Nihonbashi and Ministry of Crab re-established their unique position as the only restaurants from Sri Lanka to be featured on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List, which was held in Macau. Dharshan Munidasa’s flagship restaurant Nihonbashi was ranked 45th this year, making this its sixth consecutive year on the list. Ministry of Crab, co-owned by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara gave Dharshan his second placement on the list at number 25. He also has the unique distinction of being the only chef with two restaurants on the list.
On his multiple rankings, Dharshan Munidasa, Chef and Founder states, “being ranked among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants yet again is a great honour for us as it is a very competitive and demanding platform for a region with such diverse culinary heritage. I am extremely proud of the teams at both Nihonbashi and Ministry of Crab who contribute towards creating unique dishes that place Sri Lanka’s culinary scene on the world map.
Kumar Sangakkara speaking at the event stated, “it has been a surreal experience to partner with this thriving venture. Joining hands with the restaurant was serendipitous at the very beginning and later it became a story of hard work, synergy and loyalty. Our philosophy has always been simple and will continue to be so. I am very grateful for everyone who was there for us from the beginning. Also I take this opportunity to extend to you the heartfelt gratitude on behalf of Mahela Jayawardene who couldn’t attend this occasion due to unavoidable circumstances. We will always serve the very best of what Sri Lanka has to offer in terms of service and food with a sheer passion for excellence.”
Dharshan Munidasa speaking at the event said “I am humbled to stand here, before you today as Ministry of Crab and Nihonbashi have made it to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018, ranked 25th and 45th. I feel privileged to be in a position to promote unique aspects of my two countries, Japan and Sri Lanka and now I feel responsible to inspire the next generation chefs to protect our environment and to preserve our culinary traditions.
The event also announced the collaboration of Ministry of Crab and Gourmet Investments, to introduce a franchise to India. Dharshan Munidasa and Kumar Sangakkara presented a plaque to Deepinder Bhatt, COO, Gourmet Investments.
