After reading a Good Food article on a new cafe that opened up in Phillip (replacing Chocolate Olive Cafe), I decided to check it out for breakfast. Wheat and Oats is a boutique grocer and cafe headed by the same owners of The Hungry Buddha in Curtin. With all the travelling that’s done by the owners, they wanted somewhere they could relax and the idea of this cafe was born.
The inside is open and spacious with wooden pallets hanging from the ceiling, a large communal table with plenty of swizzle stools and shelves along one wall selling all sorts of organic items.
Aside from the pallets, decor is minimal and there’s a nice vibe to the place that makes you want to stay longer. There’s a small courtyard and separate entrance to the café out the back (wedged between two automotive shops). More pallets decorate the sides of the courtyard. 
Some chilli and herbs are grown and used in the cafe’s cooking. My waiter mentioned they’re still trying to figure out the best place to position these plants as its currently getting too much sun and looking a little withered.
Back inside, there are goodies by the front counter such as croissants, brownies, muffins, pies and freshly made sandwiches. The Good Food article mentions sweets are from Sweet Bones Bakery and Bread is from Bread Nerds.
The owners believe in trying to have everything fresh, healthy and local. The menu at the moment is relatively short as the owners are still figuring out what the locals want to eat. Staff are keen to seek community feedback of dishes they would like to see on the menu so don’t be afraid to mention favourite dishes you want them to make. More items will slowly be added to the menu. The grocer and cafe has only been open for a couple of weeks and the owners are accepting ideas on what else they should stock. So far items include Mura organic herbal teas, organic noodles in unique flavours like pumpkin, beetroot and wheatgrass, the Muesli Bar muesli, bio-dynamic soup, Canberra Urban Honey, paleo chocolate, wild rice and more.
I ordered a mocha ($4) which was decent (barista’s first day!) and noticed a few walk-ins ordering take away coffee.
For breakfast, I had the poached eggs on toast ($8) and am happy to say they were perfect! Nice and runny. The toast was very thin and I would have liked something a bit thicker, but I still enjoyed my simple breakfast.
One of the staff brought out a basil and parsley mix which I also spread over the eggs and toast. This gave my breakfast a bit more oomph and freshness.
I went back a week later to see an updated menu. This time I ordered the breakfast salad ($15) of kale, cauliflower, avocado, pomegranate, almonds and egg. I was asked whether I wanted the egg boiled or fried, and I chose fried. Once again, the fried egg was cooked perfectly and oozed out onto the fresh salad when poked. I liked the fact that this was a very simple salad and drizzled very lightly in pomegranate juice giving a sweet but subtly healthy dressing. The almonds added an extra textural element and crunch to lift the dish. I love nuts in meals. I felt fabulous after eating this – go healthy me. I would definitely order this again – simple and tasty.
I also ordered an orange juice ($4) to add healthiness bonus points.
I had a peek at the lunch menu while at breakfast and noticed they had a wagyu beef burger! I knew those accumulated healthiness points were about to be cancelled as I decided to walk over to the cafe again for lunch. The wagyu beef burger is a whooping $21. Not exactly your cheap weekday work lunch. Nevertheless, I wanted to try it out. I was glad to see a heap of salad on the plate with the burger, as well as a small bowl of bright yellow mustard pickle chutney.
The wagyu beef pattie is topped with a generous amount of onion chilli jam and melted cheddar cheese. The pattie itself had very little fat but was not noticeably better than other wagyu beef patties I’ve had before. Perhaps it is organic wagyu beef that’s used? I forgot to ask. The bread was drier than I would have liked which is unusual for Bread Nerds bread.The relish and chutney assisted in combating this dryness. The mustard pickle relish had a bit of spice to it and I smeared this as an extra layer to the burger. There were three types of salads on my plate – beetroot and almonds, lettuce and tomato, and pumpkin and pepita. These three salads were also available to purchase from the display counter. Overall I enjoyed my burger but I’m not sure I’d pay $21 again. Other items on the menu that day included hot pressed sandwiches ($10), vegan salad, pasta and a chicken chilli wrap. Gluten free bread is available on request too.
Service is very friendly and staff are happy for any feedback about the food, what else you would like on the menu and what items you would like stocked in the grocer. A nice find in the middle of Phillip.
Wheat and Oats Boutique Grocer and Cafe is located on Colbee Court in Phillip. It’s open Monday to Saturday for breakfast and lunch.
Foodgasm 7/10
Value for money 7/10
Service 9/10
FPJ score 23/30
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