The Lady Hampshire

This is a pub, and it knows its place, so drinks are democratically priced and rightly geared for enjoyment over flair. Roll up to the counter, bend the elbow and you’re picking from a line-up of brews that hew classic above all: Reschs for nostalgia, Guinness for cool nights, Philter Red for Sunday sessions, Newtowner for a local angle and Lady Hampshire lager for no-frills refreshment. Flick to wine and the offer is short but sharp, from bone-dry Doom Juice rosé to chardonnay from Orange and juicy grenache from McLaren Vale. What’s more, there isn’t a glass over $15 or a bottle over $65. Cocktails? They’re not specialists, but the offer is smart, like the Pimm’s No 5 Cup, which refreshes a classic with the addition of spiced rum, shiraz gin, vermouth and lemon-myrtle soda. And what pub offers a warm Irish coffee, capped with cream just as it should be? Then there’s the Negroni that gets a floral lift from jasmine. Just enough to keep you coming back, without pushing too hard or aiming too high, which is just about right.