MENTION House of Ntsako to people who frequent the place or who have visited the joint and they immediately think of music.

Situated on Brixton's main street in Johannesburg, House of Ntsako has won the hearts of many because of live performances by up coming artists and established musicians.

But perhaps few people are unaware of the delicious food served in this place. When I first stepped into this restaurant-cum-bar a few years ago, I was immensely impressed by the setup.

It looked laid-back. A place where you could sit back, have a decent conversation while enjoying your food and holy waters. The House of Ntsako is pretty much the same as the first Verve.

Co-owner and manager Sfiso Ntuli, a renowned filmmaker, says you can feast on what he calls Afro-soul food. He also refers to the menu as Johannesburg's spy-kos.

It is African cuisine influenced by Indian and European taste. And what is more exciting about the menu is the price. A plate of pap and mogodu will set you back R30.

Now that is a price to beat by any standard around Johannesburg. Pity the place only opens from 6pm and most of the clientele are people coming for the live performances.

"It depends who is playing on the night. For instance this Friday we are having Marcus Wyatt. Jazz people like their food so we expect a big demand. We specialise in tasty food. Cheap tasty food or urban soul food if you like. We serve from chicken curry to mogodu (tripe)," says Ntuli.

Every time I have been to the place it was buzzing with visiting Europeans and locals.

It has to be said, the way they prepare mogodu is legendary. I like African food and it's not everywhere you can find mogodu, so when I visit places like House of Ntsako I don't have to read the menu.

My choice is infinite. Nothing beats mogodu with dumplings or pap. And the bonus one night I was there was that I got to enjoy good music after that.