Bonnie & Wild to launch start-up collaboration series

Edinburgh Food Hall Bonnie & Wild has announced plans for a series of collaborations with small and start-up businesses, kicking off with the launch of a new pop-up restaurant this weekend.

The partnerships will see food-led concepts, craft breweries and distilleries take over the Food Hall’s event space and bars, enabling them to benefit from Bonnie & Wild’s city centre position within St James Quarter.

This weekend, the award-winning team behind Sri Lankan street food kitchen Kochchi will launch their latest creation, Okanda, cooking up a curated menu of Thai noodles, Vietnamese rolls and Nepalese momos.

The new Okanda kitchen concept is the latest creation of Suki Jayaratne and Shehan Fernando (pictured), who’ve won multiple plaudits for their Sri Lankan-focused Kochchi, based within Bonnie & Wild.

Jayaratne says of the upcoming launch: "We’re so excited about launching our latest kitchen at Bonnie & Wild and giving food lovers the opportunity to get a flavour of our latest restaurant, Okanda.

"Okanda is the culmination of our lifelong love affair with the rich tapestry of flavours found throughout southeast 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."

Bonnie & Wild’s managing director Ryan Barrie adds: "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."

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.

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