Lil’ Lane

18 Corrs Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000
https://www.lillane.com.au/

Not going to lie – ever since lunch at Juniper, I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for focaccia sandwiches. Not that I ever had anything against them, but they just seemed a little 90s daggy, y’know? Anyway, when my sister assured me that Lil Lane’s sandwiches lived up to the social media hype, I was all over it. Served out of a window in Chinatown, the lack of seating (I’m not counting the single bench outside, or the grubby dingy tables in the adjoining bar) does nothing to deter the lunchtime crowds. And it’s little wonder – the sandwiches are absolutely loaded with top-notch ingredients, each one easily big enough as a meal for two, especially if you grab one of their specialty coffees to go with. Quality-wise, I do think it falls a little short of the simple magnificence of what I had at Juniper, but there is no doubt they are absolutely killing it, even in the rapidly saturating sandwich scene.

Rating: 13/20 – sandwich studs.
To-order: all pretty good, tbh.

La Veneta ($18) is a delicious classic, stuffed with layers of salty sopressa and creamy stracciatella, the richness balanced out by peppery rocket. The mushroom sauce adds an extra layer of robustness to the flavour, and soaks marvellously into the pillowy focaccia, which comes studded with salty olives.

On the mellower side is the Focaccia Mortazza ($18), replacing the sopressa with buttery folds of mortadella (though the stracciatella is still non-negotiable). Flavour comes in the form of a bright house-made basil pesto, which provides just the right amount of freshness, as well as a handful of crushed pistachios for crunch.