ANY CHANCE you tried Johnny Lee’s stir-fried pork jowl chow mein, or his lemonscented fried chicken, or the silky crab omelet over onion-laced fried rice with crab gravy? They were flashes of inspiration, available anywhere from a few months to a single weekend and then abruptly retired, never to return. Or maybe they will? Check the restaurant’s Instagram account for its latest concise menu. Lee once wrote there, “We’re gonna continue the ethos of what’s driven us since the beginning: We cook whatever we want and feel like.”

True to those words, no single label neatly defines Pearl River Deli, though Lee devised it foremost as a personal expression of Cantonese cooking. There will likely be char siu, the rendered slices of pork belly glossy with five-spice glaze on a plate of either rice (ideal for soaking up the meat’s juices) or egg noodles (pleasing in their tangled, textural contrast). Legions of us will be bereft if the extraordinary pork-chop bun, slicked with tomato-onion relish and mayo umami-boosted with Maggi seasoning, disappears for long. Otherwise, we embrace the creative anarchies of Lee and chef de cuisine Laura Hoang, who is responsible for the case full of pandan chiffon cake and char siu bao. They are two of her most masterful creations. Will she still be baking them by the time you read this? I wish I could tell you.

• 935 Mei Ling Way, Los Angeles, (213) 331-1696, instagram.com/prd_la/

Chef Johnny Lee prepares a char siu plate, drizzling the dish with a five-spice glaze.