On The Line: Hop Phan of Dos Chinos, Part One

Photo by Amy Kaplan

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What can we say about newlywed Hop Phan? The face behind luxe lonchera sensation Dos Chinos, he's a funny guy who doesn't need cookbooks to inspire their signature cuisine. We could say more, but Hop's thoughts speak for themselves.

What are six words to describe your food?
Ga, bò, heo, tom, tacos, burritos.

What are eight words to describe you?
Bold, noble, holy, manly, intense, hot (it was a toss up between that and sexy), humble.

Your best recent food find:
Mien Tay on Bolsa Avenue, just west of Euclid. Garden Grove, maybe?

Most undervalued ingredient:
Nuoc mam.

Rules of conduct in your kitchen:
Taste everything, make sure it's bomb, hug the walls.

One food you detest:
None.

One food you can't live without:
Pho bo.

Culinarily speaking, Orange County has the best:
Vietnamese food.

What fast food do you admit to eating?
Spam egg mcmuffin.

Best culinary tip for the home cook:
Be open to taste and try all different kinds of food.

After-work hangout:
Bed.

Favorite celebrity chef:
Anthony Bourdain.

Celebrity chef who should shut up:
Rachael Ray.

Favorite music to cook by:
Silence.

Best food city in America:
San Francisco.

What you'd like to see more of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint:
24-hour food courts.

What you'd like to see less of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint:
Zagat ratings.

Favorite cookbooks:
None.

When you're not in the kitchen cooking, what are you doing?
Struggling to find meaning in life.

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten:
Silk worms.

You're making breakfast. What are you having?
Korean noodles.

You're at the market. What do you buy two of?
Salmon heads.

Weirdest customer request:
"Take off your shirt, Woo hoo!"

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