Welcome it’s Adrian Bo from Ray White Park Coast Eastern Suburbs. Welcome to my weekly community update. I’ve lived and worked in the Randwick, Coogee, Maroubra and Clovelly areas for over 34 years. And in that time, I’ve come across so many fantastic local businesses that service our community brilliantly. Last week, the 2022 Business Excellence Awards recognised 32 businesses in the area, and so I’d like to showcase five of them whilst also raising a flag for our amazing local business community across the board. The 32 awards, each focused on a different business sector from best coffee to best bakery to best restaurant to best hairdresser as well as business of the year within the Randwick City Council catchment. COVID and the recent deluge has clearly challenged many small business sectors over the last couple of years. So if ever we were to recognise excellence, it seems fitting to do it this year. We were very spoilt as we have some magnificent restaurants in the area. The winner of best restaurant this year was Clove Lane, and that was at 19 Clovelly Road in Randwick. Chef-owner Emile Avramides has been getting rave reviews with a 4.8 star average rating on Google reviews.

The five course “Feed Me” for $89 for lunch or dinner is particularly popular. Most of us enjoy a pastry or cake, and Madam & Yves got this year’s gong for best bakery. Based at 343 Clovelly Road, Madam & Yves is run by Yves Scherrer who was the coach of the 2019 Australian team in the World Pastry Cup. Known for their sweet and savoury hand-baked croissants as well as their Eclair-zilla, an enormous eclair that serves up to six people, and also their Crioche, which is caramelised hybrid of a croissant and brioche as well as many other delights. I recall selling 271 Clovelly Road not far from Madam & Yves last year, being a five bedroom, three bathroom house for $2.64 million. Lady K Hair Artistry at 105 Coogee Bay Road in Coogee was awarded as best hairdresser, specialising in Balyage hair colouring, treatments, cuts and styling, and having established a 4.9 star rating on Google reviews. There’ll be plenty of magnificent coiffures emerging from Lady K in the Eastern Suburbs. I handled a sale at Number 6 at 74 Coogee Bay Road, not far from Lady K Hair Artistry, in February, a two bedroom apartment, which went for a premium price of $1.440m. Now, the coveted crown of the best coffee in the area this year was awarded to the Lion and Buffalo at 203 Malabar Road in South Coogee. Featuring the Killerbee from “Single O” currently blended from beans in Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil, as well as a Turmeric latte and a wide range of teas amongst the coffees.

The Lion and Buffalo is a dog-friendly cafe with a beautiful outdoor dining area. The business of the year award went to “If The Florist” on McKeon Street in Maroubra as Ivan Ferreira brings his Brazilian flare and artistry of floral design with a 4.9 star rating on Google reviews. their expertise seems to be world-class for wedding flowers and any celebration. Businesses in Coogee, Randwick, Maroubra, and Clovelly and surrounding areas set an incredibly high standard, and if they don’t, they just can’t survive, so we local residents are quite blessed with the many world-class options we have. I raise a glass to all those small businesses that have survived the turmoil of the last two years by retaining their commitment to excellence. And I’m delighted to highlight a handful of those that have been awarded this year during this episode. We should never take anything for granted in this amazing community we live in, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the Business of the Year Awards. And always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.