Dreams Are Made Of

And by that, I mean, be the coolest food stylist in New York City, blurring the lines between the kitchen and the gallery, pushing what it actually means to be at the intersection of food and art.

Credited with styling all the recipes in Madame Vo’s cookbook, providing the sushi in Saturday Night Live’s Sushi Glory Hole skit and creating viral culinary art for the likes of UNIQLO, Dieux Skin and rhode skin, Buser has had her fair share in the mainstream spotlight.

But her bread and butter – yes, pun intended, is her own Ăn Cỗ Banquet, an experimental Vietnamese dinner party spotlighting traditional Vietnamese dishes from various regions as non-traditional food art. 

After a six-month break, Buser is officially putting more on her plate with three more Ăn Cỗ iterations here in the city, and an ambitious expansion that will see the party reach international audiences.

So, pull up a chair. Buser is going to show us how we’re eating in 2026, sharing her top five culinary moments of New York (in no particular order).

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My story of New York is one and the same with my story of food, endlessly sampling delights from the kitchen of the world.

These are five moments where I fell in love with this city through its incredible flavors and relentless dedication to yummy cooking.

— Thư Buser

Tomiño Taberna Gallega – Langostinos a la plancha

After living in Spain, I developed very strong opinions about seafood and G&Ts. Taberna Gallega’s combo of buttery, salted langoustines alongside their Nordés gin and tonic is pure bliss. Get your hands IN THERE and bite the head and legs, and basically become ferocious so you enjoy every bit of this gem. Best enjoyed with twp friends since they come in threes, or with a partner who loves you enough to give you a second piece.

Mei Lai Wah | Wonton Noodle Garden – Pan-fried noodles with sesame and peanut sauce 

First of all, bless any place in Chinatown that serves you both a steaming cup of hot black tea and a cup of ice water. It is truly an all-season gift that keeps on hydrating.

Mei Lai Wah is an institution, and their wonton noodle soups never miss.

But my favorite treat is their crispy pan fried noodles drenched in sesame and peanut sauce. It’s that perfect balance of crunchy, gooey, sweet and salty that is both my appetizer and dessert. I wake up craving it and will go far out of my way to cop it.

But don’t get it as a takeaway. Part of the fun is waiting for it to cool just enough to not burn your tongue but still get that crispy bite.

Bartolo – Anchoa y Mantequilla

One bite of the salted cream and thin bread floods my system with dopamine.

I’ve tried making this at home, and it is surprisingly technical – a perfectly rectangular, thin-but-firm slice of dense sourdough bread, cool-but-not-cold cultured butter sliced to match the shape, and a well-selected anchovy reclining in wait on its bed. Bartolo presents simple ingredients that are hard to balance and so easy to enjoy with a glass of white wine to open the appetite.

Himalayan Yak – Goat gundruk

Jackson Heights should be a UNESCO heritage site for all the incredible food from across the world available for sampling, and the Nepali restaurants are top-tier.

This goat and fermented greens dish is so packed with flavor – both sour and salty. It goes perfectly with their puffed rice and live Hindi/Nepali music every Friday and Saturday nights.

Himalayan Yak is peak JH and was my first “Oh my god. I am in love with this city” moment when I moved here in 2019.

Yemen Cafe Atlantic Avenue – Lamb fahsah

When I was traveling in Jordan and Lebanon recently, I learned how they make stewed lamb in claypots and the ancient tradition steeped into every bite.

Back in New York, I know that Yemen Cafe has my back when I need that fix. They prepare it the way their grandma did and serve it with piles of fresh flatbread.

Impossible to leave without being rolled out the door.

In Memoriam: The shish kabobs from A Taste of Samarkand

Hidden away in Rego Park was a stalwart gem of Central Asian cuisine, an Uzbek place that gathered the hungry throngs of immigrants in that neighborhood.

Any evening would find you seated next to Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turks, Tajiks and other nationalities that honor a great meat skewer. Taste of Samarkand had waiters in traditional garb, Uzbek dancing and a raucous audience.

They also happened to have, in my opinion, the greatest shish kabob in the city.

Dropped on your table in a sizzling cast iron skillet, robust steel skewers were loaded with thick cuts of prime beef, lamb, and chicken – moist, flavored, and tasting of their clay tandoor oven. 

Tragically, my favorite Queens restaurant burned down in a fire in 2024 and, with it, one of the most beautiful cultural stories of the city.

Here’s to hoping it makes a comeback.