This is Martha’s, a bakery and pastry shop specialising in laminated pastries, tarts, cookies and other baked sweets.
Custard Tart with Creme Englaise ($8.00)
The tart presented with a thin, crisp and crunchy pastry exterior surrounding a creamy, silky custard with a prominent vanilla bean profile. Initial contact delivered clear pastry crispness before the custard softened the structure with its smooth texture. The pastry was notably buttery, with the base approaching a greasy finish. The contrast between the crisp pastry and soft custard remained effective, although the excess butter at the base reduced the structural cleanliness.
Smoked Ham, Gruyere & Jalapeño and Guindillas ($10.00)
The croissant presented with a glass-like shatter across its exterior, giving way to rich, buttery laminated layers. Through the mid-palate, savoury Gruyère developed alongside the smoky flavour of the ham, while jalapeño provided a soft but clearly present heat. The jalapeño was not overly spicy, with just enough heat to lift the richness of the butter, cheese and ham. The combination remained savoury and well integrated.
Cinnamon Scroll ($8.50)
The scroll presented with crisp, buttery layers, with sugar crystals providing a gentle crunch across the exterior. The interior contained a very generous layer of thick, gooey cinnamon sugar, surrounded by a more tender pastry structure. The contrast between crisp laminated pastry and the dense, sticky cinnamon filling gave the scroll a clear textural progression. Cinnamon and caramelised sugar remained well balanced against the butteriness of the pastry.
Pistachio Passionfruit Meringue Tart ($12.00)
The tart presented with a crisp exterior and layered pastry structure, supporting a tender interior that remained firm rather than becoming soggy. The pistachio paste contributed a thick, grainy, frangipane-like texture through the centre. Generous passionfruit pulp introduced bright tropical acidity and a crisp textural contrast. The tang was moderated by the meringue before crushed pistachios returned towards the finish, adding a distinct nutty crunch. The progression from rich pistachio to vibrant passionfruit, soft meringue and returning pistachio was particularly effective.
Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookie with Sea Salt ($7.00)
The cookie offered limited exterior crunch before giving way to a soft, cookie-dough-like interior containing generous milk and dark chocolate chips. The structure lacked the sharper crunch-to-chew-to-gooey progression found in the cookies from Kuki, resulting in a softer overall bite. The brown butter provided a rich base, while the salt helped balance the sweetness. However, the large salt crystals produced occasional concentrated bursts of salinity, making the seasoning feel somewhat heavy-handed.
Chocolate Brownie ($7.50)
The brownie was presented in a cookie-like format, resulting in a softer structure that broke apart easily. Structural integrity was limited, although the edges developed a chewy texture around a warm, fudgy and gooey interior. The dark chocolate profile was rich and high quality, with additional dark chocolate shavings reinforcing the intensity through the mid-palate and finish.
Overall, Martha’s was defined by buttery laminated pastry, rich fillings and deliberate textural contrast, with execution strongest where acidity, spice or fruit provided balance to the richer components. The Pistachio Passionfruit Meringue Tart was the standout, combining crisp pastry, grainy pistachio, bright passionfruit, soft meringue and nutty crunch into the most complete progression. The Cinnamon Scroll and Smoked Ham, Gruyère & Jalapeño and Guindillas also showed strong textural control, while the cookies were less convincing structurally.
Martha’s is located at 312 Great N Rd, Wareemba NSW 2046.