There are three friends, Amy, Laura and Sheila with whom I have enjoyed many dinners and cooking classes over the years. In fact, they were the “original companion diners” in my post about Sarma restaurant, the very first restaurant review that appeared on The Kitchen Scout. We have known each other since our children all attended the same elementary school and have had a lot of laughs and fun times on our various excursions. We’ve had a bit of a hiatus this past year due to busy schedules and other tugs on time. Thankfully, we were able to gather a few weeks ago to try out Tiger Mama, Tiffani Faison’s newest restaurant located in the Fenway. Faison also owns the nearby Sweet Cheeks, her first restaurant that serves barbeque for lunch and dinner daily.
A short walk from Fenway park making it a great pre or post-game option (get a reservation), Tiger Mama serves food inspired by Faison and her wife Kelly’s travels to Southeast Asia…
A sizable disco elephant greets you at the door…
The restaurant’s interior is stimulating for the senses. Tiger imagery and the color orange abounds beginning with one of the restaurant’s two bars as seen below…
Not to be outdone by the more tiki style bar at the back of the restaurant…
There is seating for 135 including booths, tables (some with large lazy susan’s for conveniently sharing dishes) and a communal table that is located in front of the open and bustling kitchen. We visited on a Thursday night and the restaurant was hopping so if you go for dinner, I would suggest making a reservation as we did. Originally only open in the evenings, Tiger Mama now serves lunch from 11:30 to 2:30 daily, as well as dinner from 5:30 to 10 most nights, to 11 on Fridays and Saturdays…
The menu is structured for sharing and our server suggested we order 2 to 3 plates per person. The kitchen would space them out so we were not bombarded with all the dishes at once. We ordered 10 dishes among the 4 of us and sent some leftovers home so definitely start with 2 and order more if you are still hungry! You can order from 6 main categories including “Cold & Fresh”, “Rich & Earthy”, “Crispy & Spicy”, “Noodles & Rice”, “Broths & Curries” and Banquet Style. There is a large selection of fun cocktails, craft beers and wines as well.
Overall, we had a really fun night. Service was excellent and neither we nor the food was rushed one bit. We enjoyed most of the dishes, found some were pretty salty and probably could have ordered more rice to balance out the flavors. One of us is largely a vegetarian but does eat fish so there was plenty of choices for her, including from the restaurant’s smaller vegetarian menu. I am not intimately familiar with Southeast Asian cuisine so I cannot tell you how Faison’s interpretations of dishes hold up to those that they are based on. What I can tell you is that I definitely want to return and sample more of the menu in the near future!
Here is what we enjoyed from nearly each category except “Banquet Style”. Pics are a little lighting-challenged because we were seated in the middle of the restaurant, close to some neon lighting so bear with me!
Lobster Fresh Rolls. Rice paper enveloped charred lobster and vegetables and was served with a spicy peanut sauce. A little smokiness from the lobster meat, brightness from the veggies and a kick from the sauce made a well balanced bite…
Crispy Chili Potatoes were ordered at the recommendation of Laura’s daughter who had visited the restaurant not long before for a friend’s birthday! So glad we did not miss these little morsels of deliciousness. Crispy baby creamers are battered and fried and served with a spicy chili mayo. These are a must order and just try to stop yourself from eating the whole bowl…
Tuna Tom Kha was light and refreshing. Fresh tuna was served with a coconut lemongrass sauce, avocado and cilantro…
We also ordered the Pad Gra Pow that I had read about as being a not-to-be-missed. Ground chicken was seasoned with chiles and thai basil before being topped with a fried egg. The dish was a little salty, but the heat of the chicken was just right and the dish was really enhanced with the creaminess of the runny egg yolk…
Short Rib Rendang was a boneless short rib that had been braised and served in a Malaysian curry sauce rich with coconut milk. The dish was topped with crispy coconuts and peanuts and was rich and flavorful. We only had a bite or two each. I think both the Ga Pow and the Rendang would have benefited from having rice served alongside, but we didn’t get that until later in the meal…
One of the vegetable dishes we ordered was Pea Pod stems, wok charred and served with lots of garlic and black vinegar. We really loved these and also enjoyed the Spicy Okra (not pictured). I am not an Okra fan, but these were crisp and spicy which made them appealing. Our final vegetable dish was Yu Shiang Eggplant (not pictured) that was loaded up with chiles, cilantro and mint. We really enjoyed this preparation as well…
Finally and also not pictured we ordered Singapore Street Noodles. These were a little disappointing as they were topped with long crunchy noodles that made the dish a little difficult to eat, and they didn’t have the punch of spicy flavor I was hoping for. I think this is an area of the menu they could beef up with some more interesting offerings.
On the way out, I had to snap a picture of one of the vacated high top tables with the lazy Susan’s for you…
And a picture of the restaurant’s “living wall” that grows herbs for use in the kitchen…
Here we are, in black and white just for fun…
Tiger Mama is a fun, hip restaurant that serves an eclectic menu inspired by the food of Southeast Asia. It’s definitely a place to check out. Going in a group is the best way to sample as many dishes as possible.
If you go, please tell them The Kitchen Scout sent you!
Until next week…
One Year Ago: Grilled Lamb Kebabs
Two Years Ago: Review of The Kirkland Tap & Trotter in Somerville, Massachusetts
