CARVING INTO a spiral slice of “lucenachon” — Lord Maynard Llera’s nickname for his version of Filipino-style roast pork belly, its skin crackling and its rolled center stuffed with lemongrass stalks, red onion and fennel fronds — is a full-circle moment at Kuya Lord. In 2019, after stints as sous chef at Bestia and as culinary director for the h.wood group, Llera planned to open a restaurant serving food that bridged the flavors of Lucena City, a port town in the Philippines’ agriculturally abundant Quezon province where he grew up, and his professional experience in American kitchens. When the pandemic delayed his plans, he held near-weekly pop-ups out of his home in La Cañada Flintridge. Combinations of roasted chicken, fried pork belly stacked in neat rectangles, garlic rice and pancit arrayed on trays channeled the spirit of kamayan, the communal meals spread on banana leaves and eaten by hand. In June Llera realized his dream: He welcomed customers to his sunlit 28-seater in the Melrose Hill section of Hollywood. The finesse and potency of his cooking have transitioned seamlessly. You taste these qualities most thrillingly in the prawns simmered in garlicky crab paste with calamansi juice and fish sauce; the flavors swell in a sour, salty, umami-booming crescendo.

• 5003 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, kuyalord.com