The Secret’s Out About The Parade’s Newest Seafood Restaurant

Growing up in the seaside suburb of Henley Beach, it’s no surprise that Rob Leopardi developed an abiding love for fishing and spending time by the ocean. That passion lasted through the decades he spent working in cafes, restaurants and hotels, and when he decided to open his own venue it was natural that seafood would be at the centre of the offering.

“I picked things up from everywhere I worked, but I wanted my place to have its own style,” he says. So in addition to his love of seafood, “a lot of the inspiration for the menu comes from my mum. She’s from a place called Pordenone, near Venice in northern Italy, and she’s the old nonna so she's a very good cook.”

That means old-style cooking, with a traditional Napoletana sauce as a base for many of the dishes. There’s also a strong emphasis on using the freshest ingredients – the kitchen buys seafood in five times a week.  “And good portions,” Rob adds. “We don’t serve two pieces the size of a fifty cent piece on a huge plate – we make sure nobody is hungry when they leave.”

All that was left was to come up with a name, and “we tried to find something that left a little bit to the imagination… a lot of people tell me that they had to look up Secrets By The Sea when they first heard about Secrets By The Sea, and that’s the whole idea.” Rob’s first restaurant opened in Henley Beach in 2016, and it proved so successful that he’s regularly been approached to open a second venue. But it wasn’t until this year that he found the right fit.

“The Parade used to have Paul’s Fish Cafe but that moved away, so I could see a need for a seafood restaurant in Norwood,” he says. After giving the former Martini site a full renovation that included a new kitchen, bar and paint job, Rob opened Secrets By The Parade at 59a The Parade in June and it has quickly turned into a local favourite.

The menu at both venues is identical and the Secret Trio of calamari, whiting and a prawn skewer with chips and salad is still the biggest seller, but the garlic and chilli mussel pots and sumptuous shared platters loaded with everything from scallops to lobster tails are also popular. “And it’s amazing how many scotch fillets we sell for a seafood restaurant!”

As for the secret to success, Rob says that’s simple. “We make everything ourselves, from the tartare sauce and aioli to the schnitzels and all of our desserts. When people come in and taste our food, a lot of them ask how we make it. But I tell them to look at the restaurant’s name… the recipes are a secret, obviously.”