Christmas comes but once a year … but the amazing display of blossom in Oozells Square tends to last a whole month!
And that magical time is almost upon us thanks to a mild winter of few frosts and barely any snow.
Two trees had already started to produce pink buds by Sunday 11 February when Westside World set out for its latest ‘breakfast on Broad Street’ review, this time at Yorks Cafe at the Ikon Gallery. Here’s my video of the scene and breakfast:
The square could be in full bloom by the end of the month, and how long the greatest show on Brindleyplace will last will depend on the kindness of the weather. This is how it looked in March last year …
Meanwhile, when I visited Yorks Cafe on the ground floor at the Ikon Gallery, it was soon busy with a dozen or so running and cycling friends.
I could have ordered anything from simple toast to a ‘Korean Egg Drop Sandwich’ at £8.50 or a full ‘House Breakfast’ for £15. But dining alone and not wishing to hog a table on an increasingly busy morning, I ordered what you might call a ‘breakfast rapide’ – a latte with a bacon butty.
The 10oz ‘large’ coffee (£4) was the usual high Yorks’ standard, with a foam motif to start and a lattice residue left on the cup’s inside at the end.
The toasted bacon sandwich (£7) was on Shokupan (Japanese milk) bread with butter (also comes with either sausage or hummus and avocado).
The top-quality bacon had some pleasant crispy bits and, though relatively thickly cut, had a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
The only surprise was that even with some accompanying chopped herbs, the combination didn’t have the full taste of a bacon butty on more conventional bread – perhaps I should have asked for brown sauce!
The total of £11 for a coffee and bacon butty is pricier than some places, but it’s great quality and you’ll soon be enjoying the blossom as an added extra!
Where is it? Yorks Cafe – Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Street, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HS. Tel 0121 828 5060. Open 9am-5pm from Wednesday to Sunday inclusive, closed Monday and Tuesday. Website here.
Yorks also runs the coffee shop at The Exchange, University of Birmingham’s ‘public front door’ inside Westside’s former Municipal Bank in Centenary Square.
Pictures and video by Graham Young.
ENDS
