Ministry of Crab.

#35 on Asia's 50 Best List.

Serendipitous schedules aligned such that we were all able to dine at the celebrated Ministry of Crab for lunch on our return to Colombo on a recent trip to Sri Lanka. This wasn’t the first time I’ve come across the restaurant, as I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing one of the founders, Chef Dharshan, when he was in Dubai for Gulfood in February.

My geography of Colombo is hopeless, but the restaurant is down a short alley and mostly open-air, located in the Old Dutch Hosptial complex. Inside, this is a lovely communal space with an open kitchen, which is positively bustling. As a group, it’s the first time we’ve not dined on pure Sri Lankan food in days and really the first time we’ve been in public, so we’re all a little (too) excited.

After reviewing the wine selection, we first sort the drinks (full menu here, pricing in USD). Overall, prices are higher than anything we’ve seen so far — but split six ways, prices are still a bargain versus the UAE. Do I desperately want …