• Nihonbashi founder Dharshan Munidasa on the importance of authenticity

Thirty years of flavour, tradition, and innovation – Nihonbashi, Sri Lanka’s iconic Japanese restaurant, celebrated a milestone. The founder of Nihonbashi, chef Dharshan Munidasa who was conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Japanese Government for his contribution in promoting the Japanese food culture, is a global culinary trailblazer, and, in this interview, shares how authentic Washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine), bold creativity, and a legacy of world-class dining has transformed Colombo’s food scene. He spoke with ‘Kaleidoscope Dialogues’ this week.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Thirty years – it’s been a long journey. How has your vision of bridging the gap evolved?

I think that the end goal has always been the same – to stay true to what real Japanese food is. And, I think that Sri Lanka has accepted a lot of that, maybe partly due to our influence. It is also about communication. Today, information about anything is so easily available, but it is how you digest that information that matters.

Sri Lanka has always had some connection to Japan – through Buddhism, travel, and visiting Japanese people – but never through food at this level. Today, I see young Sri Lankans come here and go ‘wow’ about our food. I’m proud to say that when these young couples go to Japan, what they see there closely resembles what we serve here. That makes me proud because it means that we’ve achieved something real.

Nihonbashi is the first Sri Lankan restaurant to be on Asia’s 50 Best list. What did that recognition mean for you personally, and for Sri Lanka’s culinary scene?

That list was quite controversial when it came out because it wasn’t based on a fixed panel appointed by a company, but rather on peers voting for each other – chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, food writers, and influencers. None of us know who the others are. So, for us to be recognised within that international circle as Sri Lankans was a big achievement.

Even today, Nihonbashi does things that many Japanese restaurants, even in developed countries, can’t do – like buying whole tuna. That’s possible because we are in Sri Lanka, where tuna is caught locally. Our strength lies in our commitment to getting the best possible ingredients.

Being on Asia’s 50 Best list means nothing if everything on your plate is imported. Food should be connected to nature – to the land, to the sea. Like Buddhism, that connection is part of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Washoku, which I’ve tried to adapt here.

I’m proud that Nihonbashi made that list using so many Sri Lankan ingredients. I’ve always been a purist – for example, I never served crab dishes before the Ministry of Crab existed, even though I worked with Sri Lankan crabs. If I had just turned Nihonbashi into a generic restaurant serving anything, I’d never have been able to carve the Ministry of Crab out of it.

Studying in America helped me understand what not to do. I saw so much ‘funny’ Japanese food that really upset me. I even have a list of dishes and photos titled ‘things I’ll never serve’. For instance, dragon rolls. I think that it’s insulting when a sacred food tradition is reduced to a gimmick. Japanese food is ingredient-based and pure – that discipline helped me create both the Ministry of Crab and Kaema Sutra.

Speaking of ingredients, how do you balance authentic Japanese cuisine with locally available ones?

Yes, we need soy sauce and miso – but, Japanese food also uses special salts from places like Okinawa. Here, we have amazing sun-dried sea salt from the South, which I’m proud to use. Sri Lanka exports tuna to Japan; we simply take one of those tuna ‘on the way’ and serve it here.

Our oceans are warmer than Japan’s, so our tuna has less fat, but we still serve the best possible version. At the heart of Japanese cuisine is using seasonal and local ingredients. I think that it’s important to celebrate what we have – like our tuna. In Cambodia, they even have a tuna curry, and I’m proud that both cultures within me – Sri Lankan and Japanese – celebrate tuna in their own ways.

What has been the ripple effect of the Ministry of Crab and Kaema Sutra?

The Ministry of Crab was really an ingredient-driven journey. I travelled all over Sri Lanka to understand what we had – tuna, crabs, lobsters, prawns – and tried everything. It was a disciplined play on a single ingredient.

Kaema Sutra is the other side of me – I’m half Japanese, half Sri Lankan. It brought the same discipline of respecting ingredients and recipes. For example, when I made kottu roti, I ensured that the ratio of carbs to protein was balanced. I didn’t want a carb-heavy plate with a sprinkle of curry on top. I approached it with the same precision and thoughtfulness.

You’ve done quite a bit at the new Nihonbashi at the Port City. How does it reflect the next chapter of your journey?

While we were negotiating for this space, I received an e-mail from the Japanese Embassy informing me that I was to receive the Order of the Rising Sun. It was an incredible honour – but also a bit of pressure. It made me rethink the design to ensure that the new Nihonbashi was worthy of that recognition.

Having walked the length of Sri Lanka in search of ingredients, I wanted this space to reflect that same spirit – Sri Lankan materials used with Japanese sensibility. This space is about 1,000 square metres, and you see bamboo used in ways that Sri Lankans rarely do. Architects from other countries are surprised when they visit – they say, ‘We didn’t know you had bamboo or rock like this here.’

For me, it was about remembering where I saw these materials and how to use them authentically. Unlike many resorts that all look the same, I wanted every room here to be unique, yet connected through Japanese design principles – all made with Sri Lankan material. I’m proud that this restaurant brings together Japanese aesthetics and Sri Lankan craftsmanship so seamlessly.

Some of your dishes have become signature items. How do you balance authenticity and innovation?

Most of the dishes here are unique – you wouldn’t find them in a typical Japanese restaurant. But, the names, techniques, and philosophies behind them are still deeply Japanese. A Japanese diner would understand what the dish represents, even if they’ve never eaten it before. That’s the balance: staying rooted in Japanese culinary values while creating something new.

Receiving the Order of the Rising Sun is a prestigious honour. How has it influenced your journey?

Awards and recognition aren’t why we do what we do. We do it because we want to be the best version of ourselves. Being recognised is humbling, but it also brings pressure – pressure to live up to that standard every day.

We never did things for awards, but now that we’ve received one, our focus is on making sure that our work continues to be worthy of that honour. It’s not the end of a journey – it’s a continuation, a reminder to keep doing better.

Looking back on 30 years, what has been your most challenging moment?

Running a restaurant in Sri Lanka since 1995 hasn’t been easy. We’ve lived through terrorist attacks, economic crises, and political instability. Each challenge forced us to find new solutions.

At times, there were policies that stopped movement, elections that disrupted business – but, every obstacle made us stronger. Sri Lanka as a country is incredibly resilient. We’ve faced tsunamis, pandemics, and countless setbacks, yet, we always find a way forward.

And what has brought the biggest smile to your face in those 30 years?

Genuine appreciation. When someone says ‘wow’ about our food – that’s it. I once had a diner who said that he finally realised what properly cooked chicken tastes like because all his life he’d been eating overcooked chicken. Hearing something like that – it’s priceless.

And how do you envision the future of Nihonbashi and Sri Lankan cuisine?

Nihonbashi will continue to evolve. Imports are still expensive, but we're growing more locally. There are now more local cheeses, more creativity, and more collaboration.

Sri Lankan cuisine itself is gaining recognition – with tourism, photography, and storytelling shining light on our food culture. We’re taking Sri Lankan food to the world, across all levels, and that’s something to be proud of.

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)