Noodle Journey Episode 69: Mama Phở Bò

I’m finally reviewing an instant phở product after nearly 70 reviews: Mama’s Phở Bò, a Vietnamese-style beef rice noodle soup. For those unfamiliar, phở is a noodle soup made with rice noodles, savory bone broth, and customizable fresh toppings like bean sprouts, Thai basil, chili peppers, and, unfortunately for me, cilantro (although I omit that part when I’m eating phở at a restaurant.

I found this bowl at Walmart of all places for about $1.14 at the time of review, though it’s also available at Asian grocery stores or in multi-packs online. This steep-only bowl contains a seasoning packet and seasoning oil, with ingredients like soy sauce, onion, phở spices, artificial beef seasoning, fish sauce, and dried carrot and green onion. It also includes textured soy protein bits meant to simulate beef. Despite being rice-based, it’s not gluten-free due to hidden wheat ingredients, and it’s not vegetarian either thanks to real fish sauce. Sodium clocks in at a hefty 1,960mg (85% DV), which is why I chose not to review the chicken version in the same sitting.

Noodles:
These are surprisingly fantastic for instant rice noodles. They’re chewy, not clumped together, and reminiscent of the flat rice noodles used in restaurant phở, minus the vermicelli variant some places serve. For anyone who doubts instant rice noodles, this might just change your mind.
• 9/10

Spiciness:
Despite not advertising heat, there’s a very subtle kick from chili pepper that I detected, likely included to simulate the sriracha or pepper garnishes usually added to phở. It’s extremely mild, just a whisper of heat really, but you might notice it.
• 1.5/10

Overall:
The broth captures the essence of phở with a prominent blend of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, coriander, and fish sauce. While a little saltier than restaurant broth and more heavily tilted toward anise and cinnamon, it’s still something I find objectively tasty. The artificial beef flavor doesn’t fool anyone but works well with the onion and spice elements. The soy protein bits mimic beef decently, and the inclusion of both artificial basil and coriander (cilantro) flavoring adds an intriguing twist, especially for those with the cilantro gene like me, and for the record, this surprisingly didn’t trigger any soapy notes for me. While it’s not a perfect restaurant replication (there’s just no way to get all that rich slow-cooked beefiness in an instant product), it’s a strong representation in bowl form. If you’re craving phở and don’t want to pay restaurant prices or suffer through delivery, this is a solid alternative.
• 7.5/10