Three Williams Cafe

Not many cafes invent entirely new dishes. Fewer do it successfully. Three Williams is one of the rare examples.

Its creation is the “narnie”, a bao-like sandwich made with a folded piece of toasted flat bread and stuffed with anything from Peking duck to tea- smoked chicken or beef brisket.

Toby Iaccarino’s cafe was also an early adopter of brioche (before it was on every burger), which at Three Williams is shown in the wondrously crunchy French toast with a wild mix of pickled and freeze-dried apple; vanilla ice-cream; almond and currant crumble; fairy floss and yoghurt.

The cafe has been packed since opening in 2013, but the design from architect Anthony Gill is suitably spacious. It looks like a bomb shelter turned architectural studio. It’s relatively hidden underground, with plenty of concrete, metals, exposed pipes and bricks. If it wasn’t for the central coffee counter, it would probably be confusing what it actually is.

The coffee counter has some surprises of its own, too. Aside from regular whites and darks from Single O, there’s a viscous date, banana and walnut shake, and house hot chocolate with Black Gold Cacao.

And if you’re wondering about the name, it’s inspired by three prominent figures of the area: William Redfern, William Chippendale and their good friend William Hutchinson.