O wrigglesome delight!

I did it. :) It's not the same as the restaurant Pho Bo, of course, but it's recognizably the same dish. With less cilantro, to drop the risk of going, "Whoa! Mouthful of cilantro! Ptuh, ptuh, ptuh." And a few substitutions that depended on availability and such. (Like the ngo gai, which a websearch said could be replaced with mint or basil, was replaced with half mint, half basil.)

I did it. My hands are covered in the guts of limes, and I did it, I did it!

Yay. :)