Tatale

Chef, restaurateur and musician Akwasi Brenya-Mensa is hoping to inspire a new wave of African cuisine in the city with his first London restaurant Tatale, located at the Africa Centre. Through his new venture, he's hoping to foster cultural exchange and tell contemporary Pan-African stories – including his own.

As an acclaimed musician in addition to being a chef, restaurateur and street food operator, Brenya-Mensa's professional journey has taken him all over the globe and includes running the successful "Mensa, Plates and Friends" supper club in London, but it was in his native Ghana that the concept for his debut eatery was born. Rooted in universality and heritage, Tatale, named after a Ghanaian plantain pancake, embodies the spirit of West African chop bars, bustling roadside joints where folk from all backgrounds are equally welcome. Through food, culture and art, Tatale's founder hopes to foster a similar sense of community and exchange at the Africa Centre.

In compiling the menu, Brenya-Mensa drew on culinary influences from all over Africa, infusing them with his own experiences, memories and ideas. Whether it's his favourite childhood bread or something he discovered on his travels, the dishes promise an intensely personal experience and hold true to the desire for telling stories and sharing that seems so integral to all of the chef's work, just like the light, airy communal restaurant space speaks to the fusing of contemporary trends and traditions.