Wilder Food is a charming spot for breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee with an eye towards whole foods and healthy ingredients. A former antique store, it was literally built from the ground up by owner Nat Psarros and partner and designer Adam Dalgarno of Rusted Maple.

Where there was a dirt floor in the basement now stands their fully finished kitchen. Each plywood floorboard was hand-treated by Psarros herself. The smoothie and lunch bowls, drinks and sandwiches feel as lovingly assembled.

The self-designed space is now breathtaking, with high ceilings, exposed brick, homey chairs and tables (the main one of which is shared), and shelving in a corner play area with books and toys for kids.

A smoothie bowl with your choice of an acai, dragonfruit ($9.50) or green ($8.50) base comes piled with superfoods: bee pollen, seasonal fruits (in this case blackberries and Ontario field strawberries) and a house granola of hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, hemp, chia, oats, coconut oil and maple syrup.

An organic egg scramble ($7) comes with Prairie Boy double fermented multigrain sourdough, fresh avocado, and microgreens.

The eggs are light, fluffy, bright yellow and perfectly cooked, served with a little slightly sweet tapenade-like olive habanero hot sauce made at Cool Hand of a Girl down the road.

Substantial rice bowls ($13.50) come in options like Thai chicken green curry, poke style salmon, and falafel. The green curry has lime leaves, Thai eggplant and a crunchy slaw.

While cravings for authentic Thai curry might be better served close by at Isaan Der, the expected flavours are there and this is a light, healthy and convenient take on this dish.

A “Rainbow Bright” smoothie ($7) layers a kale and pineapple smoothie on top of a strawberry banana smoothie for a cool contrasting effect, and you actually can taste the two separate smoothie layers.

It eventually blends together into one fruity drink, but tastes good both ways, the sweet pineapple balancing out vegetal kale, strawberry and banana bringing in creaminess.

Manager Maria Wodzinska is also the coffee expert here, with experience from her days at Crema under her belt.

She insists I try a house cashew milk flat white ($3) and I’m glad she did. The experience reminds me of bulletproof coffee, which they also serve here, but healthier. Nutty, buttery, and almost herbal tasting the milk blends well with the Propeller coffee.

Psarro’s holistic nutrition background and culinary training have clearly laid a good foundation for this dreamy hangout, which of course also provides Wi-Fi for those cafe work sessions.