The Place I was excited when I saw that Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Crab is opening in Singapore, as this Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants brings back memories of my travel days in Sri Lanka. Yes, my first taste of the crabs at Ministry of Crab was back in 2018 in Colombo, where it all started back in December 2011 by Chef Dharshan, who is of Sri Lankan and Japanese mixed heritage.

As the only crab restaurant from Asia to be on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Singapore is the brand’s sixth international outpost in after Bangkok, Shanghai, Chengdu, Maldives and Mumbai.  

Ministry of Crab Singapore is located in Dempsey, one of the most buzzing dining enclaves in Singapore. It is just a few doors from Sushi Sato, and it occupies a huge dining space with an open kitchen concept. There are long communal tables, private corners for bigger groups as well as tables beside the window for smaller groups.  

Similar to the original Colombo outlet, I spotted the orange napkins and black aprons on each dining table. 

The Food On the menu, mud crabs are the ‘star of the show’, prepared in different styles. They are accompanied by other seafood such as freshwater prawns, clams, oysters and fish as well as non-seafood options like chicken. To ensure freshness, all crabs are air-flown from Sri Lanka live three times a week. In case anyone is doubting, all the crabs are wild caught in small batches and never farmed. 

The mud crabs served range from the 500g ½ Kilo Crab to the Crabzilla that weighs more than 2kg, while the giant freshwater prawns served range from 150g Small Prawn to the Prawnzilla that weighs more than 500g.

Due to the wild-caught nature that observes the weather and according to availability, you need to check Ministry of Crab Singapore’s social media channels on the availability of the famed 2kg Crabzilla and 500g Prawnzilla. 

My meal started with MOC’s caviar equivalent Crab Liver Pâté (S$25). This is made with liver extracted from each crab and the taste is buttery and it is good on its own or you can choose to spread on Melba toast. 

The crabs (from S$75 for 500g) here are done in different styles, with the Garlic Chilli being the signature flavour (also what I had in Colombo previously). For the purest flavour, the is the Pure Crab which brings out the natural sweetness of the crab.

To best enjoy this, the tip is to pre-order the Pure Crabs six hours ahead of time, where a male or female crab of your choice is selected and steamed to cook. It is then chilled to enhance its flavours before being served as it is, accompanied by sides of warm butter, calamansi ponzu or chilli vinegar to go along. My top pick is the chilli vinegar, which reminds me of the local Singaporean Hainanese chicken rice chilli sauce.  

That said, the signature Garlic Chilli Crab is a must try. This is a Ministry of Crab original where Italian olive oil and Japanese soy sauce meet Sri Lankan crabs. Contrary to its name, the garlic chilli flavour is not spicy at all. The sauce itself is a very aromatic mix of garlic and slightly sweet chilli taste profile.

It is a unique sauce which I have not come across in Singapore yet till today, which goes well with a side of either the Kade Bread (S$5), or the Garlic Bread (S$7) which is glazed with garlic butter and char grilled. Needless to say, the crab meat is very fresh, and I wasn’t expecting anything less.  

Other crab flavours include the likes of Black Pepper Dashi Crab, MOC Original Recipe Spicy Crab and Sri Lankan Curry Crab. 

Crabs aside, there are also other seafood dishes such as freshwater prawns, clams, oysters and fish as well as non-seafood options like chicken. For one, the prawns (from S$25 for 150g) too can be prepared in the signature Garlic Chilli Prawn which is delicious. Other flavours include the Butter Soy Prawns, Pepper Prawn, Chilli Prawns and Olive Oil &Soy Prawn. 

For sides, I had the Crab Chawanmushi (S$15), MOC’s take on the Japanese starter where the steamed egg custard here goes with hand-picked crab meat and finished with a drizzle of garlic chilli oil glaze.  

For dessert, expect the likes of Coconut Crème Brûlée (S$15) that lends a tropical island twist to the classic French dessert with a rich coconut milk base baked in a fresh coconut. Alternatively, there is also the Shibuya Style French Toast (S$15). 

Rants Prices are relatively steep for the crabs, and the mitigation is that the crabs come in different sizes, so you do not need to feel pressured to order a crab which is at least 1kg like other seafood restaurants in Singapore. 

Will I Return Again? Singaporeans love their crabs and Ministry of Crab is a great addition to the competition. The brand has their own unique sauces to go with their seafood which is a great differentiator from other seafood restaurants. If you are a seafood lover, this is a must try.  

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Ministry of Crab 
6 Dempsey Road 
Singapore 249683 
Tel: +65 8389 0948 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Sunday: 6pm to 11pm  
Closed on Tuesdays

Ranted by The Ranter