Ministry of Crab had the pleasure of conducting a charity pop-up event at the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, London on 5 and 6 of July 2019 coinciding with the ICC Cricket World Cup. This was Chef Dharshan Munidasa’s third time taking the Ministry of Crab experience to London and it was a special one as part of the proceeds were donated in aid of the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.
The unique dining experience was hosted in the hotel’s stunning Sky Lounge on level 34 boasting sublime views of the city of London. Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, London, with 202 uniquely designed rooms and suites, is the capital’s tallest hotel located in The Shard, one of the world’s most iconic buildings situated in the heart of London Bridge at the centre of London’s hottest dining scene set between Borough Market and Bermondsey Street.
Diners enjoyed two appetisers, the refreshingly light avocado crab salad and the rich, savoury baked crab. Following this was Ministry of Crab’s signature garlic chilli crab, offering a fusion of flavour where Mediterranean and Japanese food philosophies meet. Ending the crab feast was the much-loved pepper crab made with hand-crushed black pepper and pepper stock to spice up the night! The locally sourced Cornish brown crab was the star of the menu, and the fact that it is similar to the Sri Lankan lagoon crab in terms of texture and flavour enabled the Ministry of Crab team to showcase the fine flavours of the crustaceans coupled with bold Sri Lankan spices.
Diners were also part of a charity auction, where cricket balls signed by Kumar Sangakkara and cricket bats signed by Mahela Jayawardena were auctioned off in aid of the victims of the attacks in Sri Lanka. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, and Shangri-La's Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa, Sri Lanka also came onboard to offer one lucky couple a five-night stay (two nights in Colombo and three nights in Hambantota) inclusive of a round of golf and dinners at their respective signature restaurants.
“It was a pleasure to be invited by Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, London, for the third time and to be a part of such an amazing charity event,” said Chef Dharshan Munidasa. “It was also an exciting experience to work with the locally sourced Cornish blown crab once again.”
Over the last two months, Ministry of Crab also conducted pop-up dining experiences for the first time at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi and Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai, and for the second consecutive year at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore coinciding with the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards Ceremony 2019 held in Singapore.