I said it in my last post and I’ll say it again, I just don’t get brunch. A mixture of lunch and breakfast items served at the weekend from late morning till mid-afternoon. Why not just breakfast before noon and a full lunch menu after? So many restaurant I want to visit at the weekend and really experience their menus, I can’t – because brunch does limit your choices. However that may have all changed. What if I told you a little restaurant called Canto Corvino in Spitalfields has converted me into a brunchaholic and got that mixture of breakfast items and lunch items so well that it just may be a revelation – at least for me anyway.
I don’t often like to brand things with the words “best” but in all honestly brunch here at Canto Corvino was the best I’ve had in London to date. The food is quite manly here. I know that sounds odd, but it is. Big portions, loads of flavour, huge chunks of meat and sweet treats the size of a house. It’s definitely food not to mess with and the kitchen is very serious about what it serves. Cocktails are excellent too. Fruity, refreshing and with a little alcoholic kick – perfect for midday sipping. They even offer a bottomless bubbles option here for those seeking a boozy time – which I’ll obviously be returning for. The homemade foccacia is legendary too. A thick slab with a golden crust, rosemary and a bowl of unfiltered olive oil and luscious balsamic. The music is great here as well.
Canto Corvino is for the record a modern Italian restaurant. The food has British hints given the its location and brunch focus, but for me that’s what makes this place special. They create dishes which aren’t always necessarily Italian and make them special, without over complicating anything – it’s all about the flavours and ingredients. One dish that really stood out from the sharing plates was the lamb ribs with smoked aubergine and sesame. De-boned, succulent, tender – amazing. Each bite was a dream and the aubergine almost melted into the meat, along with those incredible juices. But believe it or not – it got better still. Lobster, potato, chilli and tomato arancini. Two crunchy golden balls of pure heaven. Imagine quality paella with chunks of lobster encased in this golden crumb and you’ll have an idea of how good it was. It was truly outstanding. Even things like the classic Parma ham with melon was excellent – though this wasn’t any old melon and ham. This was perfectly ripe Sicilian rock melon, juicy and mouth-watering – while the Parma ham was soft, salty and full of flavour. Simple things in life-like this are sometimes the most satisfying.
But then the main courses arrived and ruined things completely – but not in a bad way. I was on some sort of mission to re-confirm my hatred for brunch – but Canto Corvino wouldn’t allow it. Instead they pulled out all the stops, serving two outstanding dishes. First out was the dry aged old spot pork chop with artichoke and salsa verde. Finding quality pork in London is hard enough as it is, and finding a quality pork chop is even harden but here they got it just right. The artichoke was soft too and the salsa verde so fresh you only wanted more. The huge Atlantic prawns with baby quid and panzanella was most certainly overpriced at £26.50 but flavour and quality wise I couldn’t complain. Delicious prawns, fine pearls of panzanella – utter deliciousness. Drop the price by about £6.50 and this dish will become alot more attractive.
Technically not dessert, as this is brunch and anything goes – but eating so much food here it was for us. One of those “desserts” came in the form of a banana & ricotta pancake with peanut butter & maple syrup. Personally I wasn’t this dishes biggest fan. A little too thick for me and the peanut butter overpowering even the syrup. But a silver lining at the end of the tunnel with a stunning cornflake French toast, whipped crème fraîche & caramelised banana – words can’t even begin to describe how much enjoyment this dish gave. Effortlessly simple, but every bit delicious.
Our brunch at Canto Corvino in Spitalfields was a stunning showcase of what good food is, as well as the ingredients which go into them. I’ve no idea who came up with the menu but all I can say to them is – thank you! If you’re looking for the best brunch in London, Canto Corvino should be your only choice. For now and forever. All I have to do next is check out their dinner menu – for comparison of course. Who’s coming?
