IT’S a boutique grocer and café in Phillip – and it’s worth popping by for breakfast, lunch or just a coffee.

The fitout at Wheat & Oats is earthy with lots of rustic woods and palettes nailed to the ceiling as a design element (which has kindly saved them from ending up in landfill).

The colour scheme is warm and the sunny outdoor patio out the back is perked up with pots of herbs, freshly picked by kitchen staff, for the café’s honest, wholesome dishes.

The boutique-grocer side offers quality products, including by local producers such as Canberra Urban Honey, Black Horse Fine Foods with their wonderful condiments and The Muesli Bar’s great cereals.

The shelves weren’t exactly packed out on our visit, but there was a decent and intriguing selection of items such as chia products, gluten-free pasta and organic whole tomatoes.

Wheat & Oats has an all-day breakfast menu, which is smart. Although it was lunch, I headed for the My Moroccan breakfast option. It was delish, although one of the two poached eggs was slightly overcooked. The spinach and sourdough bread were fresh and the heap of grilled chorizo was full of flavour (but not too spicy). Additional texture was provided by an ample serve of nuts and tasty dukkah. It was great value for $15.

Also dished up for breakfast is handmade muesli, served with milk and fresh fruit ($9), scrambled veg with pumpkin and cauliflower, scrambled egg, nuts, dukkah and sourdough ($15), and a breakfast salad with poached egg, kale, quinoa, mushroom, avo, pepitas and house dressing ($17).

The Indian-style chicken curry of the day at Wheat and Oats. Photo by Andrew Finch

Angus beef burger, cheese, onion, mustard pickle and chilli jam. Photo by Andrew Finch

The Moroccan breakfast at Wheat and Oats. Photo by Andrew Finch

My friend decided on the lunch curry of the day that, on our visit, was Indian style. Again, the serve was generous given that the dish was only $12. The chunks of chicken were, for the most part, juicy and tender (a few a bit dry) and although the curry offered flavour, we agreed it could have been ramped up a couple of notches and would have benefitted from more depth.

Other lunch options include a couple of burgers (only $12), a vegan salad, which sounds as healthy as, packed with kale, cauliflower, avocado, quinoa, mushrooms, nuts and dressing ($16), and a soup of the day, served with sourdough ($10) – a great winter dish.

Coffee is locally roasted and baby chinos available for $1.50.

We agreed we’d be back. It’s an inviting place and the prices are fabulous. Service with a smile is included with every dish.

Wheat & Oats supports the Canberra-based Reach for Nepal Foundation, a registered charity assisting rural Nepalese communities affected by the devastating April, 2015, earthquake, the region’s worst in 80 years. Ten cents from every coffee and drink goes to the Foundation.

Wheat & Oats, Unit 2, 22-24 Colbee Court, Phillip. 6282 6828. Closed on Sundays.