Cyclists looking for home cooked muffins on Bourke Street will have to look elsewhere, as bicycle café Remy and Lee’s has closed its doors.
The Bourke Street café, considered by many a hub for the Surry Hills community, shut down last month after a dramatic rise in rent and a change of heart from the owners.
“The price of rent skyrocketed 40 per cent so was completely unaffordable, but most of all we were tired,” said Jeremy Havlin and Lee Crowe, owners of the café.
“What we did was save up some money, open a café we were proud of, paid off our debts, proved it could be done, and met some fantastic friends along the way.
“Maybe we needed a little holiday after waking up at 5am six days a week to bake the blueberry white choc, and peanut butter jam muffins.”
Both owners refuted claims that the closure was due to a lack of patronage.
“Anyone who actually knows us knows the business did very well.”
Opening its doors in April 2010, Remy and Lee’s has been the recipient of a number of small business grants from the City of Sydney. It became well known for its coffee and freshly made muffins.
“It’s a great shame, I used to wake up and really look forward to a muffin from Remy and Lee’s,” said customer Michael Ross. “It was also just a lovely place to sit . . . you always felt like you were welcome.”
Lachlan Clarke, who frequented the café, said Remy and Lees lifted the vibe of his community.
“Put simply, it was cozy and friendly, it was the sort of place you sat and didn’t feel like leaving,” he said. “The food was good and the conversation even better.
“You would always find an interesting person there to have a chat with, which is a rare thing nowadays.
“It’s a very sad thing that it’s no longer open but on the positive side, Remy and Lee deserve a break, anyone would have been tired when the muffins were that good.”
By Georgia Fullerton
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