Olive

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where Italy Meets the Andaman Sea

Olive sits on the beachfront of the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, its open kitchen and al fresco deck facing the gentle waters of the Andaman Sea. The setting alone would draw attention, but what earns Olive its recognition from Gambero Rosso — Italy's most authoritative food and wine guide — is the seriousness of the Italian cuisine being produced here, far from the boot of Italy.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Chef de Cuisine Vincenzo Sorrentino's relationship with Italian cooking began before any professional kitchen — in his family's restaurant, watching his parents cook with instinct, patience, and pride. At Olive, that foundation shapes everything. Time-honoured regional recipes are reinterpreted with restraint, letting the quality of each ingredient carry the dish. "I cook the way my parents taught me — with honesty and love," he says. "If a dish tastes right, everything else follows."

Craft, Provenance, and the Open Kitchen

The open kitchen is central to the experience. Each day, the team prepares fresh handmade pastas — tagliatelle, ravioli, gnocchi — and slow-fermented pizza dough fired in the wood oven. Ingredients are sourced with clear intention: imported buffalo mozzarella, Prosciutto di Parma 24 Months Riserva, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, Taggiasca DOP olive oil, and Grana Padano aged 24 months sit alongside Andaman Sea seabass, eco-sustainable prawns, and herbs grown in the resort's own JW Garden.

Standout plates include the homemade Wagyu ravioli with porcini and pumpkin purée, gnocchi with lobster ragout and black truffle oil, and the wood-oven-roasted sustainable snapper with Taggiasca olives and smoked eggplant. Chef Enzo's Signature Pizza — San Marzano tomato, Fior di Latte mozzarella from Agerola, Parma ham, burrata, and truffle oil — has become a table fixture.

Cheese, Salumi, and Olive Oil

Olive maintains an ever-growing collection of monocultivar olive oils, each produced from a single olive variety harvested during Italy's autumn season. The antipasti display presents a curated board of imported Italian cheeses — Asiago, Montasio, Piave Vecchio, Grana Padano — alongside premium salumi, with staff sharing the story behind each selection. Private degustation classes featuring quality Italian ingredients and wines are available on request.

Atmosphere and Sustainability

The space offers both air-conditioned indoor seating and an open beachfront deck where soft evening light and sea breezes set the tone for dinner. Sustainability runs through the kitchen's philosophy: responsibly sourced local seafood, cage-free eggs, zero-waste initiatives including house-made pasta crafted from surplus bread, and a bar program built around freshly squeezed juices, local herbs, and plastic-free practices.

The wine list is drawn entirely from Italian producers — Prosecco from Veneto, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Chianti DOCG from Banfi, and Primitivo from Puglia — chosen to complement each section of the menu.