Serving up a tasty dish even to rivals

September 27, 2012
srilankan_serve

Sri Lanka’s star batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are renowned for dishing out great knocks in cricket.

Now the pair are also being celebrated for serving up some really tasty culinary dishes. The two icons of Sri Lankan cricket have joined forces to start a restaurant called Ministry of Crab in Colombo.

A T20 World Cup volunteer guided me to the restaurant, declaring while giving me directions to it: “If you are a seafood lover, do not miss Jayawardene and Sangakkara’s restaurant.”

The restaurant was created at an old Dutch hospital, which was built in 1677.

And anyone I asked about directions to the restaurant proudly informed me that it is owned by Sangakkara and Jayawardene. When I arrived there, I was greeted by Dharshan Munidasa, who is the co-owner and partner of the restaurant. Munidasa gave me his card that had an imposing picture of a crab stating: “A Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Dharshan Munidasa Restaurant.”

Why is it called Ministry of Crab, I wondered? Munidasa, who is one of the finest chefs in the country and also owns Nihonbashi, a Japanese restaurant, said: “The name had to be powerful. Jayawardene and Sangakkara are great lovers of seafood and I have known them for a long time. Sri Lanka is one of the leading exporters of crab and we thought that a restaurant based on crab would be ideal.”

Today Ministry of Crab is a popular haunt for all cricketers around the world. India’s star batsman Virender Sehwag, who loves the sweet and succulent crabs from the restaurant, told Munidasa on his recent visit: “Many Indian cricketers have started restaurants and almost all of them have closed down. They focused on the owners and partners instead of the food. It is the food that plays a vital role in getting customers to come back again and not the name and fame of the owners.”

Indeed, Munidasa strongly believes in quality. The restaurant has been designed by architect Dr Carlo Andrenelli, who was also present at the restaurant when I visited. He said: “This is a 16th-century building, and so I made minimum changes. With a beautiful courtyard I made sure that, even without air conditioning, one can enjoy the food through natural cross-ventilation.”

Though chicken dishes are also available at the restaurant, seafood lovers flock there for the restaurant’s popular chilli crab and baked crab. Jayawardene and Sangakkara make sure they visit the restaurant whenever they are in the city. In fact, Jayawardene addresses Munidasa as his new coach, and tells everyone: “Try out this restaurant and you will be bowled over.”

On the restaurant’s website, www.ministryofcrab.com, Sangakkara says: “It is realisation of my dream to be part of a culinary experience that I hope will enthrall your taste buds and leave you happy and wanting more.”



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News Network
June 20,2020

Dhaka, Jun 20: Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.

The skipper had gone for a coronavirus Test last week, and now his reports have come back as positive, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is not known how Mortaza contracted the virus.

Mashrafe, also a member of the parliament from Narail 2 constituency, had stepped down as the ODI captain of the country in March this year.

Covid-19 cases have crossed 1,00,000 mark in Bangladesh and the government is now planning area-wise lockdown.

Bangladesh was slated to face Sri Lanka in July in a three-Test series and the side would have later hosted New Zealand in August, but both series look unlikely now.

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, is also uncertain due to the coronavirus.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Colorado, Jun 3: Formula One boss Chase Carey has said that races will go ahead even if a driver tests positive for coronavirus.

His remarks come as organisers revealed a revised 2020 calendar and the schedule for the first eight races was put in the public domain.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual," the official website of Formula One quoted Carey as saying.

"Some things we'd have to talk through and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race would not cancel the race. I do not think I could sit here and lay out the consequences," he said.

Carey added the organisers will be having the necessary procedures in place so that the race does not get cancelled if a driver ends up testing positive for coronavirus.

"But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, teams have reserve drivers available," Carey said.

"We would not be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive," he added.

The Formula One 2020 season will be beginning with the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

F1 currently expects the opening races to be closed events but hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so.

The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will follow a week after that, before a break. There will be then two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6.

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News Network
February 2,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 2: India registered a rare 5-0 whitewash against New Zealand after notching up a seven-run win in the fifth and final T20 International at Bay Oval here on Sunday.

Electing to bat, India posted 163 for three, riding on Rohit Sharma's 60 off 41 balls and a 33-ball 45 from K L Rahul.

The visitors then restricted the hosts to 156 for nine with Jasprit Bumrah claiming three wickets for 12 runs.

Chasing the target, the Black Caps were tottering at 17 for three in 3.2 overs.

Tim Seifert (50) and Ross Taylor (53) then added 99 runs for the fourth wicket as New Zealand recovered to 116.

Seifert clobbered a 30-ball 50 studded with five fours and three sixes, while Ross Taylor hit two sixes and five fours in his 47-ball 53-run innings.

However, once Seifert was dismissed in the 13th over, the hosts suffered a collapse, losing five wickets, including Taylor, for 25 runs to loss the plot in the end.

Brief Score:

India: 163 for 3 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 60; S Kuggeleijn 2/25)    

New Zealand: 156 for 9 in 20 overs (Ross Taylor 53, Tim Seifert 50; Jasprit Bumrah 3/12).

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