Corvina

A colleague once told me about a peculiar trait of Canberrans. "Once it gets to nine o'clock, everyone packs up and disappears home. It's like they all turn into pumpkins," he said, as we watched a huge crowd of people busily picking their way out of a cinema halfway through the live broadcast of an event, clambering over other viewers in their haste to get home before 9.15pm.

So let me stop for a minute and depict the scene at Corvina restaurant in Swinger Hill on a very cold weekday night. It's 9pm. The restaurant is still at least half full. There is a family of four attacking their desserts with gusto. A group of girlfriends talking animatedly over a growing collection of wine bottles. There's a solo diner reading contentedly by herself in a corner with her meal. Nobody is charging out the door except the three good looking young people at a table by the window who need to go outside to smoke and text urgently.

It's a good thing to see in a restaurant (a crowd that likes to linger, not the smoking and texting). Corvina has been open for about a year in the Swinger Hill/Mawson shops, in the corner spot where Santa Lucia used to sit before it moved back to Kingston. There are young owners and a slightly more modern fitout but nothing that strays too much from a simple neighbourhood restaurant layout. The wine list is compact, moderately priced with one from the Canberra region, and separate sections of Italian whites and reds. 

A plate of beef carpaccio ($17.50) topped with rocket and shaved parmesan is sliced very thick, leaving the meat too chewy for my taste, without that joyous softness of really thin carpaccio. It's a very generous serve though, and there's plenty of rocket and cheese. My partner has ordered the quail alla Corvina ($16.50) and this is superb - just crisp at the edges, beautifully tender and pink inside, and with a delightful white wine and garlic sauce that packs a big punch of chilli and heat. The tiny bird is quickly taken apart - this is a moreish starter and a very good way to begin the meal.

With the Canberra chill factor down to nearly zero outside, it's a good night for a comforting spag bol ($18). This is simple and appealingly homemade without being award-winning - a big bowl filled with a tangle of spaghetti and crumbly, rich red bolognese sauce topped with a sprinkle of parmesan curls. It's savoury, cooked low and slow and the pasta's properly al dente. Sometimes that's all you need. The veal involtini ($29.50) is a towering creation on a bed of mash and creamy sauce. The crumbed veal doesn't have the requisite crunch - it seems soggy and overcooked. The sauce also tastes too salty for me, seemingly overcompensating for the rather underseasoned veal wrapped around a good pesto and melting bocconcini.

Desserts are by the book - scoops of gelato, slices of tiramisu, baked ricotta cheesecake. A trio of cannoli ($12) are made in-house and piped full of custard and drizzled with glossy chocolate. There's a hint of the oil they were deep fried in but this is a hearty dessert. Tiramisu ($12) is firm yet silky - a slab of coffee, mascarpone and sponge that makes for a creamy, gentle finish to a meal. There's a smear of berries on top that lends a pleasing sweet and sour tang. 

So there have been hits and misses on the menu tonight.  But there is a really good, social feel to this restaurant. The atmosphere is convivial - plenty of people lingering over their wine or coffee for a good chat, and it seems like a very popular spot for a catchup and a meal. Service has been overall pretty good, with attention to the wine and a friendly inquiry to keep things humming along. This is a neighbourhood restaurant with plenty of atmosphere and some interesting dishes.