Buddha Lo’s career started earlier than most chefs. He grew up cooking in his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Port Douglas and, by the age of 20, he was head chef at Melbourne’s Hare & Grace following a stage at Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in France.
After working for Gordon Ramsay in London, Lo moved stateside to join Eleven Madison Park. But his career went into overdrive after winning American reality cooking show Top Chef twice, becoming the only contestant to do so. Last year, his restaurant Huso in New York was awarded its first Michelin star.
Lo returns to Melbourne in October for Ozharvest’s CEO Cookoff, where he’ll cook alongside some of Victoria’s best chefs, including Stokehouse’s Jason Staudt and Barragunda Dining’s Simone Watts, for a great cause. We caught up with Lo ahead of the event to find out where he loves to go for a bite in the Big Apple.
Pizza
Ceres in Chinatown was started by one of my good mates, Julian [Geldmacher], who I worked with at Eleven Madison Park. Ceres’s pizzas are made with a 72-hour fermented sourdough and are only available by the whole pie. The ingredients they use are of the highest quality and really well considered.
Bodega
Your favourite bodega is usually the one closest to you. You go in regularly, and the people get to know you and your order. Right now I spend most of my time at Huso, so I have to shout out Morgan’s Market on Hudson Street in Tribeca. It also has some of the best bodega flowers you can find and they sell Crunchies, which is like finding gold in this city.
Cocktail Bar
Bar Contra on the Lower East Side is a really good place to not be seen, with low lighting and booths tucked away in the back. The cocktails are unique and delicious, and the food is a level above your average bar fare. The comté tart is a must-order.
Chinese
Wu’s Wonton King in Chinatown is probably the closest thing to an Australian-style Chinese restaurant you’ll find in New York, with roast meats, whole king crabs and fried rice with golden raisins. You have a much better experience when you go with a large group, and more often than not, I’ll run into fellow industry people there.
Coffee
I’m not really a coffee drinker, but I have been known to dabble when I just need to wake up. My go-to would be Bluestone Lane, which has various locations around the city, including one close to Huso. Nick and Andy Stone have created an empire that showcases that unique Australian style of coffee culture.
Big group
Ayat in the East Village. Big plates of Palestinian food, dips, fresh laffa bread from the clay oven, whole roasted chickens and generous salads. My favourite dish there is the fattat Jaj, a six-layer dish of roasted chicken, rice, chickpeas, mint yoghurt, crispy pita, garlic sauce and slivered almonds. It’s very special. It’s done so well that it now has multiple locations across the five boroughs and interstate, too.
Date spot
Overstory is a cocktail bar on the 64th floor of a famous art deco building in the Financial District. There’s a wraparound terrace with 360-degree views of Lower Manhattan, where you can sit outside looking out over the Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building while enjoying quality drinks.
Underrated gem
Kesté serves traditional Neapolitan pizza about 100 metres from my apartment in the Financial District. It’s the official home of Roma FC and shows the games there, and when Roma scores, I can hear the cheering from my front door. It doesn’t offer any modifications on its pizzas – it feels like I’m eating in Italy.
Something sweet
Supermoon Bakehouse on the Lower East Side was started by two Melbourne guys, one of whom was actually in my wife’s class in high school. The laminated pastries are great, and they come up with really clever seasonal flavours. We’ve celebrated so many milestones and parties with their pastries. The cruffin is something you must always get, as is the soft serve in summer.
Special occasion
Eleven Madison Park is an iconic dining room that holds a lot of special memories for me and my wife. Once crowned the best restaurant in the world, every time I go back to dine, I’m reminded why this place is so special. There are insanely talented people in the kitchen and the service is always impeccable. You’re made to feel incredibly special, whether you used to work there or it’s your first visit.
Late-night feed
Shaji BBQ in the East Village is open until 2.45am every day and serves northern Chinese-style meat skewers as well as myriad larger dishes. You order through your phone and within minutes you have a tray on the table with your selections. I love the chicken hearts, lamb tendons and gizzards. I also love the northern-style sweet-and-sour pork, which is different from the Cantonese-style version – it’s glassy, crispy and very vinegary.
Dish to order at Huso
We offer a tasting menu, so you have to order it all! One dish on our current menu that’s quite special is our final protein course, Iberico pork from New Jersey. It comes from the only farm in the United States raising this type of pig.
Neighbourhood to know
Flushing, Queens. It has the biggest Chinatown in New York and is only one stop after Forest Hills Stadium if you’re heading out for concerts or tennis. You can get the craziest beauty treatments, find the best fish and discover really niche regional Chinese dishes, all in one place and for a fraction of the price you’d pay in Manhattan.
Dining and Cooking