Ep 33: Ana and Meng - TĀTĀ Eatery

Food Tribe

Today’s guests are on fire! They may have shot to London food fame with their Iberico pork katsu sando which has had more Instagram airtime than any other sandwich on the planet (rightfully so, it’s flipping delicious) but there’s a lot more to this TĀTĀ Eatery duo than a pretty pork sandwich...

Ana and Meng both come from art and design backgrounds, the kitchen came calling and they decided to become chefs. And that’s how they met, 10 years ago, working for the great Nuno Mendes in London.

Around five years ago they decided they wanted to do their own thing and so TĀTĀ Eatery was born. They’re completely self-funded and started out by doing street food, and then moved on to pop-ups and residencies around London, growing their brand and following, which culminated in the opening of their two semi-permanent spaces this year.

Tou at the Arcade food theatre in central London is their more casual offering, focusing on their sandos and rice bowls. Their other site is at the very cool Tayēr + Elementary cocktail bar where they’ve partnered with renowned bartenders Monica Berg and Alex Kratena.

So, a bit about how dining at Tayēr works - there’s a bar menu where you can order their cult katsu sando and other delicious bar snacks and small plates along with some world-class cocktails. Then you have the real-deal four-seat counter where Meng prepares a five-course menu that changes daily depending on what produce arrives from the farmers and fishermen he works with. Meng is a wizard! It’s some of the most interesting, creative cooking going on in London right now. And then you have Alex looking after you on the drinks side of things with the option to do a special cocktail pairing – a magic combo which makes for a memorable, delicious evening out.

Tayēr + Elementary have just won the award for London’s Priceless Cities Best New Bistro - so a big congrats to Ana and Meng, and Alex and Monica - it’s great to see them being recognised for what they’ve created at Tayēr.

Ana and Meng, I think, at the core of it are artists - the way they think about and create food is fluid and expressive and it’s not confined to a single cuisine. They take inspiration from their travels, their backgrounds, and the produce they source, and the result is something Meng likes to refer to as ‘Modern London cuisine’.

They’re so committed to and passionate about the art of cooking, feeding people and connecting with their diners and it’s amazing to see how they’ve grown TĀTĀ from a small pop-up concept to one of London’s most exciting and creative food offerings.

I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation where we talk about the rise of TĀTĀ, their food, finding the balance between being chefs and growing a business, and future plans for this talented duo…