Taking inspiration from his fiancee’s Hungarian heritage, Tom Roach is bringing a taste of Eastern European tea house culture to a quiet Brighton street.

Roach, formerly a chef for Browns restaurant, and his partner Zsuzsi Ustoki, took over a former hairdressers’ salon in Spring Street just over two months ago, raiding charity shops and car boot sales to turn it into eclectic, bohemian hang-out Talk Of Tea.

Seating just 24 people in the main building and the little garden at the back, it’s an intimate space – but that’s fine by its owners.

“We wanted it to feel homely,” Roach explains, “There are so many generic coffee chains out there where everything looks the same. We wanted to create somewhere unique and personal.”

It’s an ethos that can be felt in all aspects of the business, from the scones and brownies Roach makes in his kitchen as soon as he’s finished work, to the games nights the café hosts every Thursday, when it opens late.

“I love backgammon and an Indian game called Carron – which is a little like playing pool with your fingers – so it seemed to make sense to invite people along to play,” says Roach. “We’re also planning art evenings and creative writing meet-ups – we’re open to any ideas that would fit in with the surroundings really.”

One of the café’s biggest draws is its teas.

The couple stock more than 60 varieties of loose-leaf tea, all chosen by themselves.

“We get through a lot of tea,” laughs Roach. “We buy them from a German supplier and taste them all ourselves, choosing our favourites for the café.”

Customers can pick from traditional black and white teas, green tea, Oolong tea, Rooibos and South American mate, not to mention some eye-opening fruit varieties such as pineapple, mango and chilli.

Customers can buy bags to take home and a timer on the wall indicates when the perfect brew has been reached.

It’s obvious the couple take tea very seriously indeed. It is a major part of Hungarian life, Roach explains.

“It’s a really big thing where Zsuzsi comes from – they drink tea all day and into the evening. It’s a very different culture to the way we drink tea here in the UK.”

Talk Of Tea doesn’t set out to recreate an authentic Hungarian tea house, however.

“It’s a little more ad-hoc than that. It’s inspired by that culture, but we also wanted to do things our own way.”

Why did they choose Spring Street? Tucked away off Western Road, it’s perhaps not an obvious place to open a café. But Roach disagrees.

“It’s slightly off the beaten track but that makes it even more of a hidden gem. We looked for premises in The Lanes and North Laine but then this place came on the market and it seemed perfect. It’s opposite my daughter’s school and very close to where we live. We love it.”

Spring Street, Brighton

Open 9am-6pm all week. Call 01273 748444

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