The Bonnie Badger

The reason the establishment dropped half a star was because of the lack of parking. It is on the main street and we had to park about 300 metres away. Last year I went to The Golf Inn in Gullane. I enjoyed it but I never go back to the same restaurant twice, even though it might have been great. However I heard that the Michelin starred chef, Tom Kitchen, had bought it and renamed it The Bonnie Badger. To me that meant it was a new restaurant and worthy of a visit. From the word go, the professionalism of the staff was obvious. My carer and I were seen coming up the ramp and a ‘meeter and greeter’ came out to open the door and introduce us to a hostess who took us to our table. I couldn’t recognise the building from when I was there only 9 months previously. It had been totally gutted back to the original stone walls, dating back to 1836. The roof had been exposed and there was very modern artistic lighting. The best way I could describe it is in the form of cart wheels, in keeping with the name of the restaurant, The Stables. The whole interior is stunning. We were soon given menus and offered drinks but we only had water. I gave the excuse of being on meds and my carer, because she was the driver. (I had heard that the prices were commensurate with the status of the establishment!)

Since opening at the end of last year we have been to the Bonnie Badger twice. The ground floor of the Bonnie Badger is wheelchair accessible. Outside the pavement slopes upwards to the double doors at the entrance. The doors are quite heavy. Opening them would probably require assistance. The Bonnie Badger is a hotel that has a restaurant called The Stables which is open to the public. The food serves classic pub dishes and seasonal specials. The roast beef special is particularly delicious.There are benches and chairs at the tables. The chairs can be removed to accommodate wheelchairs. The tables are of sufficient height to get my knees under but the centre pedestal leg of the table did mean I couldn’t get totally under the table without putting the front castor wheels of my wheelchair on the slightly raised leg base. There is also a good sized disabled toilet with an emergency red cord. The hotel ground floor also has a pub, big television screen for watching sport and a pool table. There are guest rooms upstairs in the hotel building.Guest can also stay in the hotel cottages. We drove to the Bonnie Badgers and parked on a nearby side street. There is a bus stop just outside the hotel but there is no train station in Gullane.