By Anne DesBrisay

Unpitted olives, as much as I craved them right then, right there, I walked right on by. I figured they’d weigh me down and spike the bill. Instead, I headed for the baby spinach salad. Light and breezy stuff.

And then I dabbled with a bit of kale and swiss chard (heavier greens, to be sure, but worth their weight in gold). The organic tofu fritters beckoned — mostly for the vegan, gluten-free onion chutney that made them seem edible — and so did the cornmeal crumble with rosemary and roasted parsnips and all that crusty-gooey cheesey goodness on top.

A bit further along The Table‘s offerings was the pan of roasted vegies — mostly onions, charred peppers, and purple skinned eggplant — and on they came. The all-veggie jambalaya promised a bit of heat (and delivered) so that was scooped, and from the cold section, an arame seaweed salad (vegan/g-f) with snow pea shoots. Finally, a healthy dollop of the g-f house hummus. No bread though.

What had started out as a careful, cost-cutting approach to The Table’s buffet turned into a full-steam-ahead and damn the weigh scale attack on its hot and cold offerings.

For regulars of weighted buffets, I’m sure you get accustomed to what a $15 plate looks like. For me, as I approached the scale with my mound, I had no idea if my plate would amount to an $8 lunch or a $28 lunch. And that’s a bit worrisome. As it turned out, I was charged $18: a bit more than I’d usually spend at a cafeteria like place, but I have few complaints about the food. It was all pretty tasty stuff. Some things I thought needed salt, and some could have used a punch more flavour, but otherwise, this was a filling lunch that felt pretty wholesome.

Cost: varies, but averages $13-$20 per plate.

Hours: Open Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Table, 1230 Wellington St. W., 613-729-5973.