Spicy margs & riffs on Pablos‘ greatest hits 🍸
The curiously named Leave Me Alone, Lisa (79-83 Blandford Street, NE1 3PZ) is the night-time alter-ego of Pablo Eggs-Go-Bao which I lovingly covered here recently. Where I’d thought the next venture from the team behind the breakfast baos might have been more of the same but later in the day, it’s so much more than that — turning out serious bait, and banging cocktails.
It’s a restaurant/bar with an improvised warehouse ambiance (and in-house DJ), right out the back of the Newcastle Pablos hatch. Quite a large site really, doling out substantial amounts of tequila, and food from the gang that brought you one of Newcastle’s best breakfasts. So far, what’s not to like?
Little frisson of excitement when you realise it’s one of those menus whereby you can just order ‘one of everything’. There’s more on the drinks side of things but expect lots of tequila. And hey, hasn’t Newcastle been missing a good tequila bar for like the last ten years? I’m here for it.
There’s a few (mostly South African) natty wines and crafts — reasonably priced as well, so clearly vying to be a night out destination. Painfully hip, low-key, mismatched furniture, lots of big plants, total #vibez. But, the scran. Is it just Pablos+, or something worth a detour for?
Y’know what it’s a little belter. Clearly a WIP, but there’s enough here to make you come for tequila but stay for supper. Super informal, obvs — even if you came and smashed in a cheese chicken & sobresada toastie with a couple of tinnies, you’d be having a good time. That toastie btw, is the bomb. Spicy and crunchy and soft and salty.
But there’s clearly some skill in the kitchen, evidenced by the gnocchi which are very well made, just insanely delicate. Pillow-like is the de facto overused simile for gnocchi, but until you’re had some which are really properly made and not from a packet, you don’t quite understand it. These are superb. Tomato sauce is nicely sweet & acidic, assume cherry tom based. It’s £11 like but a rewarding plate.
Hash browns are everywhere at the moment – rightfully so – and one of the Pablos staples makes the leap here in comical fashion with crème fraîche and a spoonful of didntseethatcoming caviar. I get it, I really do, but for me the Exmoor caviar is a little lost among the noise. Still an absolute delight to eat. And pair it with a cold Chin Chin for the food & drink match you never know you needed.
The Pablos mainstay is here and well in the shape of a Big Mac bao which does exactly what it says on the tin. For me, the Big Mac secret sauce is literally the sauce, which I could have used a little more of here, but it’s otherwise a fun eat and satisfying twist on the breakfast bao we’ve come to love. You wanna eat this, don’t you?
Tequilamisu (top) doesn’t whack you round the chops with the house spirit, but is a certainly well made pick-me-up. And a special shout out to our server for the day (Connor?) who was everything hospitality should be and epitomises that fun-but-still-on-it service that a lot of places go for nowadays, but miss the mark.
Worth a mention that one of the chefs here runs Umami Food Co. which you’ll see on the tables — this habanero and pineapple number is monumentally good. Find it in the spicy marg I believe, or dip anything/everything in it. Had to show real restraint to not finish the bottle, spicy though it is 🔥
Speaking of margs, it’s the house bevvie here – and they’re well-made, whether you get the spicy, pineapple, or the plain Jane version. Even better is Margarita Monday where they’re a fiver each 🥹
Leave Me Alone, Lisa takes the established Pablos concept and builds upon it in ways I never saw coming, and even those which I did are fun, and always enjoyable. Whether it makes a splash as a margarita bar, or as a standalone restaurant known for it’s food, you’d be daft to pass up some fab dishes, and dismiss it as a drinks-first-food-second joint. One of those places you can’t help but like🍸
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