New year, new me.

For the “summer glow,” a lot of people have been trying to lose weight. A key to succeeding in weight loss is the diet itself. People need to eat the right foods to take a big step forwards in achieving the goal. Most don’t really understand which foods are good for them and which are bad; however, this trendy restaurant will tell you all about the difference.

Again Refresh, a salad specialty restaurant, is located in Garuso-gil at Apgujeong. Though the store may seem unwelcoming from the outside, the inside is a whole different experience. The staircases seemed to look like an old building, but the posters on the walls leading to the restaurant diverts the attention. The green nature colors of the posters convey many encouraging sentences such as “the salad bowls make your body feel lighter.” The moment I took a step in, soft but up-beat music created an ambiance, which complemented the vibrant lights inside the store. The overall theme of the restaurant embraced the elements of nature, as its interior was full of decorations of plants.  The seats were divided mostly into two groups: the cushion area and the sofa area. The cushion area is bigger because there are chairs with cushions on them. The sofa area is smaller and most of the time taken by another customer group. Though the sofa area seemed very comfortable, the cushion area was not at all bad. The cushions made the wooden seats more comfortable to sit and lean in. The people inside were simply munching happily on their salads while talking to their friends. While most customers aren’t able to look into the kitchen to see how the chefs put together the food, this restaurant has clear windows so that you can observe the making of the food. This really built trust in the chefs about the healthiness and freshness of the foods.

Instead of being on the table, the menu was displayed atop the counter. The menu contained lists of different kinds of salads and healthy drinks. The best part of the menu was that there were listings of the amount of calories per drink or salad. The drinks’ unique names — such as “Smooth Skin”, “Clear My Eye”, “Fatigue Goodbye~”, “Slim Slim Bowels”, and more –– added a humorous touch when ordering the drinks. I decided to order a chicken breast avocado salad with two drinks; a strawberry juice and the “Slim Slim Bowel.” It didn’t take long until the food arrived.

When my salad arrived, I was delighted. The bowl was also made out of wood, which gave the experience a sense of nature. The placement of the food was very neat and appetizing. I quickly dug into my food of lettuce, tomato, and chicken breast. I could feel the healthiness spread inside of my mouth. Most people say that if a food tastes good, it probably is not good for you; contrary to the common adage, this healthy meal was both healthy and delicious. The strawberry tasted very sweet but sour. The next juice was “Slim Slim Bowel,” which unfortunately left a terribly pungent taste in my mouth. Inside were grape, lemon, celery, parsley, kale, apple, and coconut water.

Though my experiences with the drinks were not as good, the overall mood and dishes are an outstanding piece of work. Though diet foods are not a lot of peoples’ favorite, Again Refresh is worth a try.