After summer last year, The Pallet, due to numerous unforeseen circumstances, was forced to shutter. However, in the words of Sizzla, “you can’t keep a good man down”, and Ricardo Barrett, operator and director of The Pallet, is back with a revamped concept that is sure to add a bit of vim to an otherwise quiet Liguanea Plaza.

Pallet 2.0 is located beside General Foods, well, more below than beside. The space is a subterranean garden complete with exposed brick, lush ferns, and a stage that looks like it could have been a water feature. There’s also an interior area that houses the bar, kitchen and an additional dining area. These elements won’t put a damper on patrons having a good time.

As with the previous location, the restaurant prides itself on having been fabricated from recycled pallets, wood and other material. However, the new iteration, focused on being a haven for the artistically inclined, has gone the extra step to fashion the bar out of recycled plywood, upcycled guitars and speakers. But, this is where the similarities stop; the menu of the Pallet 2.0 is remarkably different.

It should be noted that Chef Shea Stewart has divested himself of The Pallet and the kitchen is now run by a group of young cooks who are hungry for knowledge and keen to prove themselves. The menu of the new Pallet focuses on small sharing plates (we need to talk about the excessive use of the word ‘tapas’ in this country) comprised of both savoury and sweet items.

Standout items include the polenta bites, pan-seared salmon with lemon-garlic butter sauce, a chicken roulade that ingenuously utilises yellow yam, pork ribs slathered in an apple cinnamon plum sauce, and the Quiche Me (more of a flatbread than a quiche) that has well-seasoned ackee, callaloo on a delightfully flaky crust.

On the evening of Thursday Food’s visit, the establishment was hosting one of its preview events, Live at The Pallet — an evening of live music. Fun fact: Sundays will be Theatre Night, allowing the next crop of celebrated local thespians to show the public their chops. Barrett is committed to doing his part to showcase local talent and has built a space that “is in tune with the music and talent that set us apart as Jamaicans”.

To The Pallet 2.0 Thursday Food says, “Break a leg!”