180 William St (cnr Lt Bourke St), Melbourne (map)
9640 0422
Cafe Illia is nestled deep in the heart of Melbourne's legal precinct; hemmed in by the Supreme Court, the Old High Court building, the Law Institute of Victoria and the building site of a new skyscraper (called CBW ("Corner Bourke and William") which, interestingly, will be the first high rise office building in Australia to be awarded a 5 star Green Star rating), future home to law firm Blake Dawson Waldron. It is not uncommon to walk into Illia and see bewigged barristers standing in front of the coffee machine, awaiting the barista to serve up a quick macchiato before court resumes... whilst Illia's clientele does extend beyond the legal profession, in this part of the city it's mostly professionals.
Illia serves up great hot breakfasts and a lunch menu slanted toward Italian bistro fare, but what I like best are the freshly made wraps and pide from the display cabinet. The most interesting one, in my opinion, is the roti wrap with poached trevally, pesto, mayonnaise, baby spinach and sun-dried tomatoes (see below). It's pretty rare to see any fish other than tuna or salmon in a wrap, but the poched trevally works a treat - the moistness of the fish and mayo is a great contrast with the chewiness of the roti, plus there's a zing in your mouth each time you come across one of the SDTs. Highly recommended!
