I celebrated my birthday last Friday, and thought it would be appropriate to have a bit of a foodie weekend. It's amazing how as you get older your birthday also start to be, as a friend of mine put it, "more grown up." Upon doing much research and having booked tables back in December for both Duck and Waffle and Craft  I decided for something which I hoped would work better with 8 people and didn't have to involve too much sharing. As much as I love Duck and Waffle, I don't think this is a place for big groups as the food is mainly to be shared, and the tapas concept doesn't work when you're more than 4 - someone always ends up feeling hungry, or you end up paying quite a bit of money for what was just a few morsels of food - delicious morsels, but still small bites.

So before I continue to ramble on, I guess I should tell you that I booked Canto Corvino. There isn't too much out there on social media with regards to this fairly new Italian addition to Spitafields. But I read the test drive from Hot Diners and was then torn between the review by AA Gill , but in the end it was Grace Dent who really sold it to me. And I'm glad I did spend all the time I did in looking this place up, as it really ticked all the boxes for me.

Canto Corvino's menu is divided into lovely Antipasti that are easily shared, which is highly encouraged, especially the Stuzzichini. You can then either follow up with some pasta or one of the meat/fish from the grills. We didn't try any of the side dishes as all mains already came with vegetables. Just be a little weary that the pasta dishes are quite small, even the "main portions", but hopefully you have ordered enough antipasti to help fill in the gap. The menu does change, so don't take the below as gospel:



For starters we shared:
Sicilian red prawn, chilli & tomato arancini - the sauce could have done with a bit more of a kick, you couldn't really feel the chilli, but the arancini were crunchy on the outside and lovely gooey on the inside. There was a slight disappointment as I thought there would be 3 (as this is what was picture on various blogs), so make sure to ask if you are sharing.
Lamb Ribs, smocked aubergine & sesame: This is a *MUST* try! I don't normally go for anything lamb, but after reading so much about these, I wanted to know what all the hype is about - and its well deserved. Soft, sticky, moreish pieces of melt in your mouth ribs. 'Nuff said.
Pugliese Burrata & anchovy toast: I was particularly happy to have only ordered 1 of these... I'm glad the rest of the table enjoyed it, you could tell the burrata was nice and creamy, but as I'm not a big fan of fish - the anchovy here, which everyone said was mild, completely overpowered the whole dish.
For mains, just a couple of us tried out the pasta as we were told that these were fair sized portions, which for me it was perfect, but not so much for my hungry friend. However, portion size aside, the taste was spectacular. Simple dishes, well executed.

Forest mushroom, potato, fontina cheese & Norcia truffle cannelloni: I'm so happy I chose this. It was the perfect size for me, and all the flavours were able o shine through, and the truffle was the perfect amount. Would definitely recommend and order again.
Duck tortelli with cime di rapa & Tuscan sausage: I wish I would have ordered this as well - and I also wish there had been more. A really nice tomato sauce with perfect season and mix of the duck filling and sausage topping.
Tuna, sprout top & kale fritti, quinoa & anchovy pangrattato: I'm not sure what a pangrattato is, but what I can tell you from the small bite I had was that the tuna was cooked perfectly and the quinoa was a really good accompaniment.
Ox cheek, cavolo nero, cauliflower gnocchi & Norcia truffles: on paper this sounded like one of my favorites, but the chef had gone a little heavy handed with the salt, and you could barely taste the truffle.. but those gnocchi were superb.
Hake, fennel, beets, caper & walnut puree: I don't think I actually tried this one, but what I do remember my friend saying was "is that hay? Does yours have hay on it?"

And dessert was pretty much a no brainer. What I really like is that there wasn't a separate dessert menu. I like to know at the begining of the meal if I will want dessert or not, so that if there aren't any that I really fancy I can then order a starter, or vice versa.  But we decided all round that the chocolate delizia was a winner (so we ordered 2) and for some variety the tiramisu. The Chocolate Delizia was very rich, and every mouthful inviting you back for more. And as a contrast, the tiramisu was so light even with the notable coffee flavour coming through.
 

I should also point out, the staff here were absolutely incredible. From accommodating the change in numbers (twice), to the attentive service, to the lovely birthday wishes with dessert and getting everyone to sing along (not embarrassing after a few glasses of wine).  Though we didn't try it out, the bar looked great and had a really good vibe - but then again it was a Friday night.  I would recommend you try out Canto Corvino if you're looking for somewhere close to Liverpool Street or Shoreditch, both for a group or as a date night. Just make sure you're not starving, and that you share some starters and leave space for dessert.


Canto Corvino, 21 Artillery Ln, London E1 7HA @CantoCorvinoE1

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