The Bonnie & Wild is a Scottish part time restaurant sewing the best of British produce. Bonnie being Bonnie Gull Ltd, a seafood specialist catering company and Wild, being Wild Game Co. specialists in fresh seasonal wild game from the highlands.
Open Friday and Saturday evenings from seven and housed in M. Manze a traditional pie and mash shop in Chapel market Islington. Chef Iain Sim serves up a three-course menu for a very reasonable £29. You have the choice of three starters, three mains and a dessert or cheese plate. Side dishes are £3.50, chunky chips and a veg of the day. The menu changes weekly to ensure you get the best of seasonal produce. It is advisable to phone ahead to check the menu to see if it suits your palate.
I went with my Scottish friend David thinking he might enjoy a taste of home, he wasn‘t disappointed. Sitting in the classic wooden booths with the marble tables is a treat in itself.
Helen the very friendly front of house flits between the tables making sure all is well, Marco our waiter was very accommodating, guiding us through the menu.
We started with a Wild Highland Pheasant Broth with toasted tattie scone, which was packed with flavour rich and gamey, the tattie scone we could have eaten plates of. I had Pan-fried Chestnut Mushrooms on toasted ciabatta with a capers and dill cream, earthy mushrooms in a surprisingly light cream sauce, the capers adding a rewarding tang, delicious.
Happily we looked forward to our mains, Pan-fried Whiting fillets with a prawn, shallot and parsley sauce, I asked for it without the prawns as boringly I am allergic to shellfish, I’ve never known the pleasure of a lobster and anaphylactic shock is not that great a party piece, but I digress. Lovely white fillets well seasoned, soft and delicate, the sauce a perfect companion
BBQ Venison Haunch Fillet with balsamic roast carrots and red currant jus again beautifully cooked, succulent and tender, the sweetness of carrots working well with salty slightly bitter kale, I also have to mention the chunky chips as they were excellent, we do like a chip.
Dessert on this day was a sticky toffee pudding, a moist light sponge with custard and ice cream the perfect finish. Also on offer was a Selection of British cheeses, oatcakes, chutney and celery, self-explanatory.
As it’s a bring your own bottle, we did, as can you without the restrictions of a wine list, treat yourself to your favourite tippIe…
A very pleasant evening, the atmosphere was warm and friendly, oh and best of all its a bargain!
The Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack now has a sister branch which has just opened in the evenings at Cookes Pie and Mash Shop on Broadway Market E8.
Patrick Black
M, Manze
74 Chaple Market
Islington N1 9ER
www.honniewild.co.uk
