It's been less than two weeks since Blank Street Coffee opened at the Bullring and its second branch is already up and running. The New Street site opened on Tuesday, September 17 in the unit where Extrawurst used to be, overlooking Victoria Square. I did pop in to the Bullring shop before it opened to the public , to snoop around and get some photos of the inside of the unit.
Minimalist, swish and bright, it feels very trendy indeed and I was keen to visit as a regular punter, to get a proper customer experience - and one of those blueberry matcha drinks - when no one knew I'd be writing about it. The opportunity arose this week when I strolled by the New Street shop to find barely a queue at all. A colleague told me the line was wild round at the Bullring and this felt like a hack, a cheat code, for getting a blueberry matcha without waiting my turn behind a row of eager Brummies.
Read more: Family bakery in Sutton Coldfield to shut after six years as baker says 'I will always remember' Subscribe to our Brum Food Club food and drink newsletter for the latest news from our hospitality scene every Thursday. The space isn't as big as the Bullring one. Unlike that location, with seats in and out for prime people watching, this branch is a grab-and-go affair, with a long coffee bar and a bunch of busy-but-friendly baristas moving you along quickly.
I pushed my face up against the sneeze guard as I waited, hungrily peering in at the pastries like that girl with the braces on in F.