Food nirvana: 7,000-sq-ft full of only kilo-plus crabs in Mumbai

After much conjecture and buzz the highprofile Ministry of Crab with its flagship restaurant in Colombo Sri Lanka is all set to open in the city at the Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri TBZ West End building on 14th Road Khar sometime in February Vijay Zaveri the owner of TBZ West End confirmed the location to middayZaveri said The TBZ jewellery showroom used to be on the ground floor for the past 25 years It has now moved to the third floor of my building and Ministry of Crab is set to open in its place I think they are looking at a February opening I do not have all the details as I am not associated with the restaurant in any other capacity except as owner of the spaceThe TBZ West End building in Khar PicPradeep DhivarLocation babyZaveri added The space is approximately 7000 square feet and the venue is already wellknown because of the TBZ showroom so it is a highvisibility location I have been following reports about the excitement this brand has created It is going to make this suburb a major seafood destination It is a great brand and much loved in Sri Lanka Mumbaikars too want to try something new and are ready for different cuisines or food cooked in a different wayThe Ministry of Crab is owned by celebrity chef Dharshan Munidasa and Sri Lanka cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene The restaurant website says the Colombo restaurant a celebration of Sri Lanka is housed in a preserved 400yearold Dutch hospital When asked about the location in Mumbai Munidasa who spoke to midday over the phone said I do not have the ground details However a representative of Gourmet Investments Pvt Ltd which is a franchisee of Ministry of Crab said We would not like to reveal any details as yetDate fateAll through last year and even before that the Ministry of Crab has been whetting the citys seafood appetite with claims it was soon opening in the city In 2018 this soon seemed to have solidified with reports stating it would open mid2018 as the Sri Lankan cricketers were keen on launching during the Indian Premier League season The venue though had always remained top secret The crustacean also refused to crawl to Indian shores on the said date and 2018 went by without a Ministry of Crab on the horizonLast year Munidasa was at a Lower Parel venue where he told this paper The trouble with India is sourcing ingredients we have to ensure we get highquality catch I have been to Sassoon Dock at 6 am onceMunidasa had also said he had tried the crab delicacies at Trishna Mahesh Lunch Home and Gajalee They were very good But my challenge is to source 150 crabs weighing 1kg each Challenges aside former Sri Lankan captains Jayawardene and Sangakkara will be hoping for a great Indian inningsMumbaikars review the colombo restaurantRhea Dalalfood blogger and Parsi cuisine catererWhen my husband and I were going to Colombo a couple of years ago a lot of people told us that eating at Ministry of Crab is a must There was huge hype it was like you literally had to jump through hoops to get into the restaurant But when we got there the food did not live up to all that talk I have travelled fairly extensively on our West coast and have had the freshest seafood the restaurant did not match up It was strictly okay The below par service too was shocking for a world famous placeSmita DeoAuthor of Karwar to Kolhapur via Mumbai a food bookWe had to pull strings in Mumbai for a table at the restaurant in 2015 The ambience was pleasant though not extraordinary The food was strictly okay I think the place was overrated and over hyped There was no choice for vegetarians which was very disappointing We have many vegetarians here so it will be interesting to see their Mumbai menu Sustainability will also be a factor as we see many places opening in a blaze of publicity doing well at first but declining laterCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates