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Mahela and Dharshan with the Team at Ministry of Crab
Ministry of Crab Colombo secured a position as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants sponsored by San Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, once again, marking its seventh year on the coveted list.
Given the current global pandemic, the 2021 list was unveiled via a virtual awards ceremony, which was live streamed across the globe on 25 March. Ministry of Crab was honoured to have been ranked at number 29 on this coveted list (improving on its previous ranking), which considered the preceding 18 months.
In a year that has seen the global culinary industry facing many hardships and challenges, being recognised once again as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has been a beacon of hope for Dharshan Munidasa, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and the Team at Ministry of Crab.
On receiving this incredible honour Dharshan stated: “We are honoured to be listed as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for the seventh consecutive year. It holds special meaning to us during this extremely turbulent time, as we went through not only the pandemic, but also the devastating Easter Attacks which impacted the entire country. These back-to-back challenges saw us completely change direction to operate in our new normal. This is not only a win for Ministry of Crab, but also for our country!”
Mahela added: “This achievement is only possible because of the dedication and perseverance of our team, from the restaurant team to our back of house team, who never gave up during these turbulent times. They continued to show up for Ministry of Crab and create the unique experience that we are known for.”
Kumar continued: “When we started Ministry of Crab 10 years ago, the idea was to have the best ingredients and the freshest ingredients, all produced locally in Sri Lanka and how we could bring them to the dinner table. To be recognised over the years as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for showcasing the best of Sri Lanka is an incredible honour and it’s been amazing to place Sri Lanka on the world stage, yet again.”
The list is created from the votes of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for their expert opinion of Asia’s restaurant scene. The panel in each region is made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘gastronomes’, with a 50/50 gender balance in the Academy.
Countries included in the voting in Asia are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
Alongside the main countdown, a number of individual award categories were also recognised, including individual country awards, for which Ministry of Crab received The Best Restaurant in Sri Lanka.