Here’s a reliable pathway to joy. First, find yourself a comfortable pub that you love, ideally one that’s been recently revamped with care and charm. Then, visit often enough that you know exactly which spots to snag before anyone else.
The Dry Dock in Sydney’s Balmain ticks the first box for me, and those spots are a cosy little corner directly in front of the bar, bathed in buttermilk-yellow light and furnished with high-top tables, perfect for a quiet date or a solo White Bay…

