Secret garden: New cafe with hidden oasis

From apple crumble to creme brulee, quirky tea flavours will be available a this new cafe, alongside high quality coffee, but the main drawcard could be the secret garden hidden among Fortitude Valley’s urban streetscape.

A new cafe specialising in exotic tea blends, ranging from apple crumble and creme brulee to peach Melba, is set to launch in Brisbane.

Rings A Bell will open in the beautiful heritage Bell Bros. Building along Brunswick St in Fortitude Valley, serving specialty loose-leaf brews from New Farm company Tour de Tea as part of a rotating seasonal menu.

“Coming from a Melbourne barista background and seeing the amazing things people can do with coffee I thought, ‘Why does this not exist for tea?’. There are a lot of people who are being neglected,” said Jasmine Longstaff, who owns the business with her brother Jonathon.

The cafe will have teas to complement the weather as well as a variety of iced teas that are sure to prove popular in summer.

Siblings Jasmine and Jonathon Longstaff in the courtyard of their new cafe Rings A Bell in Fortitude Valley.

But the eatery won’t just be all about tea, with coffee also set to star.

Tim Adams will be the house blend, alongside a rotating list of single origins from other local roasters for their V60, batch and alternate brewing methods.

Meanwhile, the food menu will feature a variety of pastries and sweets, but be built around gourmet toasties ranging from a ham and brie number to a beef and sauerkraut version.

“We didn’t want to make them regular toasties we wanted to make them loaded and a little bit special,” said Jasmine, who has employed hospitality consultant Freja Dunnell from Auka Consulting to get up and running.

And giving guests a special place to enjoy their bevvy and bites will be a secret, hidden courtyard out the back lined with palm trees.

The 30-seat cafe is set to open September 17.