Hit the brakes on your fixie bikes as you glide through Stirchley’s somewhat hotch-potch high street these days and you might be lucky enough to stumble hungrily upon cool new cafe Caneat. Demarcated by merely a flash of neon blue on the otherwise humble high street, the newest kid on the ‘Stirchley rebranded’ block might not scream regeneration from the rooftops, but it sits comfortably and with artistically crafted low-key cool amidst the urban roughage. In fact minimalism vs keynote cool reigns at Caneat. An over-abundance of choice might be the bane of modern life, but it’s unlikely to trouble you too much here. The small but beautifully formed menu changes daily to offer a handful of exquisite breakfasts such as warm banana bread, almond butter & blueberries or spectacularly crafted egg on toast (think Marmite buttered soldiers and Hafod Cheddar) along with a couple of imaginative mains. We sampled a bowl of braised lamb, miso & rice cakes and pomegranate jewelled roast squash fattoush. Cakes, cookies and home-made drinks also feature large, try turmeric infused lemonade or coconut milk iced coffee. Ingredients are carefully sourced and fresh in all senses of the word with flavours falling very much in line with the lo-fi industrial cool interior laced with independent touches. A real celebration of local indie spirit, Caneat has strong connections with fellow Stirchley frontiers-people Loaf, shares its (plentiful) space with beautiful contemporary florists/plant shop Isherwood & Co. and sells book by librarian-chic trendsetters How Brave is the Wren travelling Bookshop. It might still be a bit of an uphill stretch to Kings Heath/Moseley, but Caneat just gave Stirchley’s ‘Watch This Space’ prospects a whole new perspective.

Caneat, 1397 Pershore Rd, Birmingham B30 2JR Tue – Fri, 7.30am – 4pm, Sat 8.30am – 4pm www.caneat.co.uk