It’s been almost two years since the #tornadoeggchallenge exploded on TikTok, but if you’ve yet to master the fluffy, chopstick-swirled scrambled eggs at home, we have good news: You can find them topping an eye-catching mountain of caramelized Spam- or bacon-studded fried rice, which is nestled in a pool of sweet-tangy sauce laced with fresh cream, at the Porklet in Aurora. “It’s not Korean, and it’s not Japanese,” says chef-owner Keonho Kim. “It’s something different.”

Kim also coats pork and chicken cutlets with coarse, house-made breadcrumbs (the loaves are sourced from Aspen Baking Company) and fries them to extra-crackly perfection to produce the restaurant’s signature, schnitzel-like donkkaseu. After working on his recipes for more than a year, the South Korea native opened the Porklet this past August with his wife and Denver native, Diana No.

5280 August 2022
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the porklet
Pork donkkaseu—called the Porklet on the menu—with all the fixings at the eponymous Aurora restaurant. Photo by Patricia Kaowthumrong
The Volcano fried rice at the Porklet. Photo by Patricia Kaowthumrong

Here, four things you should know about the Porklet to make the most of your visit.

1. Kim’s juicy cutlets are served sliced on a wire rack to preserve their crispiness. The thick-cut beauties come with a variety of sides, including macaroni salad, pickles, miso soup, white rice, and shredded cabbage salad drizzled with lemony sesame seed dressing. While you can’t go wrong with any of the donkkaseu, the pork variety stuffed with gooey cheese is our favorite.

2. Kim—who moved to Colorado about eight years ago—makes his gochujang (Korean red chile paste) in house. It adds deeply savory, slightly salty notes and a fire-red color to dishes such as dduk bokki, chewy rice cake sticks simmered in a spicy liquid. 

3. The tomato-based sauce served with donkkaseu and the Volcano fried rice is fermented for a week in the refrigerator to cultivate the ultimate umami-rich, vinegar-zinged flavors. 

4. The Porklet is located next to the bustling Pacific Ocean Marketplace. Hit it up before or after checking snacks, condiments, and other goodies imported from across Asia at the bustling grocery store.

12201 E. Mississippi Avel, #123B, Aurora

This article was originally published in 5280 August 2022.
Patricia Kaowthumrong
Patricia Kaowthumrong
Patricia joined the 5280 staff in July 2019 and is thrilled to oversee all of the magazine’s dining coverage. Follow her food reporting adventures on Instagram @whatispattyeating.