Food and drink start-up boost as pop-up restaurant opens in major Edinburgh mall

Edinburgh food hall Bonnie & Wild will this weekend launch a new pop-up restaurant as part of plans to boost start-ups with an appetite for growth.

A series of collaborations will see food-led concepts, craft breweries and distilleries take over the food hall’s event space and bars, enabling them to benefit from a busy central location within the city’s St James Quarter.

This weekend will see the team behind Sri Lankan street food kitchen Kochchi launch its latest creation, Okanda, cooking up a curated menu of Thai noodles, Vietnamese rolls and Nepalese momos – dumplings – that promises to take guests on “an exquisite culinary journey”. After taking top spots at the Scottish and British Street Food Awards, Kochchi took a permanent residency within Bonnie & Wild’s food hall, making the move from street truck to food stall. The Okanda kitchen concept is the latest creation of Suki Jayaratne and Shehan Fernando.

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. 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.”

Ryan Barrie, managing director of Bonnie & Wild, which opened in 2021, 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.”

With a footprint of 16,700 square feet and seating for more than 370 guests, Bonnie & Wild is one of Scotland’s largest indoor food and drink venues.