Inside Scotland’s biggest food hall
The Bonnie & Wild marketplace in Edinburgh’s new St James Quarter will be home to a plethora of new restaurants and retailers, finds Rosalind Erskine
It is billed as the largest single food and drink site in Scotland thanks to its 16,600 sq ft open plan space within St James Quarter.
The team at Bonnie and Wild say that diners can look forward to an "unrivalled offering of food and drink, served by some of Scotland's best restaurants and awardwinning chefs”.
Here we take a look at what will be on offer when the marketplace opens on Thursday.
Creel Caught
One of the main sites within Bonnie and Wild is being headed up by Gary Maclean, senior chef lecturer at City of Glasgow College and Masterchef: The Professionals 2016 winner. Creel Caught is Gary's first solo venture and will feature a menu of fresh Scottish seafood influenced by what's been caught that day.
Salt & Chilli Oriental
Glasgow chef Jimmy Lee is preparing to open his first Edinburgh restaurant within Bonnie and Wild. The restaurant will offer a taste of Hong Kong’s simple street food, with dishes including tangy Peking ribs, Bao buns, chicken satay, pulled aromatic duck, and a signature salt and chilli menu.
Erpingham House
Erpingham House, a stylish vegan restaurant founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Loui Blake, footballers Russell Martin and Declan Rudd, has an ethos of sustainability through its dishes and packaging. The Edinburgh restaurant will have the same 100 per cent plant-based, plastic-free and mostly gluten-free menu of modern vegan food, created by group head chef Meg Greenacre.
Rico's Pasta Bar
Rico's Pasta Bar is offering authentic Italian cuisine from the team behind Rico's, The West Room and The Broughton. Chef Francesco Ascrizzi is set to serve a menu of freshly made pasta dishes, created with locally sourced ingredients. Dishes include spaghetti with East Neuk Crab, shellfish bisque and Calabrian chilli and sedanini with Genovese
style, slow-cooked Borders rose veal ragu and aged Parmesan.
east PIZZAS
This Edinburgh business is known for its 72-hour proved sourdough pizzas and toppings which come from East Coast Cured and Great Glen Charcuterie. Speaking to The Scotsman earlier this year, co-owner Roly Simpson said: "We’ll be adding some new pizza styles, including the thick crust Detroit and our twist on pizza in teglia alla Romana – a grab-andgo square pizza slice made using organic flour and slowly proved."
CHIX
For those that like their fried chicken classy, head to CHIX, which is a totally new concept for Bonnie and Wild. The simple fried chicken has been given a fine-dining makeover thanks to Max Murray and Ed Cresswell, who was Chef de Partie at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck before moving to Scotland.
Joelato
For those with a sweet tooth, stop in at Perth’s Joelato, which is inspired by the “gelateria of Bologna” and run by husband and wife team Joe and Lucie Sykes. Joe and Lucie are self-confessed gelato obsessives and source their milk, cream, eggs and berries locally.
The Gannet East
Ivan Stein and Peter Mckenna from The Gannet are opening their first Edinburgh restaurant – as the key tenant in Bonnie and Wild. The team at Bonnie and Wild said: "Winner of both a Michelin plate and Bib Gourmand, The Gannet is a modern Scottish restaurant serving seasonal dishes inspired by its artisan producers.”
Macduff 1890
This family-run butchers has a history that spans more than 130 years and four generations. One of the top suppliers of Scotch beef, the animals are selected from a small group of farms committed to the highest standards of animal welfare.
Inverarity Morton
The Inverarity Morton bottle shop is the first retail venture from one of Scotland's leading wine and spirits wholesalers. It will be home to a wide range of quality wines and spirits, sourced from Scotland's worldrenowned distilleries and top overseas vineyards.
The Cheese Club
Another move from Glasgow to the speciality retailers space is The Cheese Club shop, which opened on Byres Road in the west end earlier this year. The Cheese Club Shop is led by the team behind Six by Nico, and will offer a range of fine cheeses, as well as stock chutneys, crackers, olives and cured meats as well as hot and cold food to take away.
Broken Clock Café & Patisserie
A firm favourite in Glasgow, Broken Clock sells an everchanging menu of picture perfect cakes and pastries.
Located in the west end, this family-owned cafe and patisseries provides diners with “a place where you can forget about the time and enjoy your cake”. Now they've moved that idea east to Edinburgh.