Chef's Special

Eggslice's Chicken Katsu, Egg, & Cheese sandwich with extra egg, cheese, and sausage.

A chat with executive chef and Eggslice owner Bill McMullan on opening up Buena Park’s newest brunch spot.

By Greg Nagel

BILL MCMULLAN’S EGGSLICE IS an 18-year labor of love in the making. The initial concept was born when he lived in Sydney, Australia, but lucky for us, he hatched his famous all-day breakfast sandwich (complete with scrumptious bacon jam) here in sunny Buena Park.

Where did you grow up?

I went to Western High School just a couple of miles from here! Buena Park Mall, where EggSlice is, is the mall where I got all of my school clothes growing up. My brother took guitar lessons here, one of my friends met his wife over here at Sears…it’s sort of like home.

How did you get your start in food?

My grandfather was a chef, my uncle was a chef, so it’s in my blood. When I was a little boy, I was always in the kitchen with my mom, and some of the techniques we use here today came from my mother. I went on to become a bartender, then a waiter, and when I moved to Australia, I got an opportunity to do catering and I fell in love with cooking.

Where did your passion for breakfast and brunch come from?

It’s my favorite meal of the day! I guess I’ve always been an early riser, getting up with the sun and getting a fresh start. I’ve always known I was going to do breakfast, and when I got the opportunity to open Eggslice, I jumped at the chance.

Describe the perfect breakfast sandwich.

Well, we have a 14-step process that is timed out to when we toast the bun to when we put it all together. For us, it comes down to suppliers…we use farm-fresh local eggs from Billy’s Egg Farm, which have this beautiful deep color and fl avor, OC Baking Company for all of our buns, in-house-made pork sausage, pecan-smoked bacon, and our famous house-made chilli jam.

Your sauces have some unique fl avors happening. Where does that come from?

Because Australia is so close to Asia, we had that infl uence. We’re always trying to pack in fl avor on every level...there’s kaffi r lime leaf, ginger, and fi sh sauce, which adds this beautiful umami note with the saltiness. Then there’s our house-made sriracha to compliment the sandwiches and tots, which is made fresh from chilis and garlic.

If I’m a newcomer, what should I order?

It depends on the time you come. Sure, we’re an allday breakfast sandwich restaurant, but if I were here for breakfast, I’d go bacon-egg-cheese. If you’re here for brunch or lunch, go with the chicken katsu and egg. Sometimes people order without the egg, and they’re missing out as it ties the whole sandwich together. Make sure and get the tots, as well as fresh-squeezed, on-site orange juice or a pour-over Vietnamese-style coffee to go along with it.

Any secret menu items?

Yes! We have a few special items, like the dirty tots, which have cheesy egg scramble, chilli jam, chilli jam mayo, and both dill and Dijon mustard on top.

Bill McMullan

Eggslice 8340 La Palma Ave., Unit A, Buena Park (714) 357-6272 or eggslice.com