The buzz: Sri Lanka’s best restaurant—ranked no. 35 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list—has landed in Bangkok. The popular crab house comes from chef Dharshan Munidasa and cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. 

The decor: Set on buzzing Soi 31, the restaurant stands out for its giant yellow crab set on a dark facade. Once inside, the brightly lit, colonial-style interior is inspired by the flagship branch. Tables are decked out with bibs, crab crackers, finger bowls and huge bouquets of Heliconia flowers, also known as lobster-claws thanks to their unique shape. Catch the chefs in action in the ground floor’s open kitchen, or book a table upstairs for larger groups. 

The food: Here, it’s all about meaty Sri Lankan crabs in various sizes, slathered in all types of saucy goodness. Start with the steamed crab and avocado salad (B390) tossed in a wasabi mayo, followed by the creamy crab liver pate (B390), served with housemade melba crackers and a tiny flask of honey. For mains, go for the Huge Prawn (B620 for 200-250g), which comes with a buttery sauce of garlic and chili that you can mop up with their homemade toasted bread, and anything from the 800g medium sized crab (B1,800) to the 1.1kg jumbo (B3,600) stir-fried in their famous black pepper sauce. End your meal with their coconut creme brulee served in a fresh coconut (B250). 

The drinks: Drinks here are pretty much just a side note, spanning refreshing iced tea soda (B125) and house wines.

Why we’d go back: We love the hands on approach to eating crab—getting messy with a bunch of friends or family always makes for a cracking good time.