I had dinner at the Ministry of Crab restaurant in Manila, at the Shangri-la BGC tonight. This was definitely the hottest table in the city tonight. The Ministry of Crab in Colombo is the most famous restaurants in Sri Lanka. It is also one of the best restaurants in Asia.

OPENING OF THE MINISTRY OF CRAB IN MANILA AT SHANGRI-LA BGC

The Ministry of Crab in Manila, at the Shangri-la BGC, is opening formally next week. But tonight I was a guest of the Ambassador of Sri Lanka at her private table for eight persons, for the exclusive soft opening.

WHAT TO ORDER AT MINISTRY OF CRAB

I eat at the Ministry of Crab restaurant in Sri Lanka whenever I am in Colombo, living a Travelife. In fact, I’ve memorised their menu by heart. My favourite meal there is an XL crab in garlic butter sauce, with garlic rice. It’s not easy on the diet but it’s pure heaven.

What a treat it was to dine with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan friends at this private dinner prior to the public opening of the restaurant. It was like being back in Colombo again — and I have many wonderful memories in Colombo, as well as in Sri Lanka.

A STYLISH CRAB RESTAURANT

Meanwhile, the new Ministry of Crab restaurant in Manila is way more glamorous than the original restaurant in Colombo. It’s a massive and stylish space with high ceilings and tasteful decor. The tables are spaced wide apart for privacy and the overall atmosphere is just so wonderful for a nice dinner. This was truly a New Year’s treat for 2019.

DELICIOUS CRABS

As for the food, most of the dishes we tasted were very close to the taste of the food at the original restaurant. No wonder, too, since one of the main chefs of the Colombo restaurant is in Manila to oversee the opening. He came out to greet us and I’m sure I saw him on one of my many visits there.

The crab with garlic butter sauce is authentic, as is the garlic rice. We also had crab with black pepper sauce and crab with chilli sauce. These were delicious as well, but I highly recommend the garlic butter sauce.

The bread served was different from the one in Colombo. But it was tasty all the same. I am not a bread person, but I could not resist dipping my bread into the sauces, just like everyone else.

PHILIPPINE CRABS FOR DINNER

Interestingly, the Manila restaurant has some Filipino variations. This makes it worth a visit as well. I tasted crab sisig for the first time, and it made a very nice appetiser. They also offer two Philippine sauces, including one made with grated coconut.

Finally, do not miss the cocktails or the dessert. I ordered a Ceylon cocktail made mainly of ginger beer and it was perfect. For dessert, I ordered a chocolate cake with yoghurt ice cream and caramelized bananas. The cake was perfectly done and the yoghurt ice cream went so well with the cake.

Of course, the conversation made the evening ever so memorable. We talked and laughed about so many things. Coupled with the authentic food of the Ministry of Crab and the elegant atmosphere of the restaurant, I can certainly recommend it to foodies.

In fact, I confidently predict that reserving a table at the Ministry of Crab in the Shangri-la BGC will be the thing to do from next week, as these will be one of the hottest tables in the city over the next few months.

Read more articles about traveling to Sri Lanka in Travelife Magazine.

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Christine Cunanan tells a tale of two crabs, at the famous Ministry of Crab restaurant in Colombo and its new sister restaurant in Galle, which led to the happy ending of a holiday in Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka last year, living a #Travelife, I enjoyed the good fortune of having two delicious crab meals, including one just by accident.

The casually chic Ministry of Crab restaurant in Colombo is famous for its crabs, especially as it’s been recommended by many international food guides and it was picked as one of the top 50 restaurants in Asia for several years running.

A TALE OF TWO CRABS : COLOMBO

One Sunday night, my friends and I had dinner at the Ministry of Crab in Colombo and I’d been on the cautious side, ordering only a small crab for myself just to make sure my cholesterol levels didn’t shoot up. The crab was tasty as expected, but I had other things on my mind; so I’d eaten this with little real appreciation of the delicious treat on my plate.

It was only afterwards that I realized my folly; and then I so regretted ordering just a small crab because it was really so good. I should have made full use of the opportunity, I reprimanded myself, especially since I didn’t know when I would visit the Ministry of Crab in Colombo again.

So I said to myself: “I really wish I could eat at the Ministry of Crab one more time.” We were at the tail-end of a wonderful trip and this was my one last wish for this Travelife to Sri Lanka.

A TALE OF TWO CRABS : GALLE

And then I simply left things to Fate because the odds of success were so low. We left Colombo the next morning for the UNESCO World Heritage town of Galle, and we were proceeding to Colombo’s Bandanaraike International Airport directly from Galle. Our schedule was already packed with lunches and dinners elsewhere in Sri Lanka until the evening we were flying out – save for one lunch which we’d somewhat planned but not quite confirmed for the last day.

What do you know? The stars aligned for me in a most surprising way. There we were, walking along a picturesque alley lined with whitewashed shophouses in the lovely fortress town of Galle on the second to the last day of our trip, when one of the restaurants in a row of many caught my eye and I stopped to inspect the menu displayed on a signboard outside – and this restaurant just happened to offer crabs.

SERENDIPITY AT WORK

Yes, out of all the dozens and dozens of restaurants in Galle, we had to pass by this particular restaurant and I’d glanced this way; and in under a minute I’d been inspired to recommend it.

“This looks interesting,” I said to my friends. “Why don’t we have lunch here tomorrow?”

Fortunately, everyone quickly agreed with me so we shelved our original tentative plan and booked a table at this new restaurant in Galle none of us had ever heard of, for our last day.

Fortune on my side

What luck. This very new restaurant turned out to be the sister restaurant of the Ministry of Crab in Colombo and it had the exact same crabs on offer as in the famous restaurant in Colombo — and without the reservation difficulties as well.

What are the odds of randomly picking an unknown restaurant in a strange town, and finding the only thing you truly want to eat again in that entire country on the menu? Either this was a case of wishful thinking turning into reality just like magic, or I had a hotline to the angels in heaven.

I still don’t know the answer, but this is how I got my wish on my #Travelife to Sri Lanka. And this is how I get all my other wishes as well.

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