Small food and drink businesses and start ups are popping up at Bonnie & Wild in a series of collaborations with the Food Hall.
This weekend the Sri Lankan street food kitchen team Kochchi will become Okanda. The new Okanda kitchen concept is the creation of Suki Jayaratne and Shehan Fernando who have won awards for the food they dream up. The pair won top place at both the Scottish and British Street Food Awards. Their move into a permanent space in Bonnie & Wild followed a first step cooking in a street truck.
The curated menu of Thai Noodles, Vietnamese Rolls and Nepalese Momos will demonstrate the South East Asian flavours and take guests on “an exquisite culinary journey”.
Mr Jayaratne said: “We’re so excited about launching out latest kitchen at Bonnie & Wild and giving food lovers the opportunity to get a flavour of our latest restaurant, Okanda.”
Described as “South East Asian street food redefined with a fine dining twist”, Okanda’s menu boasts Thai Noodles, Vietnamese Rolls and Nepalese Momos that take diners “on an extraordinary culinary journey that celebrates South East Asian flavours sustainably, responsibly and respectfully”.
Mr Jayaratne said: “Okanda is the culmination of our lifelong love affair with the rich tapestry of flavours found throughout South East Asia. Shehan and I have travelled, lived and breathed these flavours, and can’t wait to show off these authentic dishes to guests at Bonnie & Wild as we look to expand the business.”
He added: “It’s incredible that Bonnie & Wild provides this platform for chef-led businesses and other entrepreneurs to showcase their ventures, with little risk. It’s a brilliant catalyst for start-ups, and a superb opportunity.”
Bonnie & Wild’s Managing Director Ryan Barrie said: “Since Day One, we’ve wanted to use Bonnie & Wild as a platform to champion Scotland’s amazing food and drink businesses. Running regular pop-ups with small food and drink businesses is just the latest example of the positive and collaborative philosophy we hold dear at Bonnie & Wild.
“Our events space is a beautiful, premium location to host brand launches and pop-ups. We hosted the global launch of Edrington’s Naked Malt, as well as Bowmore’s ultra-premium Aston Martin editions. And we’ve done similar with some of our regular suppliers, including the venerable fishmonger Bernard Corrigan and well-respected JB Food Services.
“Giving our events space over to talented and driven chefs and entrepreneurs is just the next step, and I’d welcome enquiries from ambitious businesses looking for opportunities at Bonnie & Wild.”
Since opening in 2021, Bonnie & Wild has provided permanent locations for the likes of Joelato and Kochchi, while providing a home for start-ups including fried chicken bar Chooks, Jimmy Lee’s Leith Woks and new Scottish deli Soup & Caboodle.
Mr Barrie added: “Bonnie & Wild is all about collaboration and friendship. We love working with brands that share our vision, such as the kilt-maker ScotlandShop, who we partner with for our monthly White Heather Club ceilidh dances. And we’re also looking forward to giving our guests the full Scottish experience as we work with another partner to launch an incredible new breakfast offer in the next few weeks. Watch this space!”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
