Martha Hardy’s Kitchen | SA Weekend restaurant review

A third restaurant has opened at one of SA’s grandest estates – and it’s by far the most accessible in terms of price and culinary shenanigans. You don’t even need to dress up.

The dining room at Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. It might look fancy, but you can wear your shorts.

Aaahh, summer holidays. A chance to abandon tiresome workday routines and let the good times roll. For many South Australians, that means staying close to the beach.

For one of the state’s most prominent families of yesteryear, however, summer time meant heading to the cooler climes of the Adelaide Hills. And, from all accounts, the parties they threw at their recently completed getaway were the stuff of legend in the 1860s.

Lawyer and politician Arthur Hardy, it seems, was a consummate gadabout of the colonial era. His wife, Martha, was the hostess with the mostest, renowned for the quality of the spread she put on, particularly her roast lamb. Now Martha’s role has been recognised, and her culinary prowess used as inspiration, for the latest addition to the property the couple built, Mount Lofty House.

Martha Hardy’s Kitchen is the third eatery on the estate and by far the most accessible in terms of price and culinary shenanigans.

Not that it feels any less grand than other parts of the house as you step into what was an old function space and are immediately blown away by the picture-window view that extends across the Piccadilly Valley.

Plenty of dark polished timber, decorative trims and plush padded seating all add to the effect, as does the book arrangement on the bar’s upper shelves.

Unlike the more formal Hardy’s Verandah, however, you won’t feel compelled to dress up. Indeed, for this midweek dinner the room is full (and I mean full) of polo shirts, faded jeans and runners – even a few pairs of shorts.

Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. It doesn’t feel any less grand than other parts of the house, but it’s a whole lot more accessible. Picture: Ben Macmahon

Many guests, it seems, have a room booked for the night and a correspondingly relaxed demeanour. Personable staff are happy to play along, with a good line in gags alongside a skillset that is never less than professional. If the music wasn’t such a synthesised transcendental dirge, more suited to the day spa, then the party might really get started.

The other part that is out of kilter, I reckon, is the food. It is supposed to be “a salute to Martha Hardy’s home-style cooking” but dishes such as tuna sashimi with seaweed salad, for instance, don’t really fit that brief. More importantly, Martha and her cooks surely would have used what was seasonal and locally grown. Yet the beef is accompanied by brussels sprouts and the desserts feature apples and pears. The bounty of summer – tomatoes, berries et cetera – doesn’t really get a look in anywhere.

Pork, scallops and pineapple sambal at Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. Picture: Duy Huynh

17-hour braised lamb shoulder at Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. Picture: Duy Huynh

But put that aside, as I suspect most people will, and there are plenty of positives. That tuna compilation has all the colour of a gelati stand, with the candy-cane pink of the folded fish and slivers of radish, matched by iridescent green seaweed filaments and skin of the cucumber. A yuzu kosho kewpie (what would Martha make of that?) is like the caramel sauce on top.

The “Reef House” pork and scallop dish is borrowed from a North Queensland hotel run by the same owners, the cubes of crackle-topped pork belly teaming well with a pineapple (of course) sambal, and the grilled scallops still plump and delectable.

The kitchen here is a serious player in the slow-cooked lamb arms race, leaving shoulders to bubble away for 17 hours over what must be the heat equivalent of a single candle. At the risk of encouraging the three-month or two-year lamb, the result is spectacular, the trimmed block of meat falling apart at the gentlest provocation, the texture like confit and flavour boosted by an excellent reduction sauce.

Blue fin tuna sashimi, seaweed salad at Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. Picture: Duy Huynh

Pear tart at Martha Hardy's Kitchen, Mount Lofty House. It’s pretty, but not perfect. Picture: Duy Huynh

A pear tart, however, doesn’t reach anywhere near these heights, let down by a pastry shell that, even with time to bake to order, is neither crisp nor flaky as anticipated.

With guests at the extraordinary Sequoia having their own dining space, and Hardy’s Verandah on call for a special occasion, the addition of this hugely appealing space means Mount Lofty House has all options covered, whether you’re Arthur or Martha.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout