Ministry of Crab

Overview

Ministry of Crab began in 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as an ode to the country's legendary mud crab. The brand was so successful that it subsequently opened seven additional outposts across Asia. Now, the internationally renowned restaurant can be found at 226 Flinders Lane. 

The Sri Lankan restaurant found its Melbourne Home inside the historical Invicta House, bringing an exciting new chapter to the building. The team have also taken over the subterranean space of the building, opening II.II.VI (or 'two two six' for those less well-versed in Roman numerals), a charcoal-fuelled, fiery diner, which also happens to sport an impressive seafood selection. 

Ministry of Crab, co-founded by Dharshan Munidasa and cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, is loved across continents, for you guessed it, its crab. First, sample crab across an array of starters such as baked crab, crab liver pate, avocado crab salad, and kaphrao crab, a signature dish of mud crab stir-fried with garlic, chilli and Thai basil. 

For the main event, you choose your size of crab — ranging from medium (700-799 grams) all the way up to Crabzilla (two kilograms) — and which fragrant sauce to accompany it. Options include pepper crab, garlic chilli crab, and Sri Lankan curry crab. While eating crab is messy work, this is no finger-lickin' beachside shack. The globally acclaimed restaurant has been included in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List for delivering a multi-sensory, impeccable dining experience with quality ingredients, bold flavours and excellent hospitality. 

Images: Supplied.