives way to tender, sweet flesh within.
For something more substantial, go for the Japanese-style Crab Fried Rice (RM58) which features crab meat interspersed with rice in a fantastically delicious way.
This home-hewn dish hits all those requisite sea-faring notes but is couched in a vessel that most Malaysians will find kinship in.
The crab fried rice is simple and unassuming but packs a punch in the flavour stakes.
If you want more prawns, try the Garlic Chilli Prawn. The wild-caught reservoir prawns served at the eatery also come in a range of sizes, but you would do well to try the regular prawn (RM98 for 200g to 250g).
This East-meets-West interplay features Italian extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes and Japanese soy sauce in what proves to be an irresistible combination.
The sauce that coats the prawns is unctuous, laden with rich garlicky notes and has a slight fiery quality. It is intoxicatingly good and this goodness is enhanced by the prawn which is very fresh, firm to the touch and silken smooth on the palate.
The garlic chilli prawn features olive soil, garlic, chilli and soy sauce juxtaposed against a firm, sweet incredibly fresh prawn. — MOC
Round off the richness of the sauce by pairing it with the Kade Bread (RM10) which features cubes of fluffy Sri Lankan street bread. The bread is hugely addictive and is an ideal receptacle to mop up all the sauce.
Head for the big-ticket item in the form of the Black Pepper Dashi Crab. While you’ll have your pick of crab sizes, the XL crab (RM488 for a crab that is between 900g and 1kg) will give you the opportunity to indulge in a heftier crustacean with plenty of sweet flesh to offer.
The black pepper dashi crab highlights the natural beauty and sweetness of the crab meat whilst coating the crabs in a rich peppery sauce. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
The black pepper dashi crab is one of the restaurant’s signature items and features Sri Lankan black pepper hand-crushed on a Miris Gala (traditional grinding stone) and a rich pepper stock which is infused into the dish.
This pepper-laden sauce is delicious, capturing the nose-tingling quality of pepper to its full effect but also carefully calibrated not to detract from the au naturel attributes of the crab.
The crab is the true hero here – fat, fluffy meat is stuffed into every crevice and joint and yields a lovely freshness with a sublime sweetness underlining its core DNA. These are crabs – superstar edition.
Coconut Creme Brulee
End your meal with the Coconut Crème Brulee (RM38) which is an Asian take on a classic French dessert. Here, coconut milk is a crucial addition to the recipe that yields a custard so velvety smooth and rich, yet has a lovely tropical underbelly.
Moving forward, Lingesh says there are plans to include some local permutations to the recipes on offer to give Malaysians a taste of something familiar.
“For now, we are sticking to the original menu but a lot of R&D is being done to see what flavours we can introduce here. I’ve been getting a lot of votes for sambal crab. I think that’s going to be a hit with Malaysians – so let’s hope we can launch that soon,” says Lingesh.
Sunday to Thursday: 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Friday to Saturday: 5.30pm to 11.30pm
