Eugene weekly., November 21, 2024, Page 11, Image 11

Food Fit for a Korean King
Tiger Mama is a Korean food
restaurant that serves traditional
dishes with healthy ingredients
HOT STONE BEEF BULGOGI BIBIMBAP.
Photo by Eve Weston
BY EMILY ROGERS
I
after you eat it is the most important hall-
n ancient Korea, royal feasts consisted
mark of a restaurant. “When I eat her food
of a vast array of dishes with up to 12
I feel thankful that I can eat this food, and
side dishes as off erings to support the
then the after-feeling is amazing, too. I feel
king’s health and digestion, according
healthier and stronger,” Shin says.
to Preston Shin, owner of Tiger Mama.
Moon uses fl avors found in Asian fruits
At Tiger Mama, a Korean restaurant on
and other produce to elevate the taste
West 3rd Avenue, diners can experience
of her dishes, creating a bountiful range
food fi t for a king with elaborate dishes
of fl avors for the tongue. “It’s very hard
created by chef Sunny Moon.
to fi nd a good Asian restaurant because
Moon and Shin, her husband, who also
sometimes they taste good, but they use
own Sushi Pure, opened Tiger Mama last
too much MSG,” Shin says.
February as an ode to Moon’s cooking.
Moon’s vegan, gluten-free kimchi,
“I opened this for my wife to feature her
beloved by her husband and raving custom-
Korean cooking skills,” Shin says.
ers, was born out of her consideration for
As the name Tiger Mama might imply,
her customers' health and dietary restric-
Moon serves grandma-style homey Korean
tions.
cuisine. “All the Asian
Traditional kimchi is
American kids' moms
‘I cook for my kids, I
made with fi sh sauce and
are tiger mamas, so we
cook for my parents
salty shrimp. Within the
thought that the name
and
my husband and I fi rst couple of months
and food is going to
do the same thing for
of serving customers
remind them of their
my customers.’
at her restaurant Moon
mom’s cooking,” Moon
noticed that many of
says. A tiger mother
— Sunny Moon
them were saddened
is an Asian mom who
that they couldn’t try the
pushes her children
kimchi because they were vegetarian. So
towards high levels of achievement.
Moon got to work developing a recipe that
When you enter the restaurant you
tastes just as good as her grandmother’s
are greeted by smiling wait staff yelling,
traditional recipe, but with a few tweaks.
“Oseyo” in unison, which means “welcome”
Instead of seafood ingredients Moon
in Korean. The interior of the restaurant
uses dried shiitake mushrooms, plums,
is a soothing homey space with traditional
apples and pears to create her kimchi. “It
Korean red and blue lanterns dimly light-
tastes very bright, and people who didn’t
ing the colorful tables.
used to like kimchi try it and they love
Customers at Tiger Mama are served
it,” Shin says.
as if they are a part of Moon’s family. “I
Fermenting and brewing are two of
cook for my kids, I cook for my parents,
Moon’s passions.
and my husband and I do the same thing
For those trying Korean cuisine or
for my customers,” she says.
Tiger Mama for the fi rst time, Shin and
For Shin, the way food makes you feel
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Moon recommend the KFC — Korean fried
chicken — which can be tossed in either
honey garlic soy sauce or spicy gochujang,
a fermented chili paste. However, the dish
is not complete without a glass of Korean
beer, as Shin and Moon say that Korean
people think of the combo of chicken and
beer as God’s gift.
The crunchy, juicy wings are so delec-
table that one customer even gave up fi ve
years of veganism to try the dish. “There
was a young couple that came in and they
ordered our KFC and then the boyfriend
came up to me and thanked me saying,
‘You broke her veganism, she loved this
chicken,’” Shin says.
For those who are more experienced in
Korean cuisine, Shin recommends custom-
ers try bibimbap, a Korean rice bowl topped
with veggies, marinated beef and a fried
sunny side up egg because it reminds him
the most of Korea.
Served in a black stone pot the dish
continues to be warmed from the bottom
up giving the rice at the bottom a nice
crunch. Shin will even mix the bowl for
you to make sure you are able to get the
egg yolk and rice cooked just right for a
hearty bite of meat and rice.
Providing healthy Korean food to the
Eugene community is Shin and Moon’s
way of sending a love letter to the place
that had shown them so much love from
Sushi Pure to now.
“I just love our customers and I feel so
lucky so I want to give them something
back that I can do well which is making
food,” Moon says.
Tiger Mama is open 5 pm to 9:30 pm Monday,
11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 5 pm to 9:30 pm Tuesday
through Friday, 3 pm to 9:30 pm Saturday and
closed Sunday at 1080 West 3rd Avenue, 458-273-
3166.
November 21, 2024
11