Akwasi Brenya-Mensa to launch Pan-African restaurant
Named after the Ghanaian plantain pancake, Tatale will be Brenya-Mensa debut permanent restaurant but follows 10 years of work in the food space, including street food, festivals and pop-ups.
More recently Brenya-Mensa - who self-identifies as Ghanaian-British - ran a supper club series called Mensa, Plates and Friends which incorporated a charity element by requiring guests to donate to food banks.
Launching in January within The Africa Centre's new Southwark site, Tatale will tell stories through food, art and culture ‘born in Ghana and developed in London’.
Designed by Freehaus Architects, the restaurant and bar will be situated on the ground and first floors with outside space in the form of a terrace and balcony.
Open all-day to cater to those visiting The Africa Centre for exhibitions and events, as well as a standalone restaurant in the evenings, the restaurant has capacity for up to 50 diners, in addition to the seating within the bar area.
“I think it’s really the start of something. I remember seeing headlines and rolling my eyes — this (African food) is not a trend. This is our heritage and culture of over hundreds and thousands of years," he says.
"So many of these conversations have already been happening around tables, when people were eating, are eating — where in my experience of British culture, the hub has always been alcohol, the pub. That’s where the chop bar reference comes from: a hub of conversation set literally around food.”
The last few years or so have seen the arrival of a number of contemporary African-inspired restaurants in the capital, including Chuku’s, Chishuru and Akoko.
