Tatale restaurant to open at the Africa Centre next year
A contemporary pan-African restaurant is set to open in January at the recently relocated Africa Centre in Southwark, south London.
Ghanaian-British restaurateur Akwasi Brenya-Mensa will launch the 50-seat Tatale in a ground and first-floor space designed by Freehaus Architects. There will also be additional seating in a bar and on a terrace and balcony.
Tatale - named after the plantain pancake - will aim to reflect the spirit of chop bars, the busy roadside eateries that have become a defining feature of the west African culinary landscape and welcome everyone from truck drivers to well-heeled business people.
Brenya-Mensa said that chop bars reflect a "hub of conversation set literally around food."
Signature dishes will include omo tuo nkatekwan sesame (mashed rice with groundnut, peanut soup); the Tatale buttermilk chicken burger topped with shito chilli, citrus yogurt and basil oil; and plantain cheesecake.
Brenya-Mensa previously operated street food pop-up Juicy Kitchen, including at festivals and contract catering pop-ups, which led to a permanent residency at Fear X Loathing in Sheffield. Akwasi then turned his hand to music management and travelled the world as an artist manager and DJ. He launched a supperclub series, ‘Mensa, Plates and Friends' in 2019.
The Africa Centre, located in the repurposed Gunpowder House, a former 1960s office block, is a registered charity that aims to promote authentic African cultural experiences.
