The Olive Restaurant — Restaurant in Kerala

There is a reason why smaller shops often outlast the bigger well designed restaurants and that is proper customer service. Small shops often offer a personal touch even if the shop is busy which attracts the customer and makes them want to come back again.

Visited Olive today. Waited for 5 minutes on the ground floor and no one came. There were no staff to take order but 3-4 owners crowded around the cash till. They were discussing among themselves, ignoring people who were waiting for someone to come and collect order.

I was lucky enough to gain the attention of one owner, who said he will send someone. Again, rest of the people in rest of the tables were ignored. Another couple of minutes, another owner came and said, can you go to the first floor, it will be quicker. Since it was already 3:00 PM, and since my last food was in the morning I agreed and went up ad the another owner went across forcing people to move up. (Ain't this something they have to do as one comes in? Why did they have to wait till one keeps their luggage, washes hands, comes back, sits down comfortably and then ask them to move up? I don't know, maybe it's a new owner thing!)

I moved up, not caring about anything else but food. And, again the hunt for seat started. The outside was warm, warm enough to make it uncomfortable. So, back inside, and I found a place inside on the top floor. And here came the next challenge, finding the attention of another waiter..... With the kind of wave that would have made a drowning man trying to get attention of someone to save him, proud, I caught attention of one of the server. And then I understood, I have landed another owner instead of server.

It could be that because he was the owner he did not know what they had in their menu, you know, afterall why care about your products when you can live like an owner, sit and precise over.

He took some paper, scanned it, said some random food items. I found something I felt would match and then asked for his opinion. And the owner again went "ownerly". I didn't understand yet I said okay. I asked him the rate.... He said 300ish. I asked him the correct rate and he said he is not sure, you know afterall he is an owner, man.

I asked him as a last resort, is the portion going to be huge? Owner said no... I said okay, so I won't be wasting food. He said yes, it is just going to be a single piece of chicken and ghee rice. I was intrigued, after all, such pricing is unheard of for a single person's portion and should be something really good if they are charging this premium. I said go ahead, place the order. Owner happily said yes and left.

Then after another agonizing couple of minutes came the next challenge, well he looked like a challenge but was a sweet angel. After all, he was not an owner.... And understood the dilemma I was in.

First thing he said was, sir, is anyone else joining you? I said no. He said sir, the curry you ordered is suitable for a group upto 4. It cannot be finished by someone alone. I was surprised.... After all, owner had said, it was just the right size for me.....

We went through the menu together and came to a huge realisation, there was not a single thing that was on the menu, which was suitable for someone who is alone. They did not address the requirement of a single person but is planning to cater to the larger groups. Maybe, their strategy might work, maybe not. But alas, the ownership team made it clear. They are here for the ownership. And not for business.

I hope you succeed. I hope maybe, next time I will be lucky to have something from your hotel. Maybe, next time, I will bring a group, so that I will become your targeted customer.

(Ps: I went and had a good ghee rice and chicken combo along with black tea from the shop next to olive.. As Thilakan said, "manasu...

Me and my family recently dined at The Olive Restaurant, and it was a delightful experience, especially for seafood lovers. We kicked off our meal with a variety of soups: the Tum Yum prawns soup and crab meat soup were standout choices, rich in Flavour and perfect for setting the tone for our meal. The seafood soup was hearty, while the sweet corn chicken soup offered a comforting touch.

For salads, we tried the Mexican salad and the Arabic chicken salad, both fresh and vibrant. The real highlight, however, was the 2 kg fish cooked in six types for their Olive Special Tawa Fry. This dish was recommended by the staff (I forgot his name), and it did not disappoint—the fish was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Moving on to others, we indulged in Mangalore-style mutton ghee roast and Kunji pori, which was nice and packed with flavor. The chicken kanthari curry, Neer dosa, chicken fried rice, bun poratta, butter kulcha, butter garlic naan, and appam was equally impressive without being overwhelming.

To wash it all down, we enjoyed three types of mojitos and an avocado smoothie, both refreshing and mojitos are serving with big tower glasses.

Overall, The Olive Restaurant excels in both seafood and regional dishes, making it a must-visit spot in Calicut. The staff's recommendations were spot-on, enhancing our dining experience. I look forward to returning to explore more...

The ambience of the restaurant was pleasant, however, the overall dining experience was disappointing. The Arabic platter was overly spicy, with the flavors of the spices blending into one another without distinction. The Manari Chicken had an unpleasant taste, resembling chicken cooked in a fish-based curry, which did not match our expectations.

The service was the most concerning aspect. The waiter’s attitude came across as mocking while serving, and it felt as though we were being encouraged to accept food that may have been leftover. This behavior was unprofessional and made the experience uncomfortable.

Accessibility was also a challenge. When we inquired about stairs prior to entering, we were informed there were only 4–5 steps. In reality, there were approximately 16–18 steps, some of which were steep. This created significant difficulty for my mother, who has mobility challenges.

Overall, the food was overpriced for the quality provided, and the service and accessibility issues left us quite...