One Crab, Many Flavours: Ministry of Crab to open soon in Mumbai

Having your restaurants consistently rank in the Asia’s 50 Best list is no mean feat. Chef Dharshan Munidasa’s first baby, Nihonbashi (opened in 1995) has stayed on the list since 2013 and Ministry of Crab, opened in 2011, for three years in a row. It’s no wonder then that there’s much enthusiasm around Gourmet Investments bringing MOC to Mumbai, which loves its crab and seafood with a repertoire of iconic restaurants like Mahesh Lunch Home, and specialty Konkani and Malvani eateries. While the venue for MOC in Mumbai, slated to open around April, remains unrevealed because he’s still deciding between two, Munidasa is happy to share what’s on offer.

How will Ministry of Crab be different from others in Mumbai? 

The focus will be on crabs and they’ll be much bigger. The bite and resistance that you experience when biting into a big crab claw is incomparable to that of a small one. Your tongue comes in contact with the entire claw meat; the sensations are different. Ultimately one crab has only two claws, so when we focus on getting big crabs, it will result in you getting a totally different dining experience.

Fresh, quality ingredients have been the USP for both your restaurants. Is procurement a challenge in Mumbai? 

Yes, the best (crab) goes out (gets exported). But our partners here understood this, and that's half the battle won. India has some good crab, it’s just a matter of getting it. We'll source locally as much as possible, but import Japanese rice, soya sauce and olive oil.

Chefs who are initially reluctant to adapt also eventually Indianise their menus...

Where are they now? If I have to do what everyone is doing, then why should I bring Ministry of Crab here? We'll probably just add one or two dishes to our vegetarian selection, depending on what's locally available.

What types of crabs will you be plating out?

We only use on type: mud crabs that we’ll be sourcing from the south east and south west of India.

Will they be only cooked the traditional Sri Lankan way? 

Oh no (smiles), our chilli and pepper crabs are Singapore inspired, the curry crab is Sri Lankan and garlic crab doesn't belong to any place, it's my creation...there's a lot of variety. But I like to keep the menu small. When you do too much with too many ingredients, you lose focus.

What if one needs a break from crab? Any pairings to look out for?

We also celebrate the freshwater prawn. As for pairings, the best is with bread. In terms wine, there's sauvignon blanc, though personally I prefer champagne, and the pepper crab could also be paired with big wine like Bordeaux, Malbec or Cabernet.