In Korean culture, tigers represent strength and protection. In Eugene, owners Preston Shin and Sunny Moon created Tiger Mama, a restaurant that is strong in their discipline of food quality and resembles the care of a mother’s cooking.
Sunny Moon met her husband and business partner at University of Oregon, where Shin majored in entrepreneurship and Moon in finance. Shin also received her Masters in business administration from UO. The couple opened Sushi Pure together, where Moon was a bartender for over five years.
Now, at Tiger Mama, Moon is stepping into a role as head chef, crafting dishes out of love.
The couple’s working relationship began at Sushi Pure, where they worked together for 17 years. Shin said they both bring strengths to Tiger Mama. Shin, having a contractor’s license, takes pride in his work on the restaurant’s concepts, designing the interior. Moon is skilled in creating recipes for the bar and kitchen.
“Everything we do, we do together,” Shin said. “We look at the same goals. She’s my wife, best friend and the best mother.”
The inspiration for the name “Tiger Mama” blends the restaurant’s style of cooking with Korean pride. Shin says the tiger represents Korea, being the mascot of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and that the country’s map resembles the face of a tiger.
While tigers remind Shin of Korea, the name “Tiger Mama” represents strength along with the quality of service they are going for. “Mama also means that we’re adding a mama’s touch,” Shin said. “We are also very strict, like a tiger mama, with our food quality.”
The couple always joked about the idea of opening up a Korean restaurant in Eugene because of Moon’s expertise and care as a chef. Tiger Mama provides meals that taste amazing and incorporate natural ingredients that are healthy to eat.
“It makes a huge difference. A lot of restaurants taste good, but after eating you’ll feel tired or thirsty,” Shin said. “Sunny uses everything from scratch using natural ingredients.”
The presence of “Mama’s touch” was inspired by both Shin and Moon’s families. Moon’s mother inspired Tiger Mama’s kimchi recipe, but Sunny has perfected it over time.
Tiger Mama’s kimchi is slightly modified so that all diets, including vegans, can enjoy it. Moon adds a mushroom powder instead of salted shrimp or fish sauce. Moon also adds ground fruits like Asian pear or apple, which Shin says brings out more brightness in their kimchi.
Tiger Mama’s dining area reflects multiple elements of a Korean soju bar. All of their specialty cocktails are made with imported liquors from Korea, like soju or ginseng-infused whiskey.
“People enjoy cocktails in America, so I learned that soju is a great element to make great cocktails,” Moon said.
Moon experimented with soju infusions while bartending at Sushi Pure and perfected her favorite soju drinks. Tiger Mama’s most popular drink is the Ginsengski, which infuses whiskey with ginseng that they bring in from Korea. Both Shin and Moon’s mothers are originally from where the herb is grown.
Moon also fuses quality dry ginseng into broths, saying that the flavors and natural preservations add nutritional value to her cooking. A friend of Moon’s father has a ginseng farm in Korea, which helps Shin and Moon access quality ginseng. Shin says that local bartenders have visited and asked for the recipe.
The Blackpink cocktail is another popular drink that connects Tiger Mama’s family to their service. The Blackpink is named after a Korean popstar group, which Shin and Moon say is their daughter’s favorite group.
“That was an order from my daughter,” Moon jokingly said. “She said you have to make something Blackpink.” The drink combines blackberry soju with vodka, and Moon says the drink resembles a cosmopolitan. Adding in Korean blackberry soju fittingly suits the name Blackpink.
The Korean-style fried chicken, which Shin says they purposely call “KFC,” is the best seller that made Tiger Mama popular. Shin recalls a couple visiting and thanking him, saying the chicken defied the young woman’s vegan diet. Now, the couple are regulars, even asking Shin and Moon to cater their wedding.
“KFC is very popular because it’s something Americans are familiar with, just with a little touch of Korean recipe,” Shin said. “So it’s kind of a gateway to traditional Korean food.”
Shin said that customers trying Korean food for the first time should indulge in bibimbap, which is a rice dish topped with vegetables and a choice of mushroom, beef bulgogi or spicy pork, all with a fried egg on top. The dish is traditional in Korea and it is cooked in a hot stone pot to meld the flavors.
Tiger Mama is more than just a restaurant. In Korea, the word “Pocha” is a term for a culture. Similar to a pub in the States, Tiger Mama’s full name includes “Pocha and Brew.”
Shin and Moon focused on creating a restaurant that emulates what a Pocha in Korea represents. Drinking soju in the early hours of the morning is one of the most common social habits in Korea.
“In Korea, we order alcohol by the bottle,” Shin said. “So it’s more like a friendship-building drink. You never pour yourself a shot –– it’s bad luck.”
The balance of sipping soju, eating hearty food and pouring shots for the other at the table is the essence of what a Pocha entails. Shin says that there are plenty of Korean restaurants, but focusing on the drinking experience with the restaurant enhances the social connection.
The owners say that their focus at the restaurant has remained throughout their years in the business. They do not just sell the food, but rather they sell an experience and culture.
“When you come to the restaurant, we want you to feel like you’re in a small restaurant in some alley in Korea,” Shin said.
Moving forward, Shin and Moon have signed a lease agreement at Willamette Plaza, where they are expanding into a stop and go restaurant — dishes will be available to go in a cup.
If you visit Tiger Mama, you are sure to be welcomed with “eoseo oseyo” in Korean, meaning welcome, and to hurry in. Share a bottle of soju with friends, order something new and be sure to toast in Korean by saying “Geonbae.”
