Published: Thursday, 24th April, 2008 08:00
Top restaurant to re-open this summer
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THE former Bonar’s Restaurant at Poldrate Mill is poised to re-open under new operators after six months in cold storage.
Owner Andrew Vaughan has applied to East Lothian Licensing Board for an on and off sales licence for the premises following interest from a number of prospective leaseholders.
Zambia-based businessman Mr Vaughan has been seeking new leaseholders since the marriage split last November of award-winning chef Douglas Bonar, and his wife and business partner, Annabel.
The pair, who had run the popular 80-seat restaurant and bistro on the banks of the River Tyne since 2002, had only just signed a new long-term lease for the premises. Their abrupt departure saw a number of Christmas lunch and dinner bookings cancelled.
Mr Vaughan, who has owned the property for the last 18 years, has undertaken a number of renovations to the restaurant and bistro, including re-decorating work, while looking for a replacement leaseholder.
His Edinburgh-based mother, Eleanor, manages the property for him.
She told the Courier: “For reasons of commercial confidentiality, I cannot say too much at this stage, but it’s fair to say that there has been a lot of interest in the restaurant.
“Andrew has yet to decide on who the new leaseholder will be. That decision is likely to be made shortly and we hope the restaurant will be back up and running by the summer.”
Bonar’s – awarded two AA Rosettes in 2003 – was regarded as one of the county’s best restaurants.
There’s no hint at this stage what type of food the new restaurant will serve, or what it will be called.
Mr Bonar, whose signature dish is peppered sea bass with lobster and saffron risotto, is considered one of Scotland’s top exponents of French cooking.
He and his wife previously ran a restaurant in Gifford before they took over the former L’Auberge in Edinburgh in 1998, re-naming it Lemongrass.
The couple lived in Tranent before going their separate ways.
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