Sri Lankan seafood restaurant chain Ministry of Crab (MoC) is set to open shop in India by July 2018.
MoC, a six-year-old Sri Lankan establishment known as a crab lovers’ haven, frequently features among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and is known for sourcing all its ingredients locally and for its disdain for frozen food. It flagship location is in a preserved 400-year-old Dutch hospital in Colombo with a minimalist open kitchen format.
Gourmet Investments, which is owned by Bharti Family Office, has recently signed an agreement with Sri Lankan cricketers Kumara Sangakarra, Mahela Jayawardene, and chef Dharshan Munidasa, who jointly own the MoC brand, to bring the iconic Sri Lankan seafood restaurant to Mumbai, the Press Trust of India reported.
Gourmet Investments CEO Ramit Mittal said the company is investing INR 50 million (USD 782,000, EUR 640,000) into the project, Livemint reported.
MoC's chef, Dharshan Munidasa, said that the restaurant will source crabs from Mumbai’s coast and lagoons. The restaurant’s menu will only be slightly tweaked, adding only one or two dishes to please India’s large vegetarian audience.
Munidasa said a serving of crab at the restaurant would be INR 3,510 (USD 55, EUR 44.90) per person. MoC faces a crowded marketplace for seafood restaurants in Mumbai, and is set to compete directly with Konkani, Malvan, and other restaurants specializing in high-end seafood.
MoC’s owners have also announced plans to open in Bangkok, Thailand in the middle of 2018; in Delhi, India, the Shangri-La Hotel in Manila, the Philippines, and Dubai, U.A.E. in 2019.
