u/PhoKingSLC

This one isn’t open yet, but I convinced them to give me a sneak peak. I’m told I was technically the very first paying customer!

Pho Mai Mai is opening in West Valley on 35th South, the most pho-dense area in the entire State. PMM will be the tenth pho restaurant within a few minute's drive of the intersection at 35th and Redwood. The competition is pho-looded. Get it? Like, flooded?

The menu is very tight. You have beef pho, chicken pho, and some appetizers. That’s about it, aside from some pho pairings. Side note: I think it’s awesome they included fatty broth aka nuoc beo, and vinegar onions on the menu. Those are usually a iykyk kind of thing.

So the pho here is unique compared to other bowls. For obvious reasons, the majority of Vietnamese restaurants in the States heavily lean towards Southern Viet cuisine. Personally, I’d still call the pho here mostly Southern style, but there’s some Northern elements too. First of all, the broth isn’t very sweet at all. The soup tastes beefy, but without being heavy or overwhelming. The fragrance of spices are more apparent than their flavor in the actual broth. There’s also the option of wide noodles and a doughnut stick for dipping, aka banh quay.

There was a TON of beef in this thing, likely the most out of any bowl of pho I’ve had. I ordered the standard bowl which comes with the same cuts of beef in every bowl I review, tai and chin/nam, but it came with meatballs as well. Very tender. Nice.

The beansprouts are served blanched, I think I’ve only seen this in Vietnam. The herbs are served side-by-side and reminded me of surgical tools lol. There was an herb I haven’t seen with pho before. I would have just called it rau, but I found out it’s called rice paddy herb. Other sides included pickled garlic, peppers, and a chili sauce.

Overall, it’s one of the most solid bowls on the graph so far. Again, it’s not open yet, but I’m expecting Pho Mai Mai to be popular with those that prefer beefier broths that aren’t overly sweet.

One of the biggest red flags for Asian restaurants is when you open the menu and see items from completely different cuisines, especially if they’re from countries whose borders are thousands of miles apart. If it was my first time hearing about Fat Fish and I saw sushi and pho on the same page, I probably would’ve been the reel trend where people do a fashion catwalk in, pose, and then walk straight back out — it’s more funny when it’s not explained in text.

Before you (sushi) roll your eyes, there’s an explanation for their menu. Fat Fish is the spiritual successor to a Vietnamese restaurant from way back in the day called Green Papaya. It was located within walking distance from Fish’s West Valley location! Seems like for whatever reason, they kept pho on menu even after transitioning to a sushi restaurant.

In terms of flavor profile, this bowl is very similar to my experience 3 years ago. It’s a bit sweet, with herbal spiced notes. On both visits, the broth was noticeably darker than typical bowls. Three years ago, I placed Fat Fish in the top 6. Right now, I just can’t place it that high again.

Sure, the taste is similar, but it doesn’t have that same oomph. It doesn’t taste like a hug in a bowl. It’s missing the wow-factor. To me, it's still above average, but I don’t think it’s Pho King Playoff material.