On my recent trip to Seoul, I made it a priority to stop by Gorilla in the Kitchen — the new restaurant owned by hallyu star Bae Yong Joon. Known for his role in the hit series "Winter Sonata," Bae Yong Joon has been parlaying his popularity into other businesses.

Gorilla in the Kitchen is part of South Korea's "well-being" craze. Healthy living and healthy food is the restaurant's focus, and the name refers to the two available dish sizes — human (small) and gorilla (big).

Located in trendy Kang Nam (south of the Han River) in the Shin Sa-Dong neighborhood at the corner of Riverside Road and Sulgi 1-Ro, Gorilla in the Kitchen aptly sits at the entrance to Do-san Park.

The two-story restaurant has New York flair, with an industrial cement ceiling and exposed air conditioning and pipes, and black or white tables and chairs. At the center of the ground floor is a check-up room where you can get a body-type analysis. Based on that, the restaurant then recommends food that's right for you.

On the tables are place mats that read: No cream, No butter, No deep fry = No worries." Oversize silverware — spoons, knives and forks — also seemed in line with the gorilla theme.

The menu is split into categories: soup, appetizer, salad, meat, fish, tofu, pasta, rice, sandwich, pizza, desert and health-drink bar. Each dish has details in English and Korean. Next to the item description is a breakdown of the calories and protein content per serving.

A few of my friends told me that they tend not to order the high-calorie items because of guilt. Each dish is marked as Heart Smart, Muscle Smart.

From our second-floor table, we had a view of Do-San Park. After studying the menu, my date and I ordered lunch. We started with the scallop, clam, and oyster gratin — 263 calories and 18,000 won (about $19). The entree was the Heart Smart baked pistachio-crusted sea-bass steak with lemon sauce. I got the human size for 27,000 won ($29) at 300 grams (10 1/2 ounces) with 731 calories.

Most of the customers were from Japan, where Bae Yong Joon is a mega-hallyu star. Were they here hoping to catch a glimpse of the actor, or for low-fat, low-salt, healthy food?

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, which televises Korean dramas. If you have a K-drama question or comment, call KBFD at 521-8066 or reach him at jeffchung@kbfd.com.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'INFAMOUS CHILL SISTERS'

EPISODES 57 AND 58

Tonight at 7: Sora is taken to a hospital after the accident. Shin-ja runs to the hospital, demanding her children. Michill seems to have changed overnight. Seolchill's birth mother begs Yangpal to allow Seolchill to marry the man she loves.

Tonight at 8: Hanam's mother asks Seolchill to meet privately. Seolchill is shocked when she finds out about Hanam's background. Seolchill tells Hanam she feels betrayed by his lies. Deokchill tries to warm up to her stepdaughters but fails.

'LOVER'

EPISODES 15 AND 16

Monday at 7:50 p.m.: While in Shindo, Miju professes her love for Kang-jae, and they spend a memorable Christmas Eve together. Sae-yeon returns from a lonely trip and realizes that he and Miju aren't meant to be. Sae-yeon's mother pressures Miju to move into Sae-yeon's home.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: Yu-jin is stunned to see an enlarged picture of Miju at Kang-jae's hotel but insists that they marry as planned. Chairman Kang calls on Kang-jae and asks him whether he missed his parents.

'QUEEN OF THE GAME'

EPISODES 5 AND 6

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Sin-jeon is taken to a hospital, and Pil-seo and Joo-won fly down to Jeju. Joo-won slaps Eun-seol. Sin-jeon is called back to the headquarters. Eun-seol blames her father for Sin-jeon's predicament.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: When Sin-jeon loses everything, Eun-seol returns the ring to Sin-jeon. Joo-won finds out Chairman Kang was the man who took Sin-jeon's father's hotel, and decides to stay with Sin-jeon.

'SNOW FLOWER'

EPISODES 1 AND 2

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Kang-ae is a successful novelist and a single mother. Her daughter Dami, a high school senior, is an outcast in her school because of her famous mother and her academic skills. Dami spends most of her time with her grandmother. When Grandma dies, Dami's hatred for her mother explodes.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Shocked by a call from the father she thought was dead, Dami questions Jung-sun about him. Kang-ae learns Dami has been in fights with her classmates. She offers a truce to Dami, and suggests they take a trip together.