Dharshan Munidasa, Sri Lanka’s most renowned chef-restaurateur, is the mastermind behind some of the best restaurants in the country, Nihonbashi, Ministry of Crab, Kaema Sutra, The Tuna & The Crab and Café Nihonbashi. He has the distinction of being the only Sri Lankan to have had two of his restaurants ranked on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list (Nihonbashi: 2013-2018 and Ministry of Crab: 2015- present). Dharshan has taken Ministry of Crab global with restaurants in Shanghai, Manila, Mumbai, the Maldives, and Bangkok, while his 25-year-old restaurant Nihonbashi has expanded to the Maldives. His latest venture is Carne Diem, a steak restaurant in the Maldives with a unique charcoal grill that operates at a temperature of 750˚C. Being of Japanese-Sri Lankan descent, Dharshan’s contribution to Japanese culture was recognized by the Japanese government, when he was presented with The Minister’s Award for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Food for the year 2014. Dharshan is also an ambassador for “Cool Japan,” appointed by the Japanese government for spreading Japanese culture overseas. (Colombo, Sri Lanka) @dharshanmunidasa