Opus team set to expand Birmingham empire with new bar
THE team behind Birmingham’s successful restaurants Opus and Café Opus are to open a new city bar in the heart of the Colmore Business District.
Situated at the foot of One Snowhill, Bar Opus is the latest venture by Ann Tonks, Irene Allen and David Colcombe. The office building is home to KPMG and Barclays.
The trip first opened their flagship restaurant in Cornwall Street nine years ago before adding the café, based at the Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace, to their portfolio 18 months ago.
They will become the first non-professional services tenants in the landmark building – which is held in an open real estate fund by Union Investment.
The 120-capacity 1,700 sq ft bar is set to open in early November and will create eight new jobs.
Mrs Tonks said: “We opened Café Opus last February in the iconic Ikon Gallery, as we wanted to continue to grow the Opus family in an imaginative way and Bar Opus is further testament to this ethos.
“The area at this end of Colmore Row is a real destination for those looking for bars and restaurants and we’re excited to have secured a prime location so close to Snow Hill station.
“The building is home to great professional businesses like KPMG, Barclays and DWF and the fact that Wragge Lawrence Graham are now ensconced in Two Snowhill and the HS2 construction headquarters are moving to the building is an indication of how the area will continue to develop over the coming years.”
As well as serving both breakfast and lunch, the management team are hopeful it is the after-work food concept that will set Bar Opus apart from its contemporaries.
Drawing inspiration from the buzzing, spontaneous bars and cafés during trips to Barcelona and Copenhagen, the team has developed a concept which will see chefs create a selection of sharing plates in an open kitchen – with the price decided by the colour of the dish in which they are served.
An idea born around the dinner table with friends one evening, customers will be encouraged to interact with the open kitchen and even make requests for dishes they may have tried in recent weeks. In addition, a selection of draught and bottled beers will be complemented by an excellent wine and cocktail list.
Mrs Tonks said: “We’ll be operating an open kitchen so that customers will be able to see what we’re preparing but also talk to the chefs about what they have enjoyed of late. It is a concept you see across the continent, but hardly anywhere on these shores.”
Work on the site, which is managed by Savills and will feature designs from Suzanne Barnes Design Partnership, is now under way.
