Mampho off to fulfil her eastern promise
● There might have been a slight delay before take-off, but the sayonara (farewell) for one of SA’s most stylish social gals was a gorgeous night in a starry setting.
This was a balmy Tuesday evening and the locale a restaurant I’d never heard of, Ferguson Fifth Floor, which is set on the rooftop of a new office block in the trendy Joburg suburb of Illovo.
The event was an intimate farewell celebration for actress Mampho Brescia as she heads over to the Land of the Rising Sun as the newly announced Brand Japan ambassador.
Arriving not long after the appointed time, though, I would have been convinced I’d got my dates mixed up if I hadn’t shared the elevator ride up with model mom Rosette Ncwana, who I’ve never once seen at a social do with her businessman husband Lunga. Hmm ...
Proffered flutes of sparkling wine as we walk in, we both take a moment to admire the restaurant’s impressive view, which on one side shows off part of Sandton City’s office tower and on the other looks towards the Ponte and Sentech towers.
No sign, though, of the lady of the hour, as in walks her bestie, Terry Pheto, wearing a metallic brocade Lanvin cocktail dress.
Air kisses abound as TV celebs Kgomotso Christopher and Rami Chuene arrive, along with those two actors seemingly joined at the hip, Pallance Dladla and Sdumo Mtshali.
We sample canapés including mini Yorkshire puds and Vietnamese wraps. It’s a good hour later that Mampho appears, looking like an exotic geisha in a striking red silk kimono, her blonde braids artfully arranged.
Accepting a loving kiss from her hubby Nicola, who runs travel company ATG, Mampho invites us all to take our seats for dinner at a long table, where I find myself seated next to another travel boss, Johanna Mukoki, who you will know is Basetsana Kumalo’s elder sis.
Johanna, having recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Italy and the Far East, exclaims “kampai!”, the Japanese equivalent of “cheers!”, and proceeds to show me a video she took of a Tokyo bathroom.
“The toilets are everything!” she coos, pointing out the front and back jets, heated seat and built-in dryer.
Not your usual dinner conversation — especially when tucking into a feast created by Vicki Clarke, of top catering company Fresh, who recently took over the restaurant. Think moreish pea and mint soup, grilled Norwegian salmon with fondant potato, and broccoli with hollandaise sauce for me, while Johanna tucked in to herb-crusted lamb rack with garlic sage mash. By this stage it was way past my bedtime and so I slipped out, missing the triple-choc torte with coffee-infused crème fraiche — and an impromptu song by Mampho before she headed off on her Oriental way.