There not a lot to distinguish Café Galini, which is located inside Randburg’s Brightwater Commons mall. It’s a fairly generic place — about what you’d expect from a suburban mall. The menu is a sort of general hodge-podge of Italian-influenced fare, with a few all-purpose dishes thrown in: hamburgers, steaks, ciabatta sandwiches, fish and chips, peri peri chicken wings, salads, pasta, and pizzas.

I ordered the finger plate, which was basically a sampler platter of halloumi, ribs, chicken wings, samosas, and fries. The giant pile of food looked smashing, but the fries were soggy and the strange sweet-and-sour sauce did not taste right with anything on the plate. The flavor was just wrong.

I also tried the club sandwich on ciabatta, which was not like the conventional American-style triple-decker club – this one was open-face, with a heaping pile of melted cheese atop the meat, lettuce and tomato. It was filling but otherwise unremarkable. For beverage I tried the berry smoothie, which was bright, colorful and delicious. Almost a meal unto itself.

Service was polite but not overly punctual — my waitress kept nipping around the corner to send text messages on her phone when she thought she wasn’t needed, which was always when I DID need her.

Seating options include indoors, or outside overlooking the flea market, lawns, and kids playground area. In this sense it’s the perfect place to stop for a meal when you’re tired from shopping, or if you just want to chill with a drink while watching your kids burn off energy. Comfy umbrella-shaded couches are also an option on the outdoor patio.