I'm sure you've noticed that I've been trying to feature restaurants with good food at reasonable prices in the past few posts. Well, this isn't by accident as the soaring price of food makes it expensive at the grocery store and even more so at a restaurant. Hence, I've been personally searching for the best places to go for solid eats that won't break the bank. Up next is Switch on Robson Street that is a restaurant, a bar and also a Karaoke spot. Yes, this would be the last place you would think to find good food at value pricing. Alas, it is and you really won't believe how inexpensive their lunch sets are! Try $10.95...
So what do you get for $10.95? Two examples include the Grilled Saba with rice, pickles and miso soup and the Spaghetti with mussels and cream sauce and a side salad. Saba was good with a nicely grilled skin while the meat was moist and flaky. It was properly salted as well. The spaghetti was al dente with a flavourful cream sauce. There was also plenty of fresh mussels. Now these weren't even the most impressive offerings. They also have a lobster burger, hamburger steak and chicken karaage don.
We were then served some dinner appies including Kusshi Oysters for $1.50 each. These were properly shucked with no shell fragments. I really enjoyed these as they were fresh, sweet and briny. We also had the Tuna Tartare featuring both bluefin and yellowfin tuna as well as avocado and green onion. This was fresh and properly seasoned, but the chunks of fish could've been smaller. There was also a chef's special that wasn't on the menu that appeared to be some form of Teriyaki Beef on meslun greens and an onsen egg. The beef was sliced thin and was tender. The silky egg added some nice creaminess.
Another set of appies arrived consisting of Ankimo, Fried Oysters and Silky Tofu. The thick slices of ankimo were on point with a creamy, yet firm texture. It had the requisite taste of the sea with sweetness. Those fried oysters were money being perfectly fried with a crispy panko coating. It was served with kewpie mayo. Served cold, the delicate tofu appeared to be sitting in a dashi-soy sauce. Once again, not on the menu.
Onto 2 dishes that would be found on most fine dining menus, we had the Beef Tartare and the Escargots. Even though the beef was cut pretty thick, the AAA tenderloin was buttery soft. Beyond the quail's egg yolk on top, the tartare was dressed with wasabi cream and capers. The result was a flavour profile akin to a tako wasabi with a sharp bite and the tangy saltiness of the pickles. As for the escargots, they were prepared more traditionally with herb butter and grana padano. These were tender and full of salty buttery garlickiness.
I guess the next dish didn't look all that interesting other than the fact it had romaine lettuce (super hard to find and really expensive right now!). However, the Mentaiko Caesar was unlike any other version I've had. The dressing sported pollack roe and mullet bottarga where it provided an appealing fishiness. The grilled prawns had a meaty snap texture while tasting naturally sweet. We were also served the Assorted Sashimi consisting of ebi, Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, hotate and tuna. As evidenced in the picture, things were fresh with a nice sheen.
One of the weaker items was the Spaghetti with lobster cream sauce and mullet bottarga. Although al dente, the pasta was pretty bland as the lobster essence did not come through. The 3 pieces of seafood consisting of prawn, squid and scallop were perfectly prepared. The Braised Short Rib was also an off-menu item and it should be on the menu. It was fantastic. The meat was super tender and moist. It benefited from the red wine braising sauce where flavours were rich and full of depth. Some vibrant and crunchy sauteed veggies were served on the side.
After we were all full, we made our way to the one of the larger Karaoke Rooms where we enjoyed singing some popular songs while being served some dessert. This included the Yuzu Cheesecake and also the Matcha Tiramisu. I appreciated that the cheesecake was not some factory-bought version. It was creamy and rich with a refreshing tanginess. I liked how there was no crust. As for the tiramisu, it was creamy and light while only a little sweet. The matcha came through and was not overpowering. Overall, I found the food at Switch to be quite good and well-priced (especially the lunch menu). The place is stylish and has a club-like bar that serves up tasty cocktails. I can see this as a great venue to grab some reasonably-priced eats before or after some karaoke. Moreover, this place would be great for special events and celebrations.