The idea that London was largely a “culinary wasteland” in the 1990s is frequently bandied around.

Sneering French and belligerent Americans were — and in some cases, still are — quick to dismiss the city as a trader of dull food, or else one that presented only haute cuisine at high prices or pie and mash and flabby roast beef. Such nonsense.

The 1990s laid the groundwork for one of the most eclectic and diverse food scenes in the world: pioneering restaurateurs such as Jon Spiteri (St John) and Terence Conran (Bluebird, Quaglino’s) and avant-garde chefs from Marco Pierre White to Gary Rhodes, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, changed the game for ever.

“It was a transformational time,” says Nick Jones, who founded private members’ club Soho House in 1995. “Soho was rocking. I was there, hanging around at the Coach & Horses and the French House, meeting lots of interesting people. The Groucho Club was thriving, people were having a lovely time, it was all a lot of fun. I can hardly remember it.”

What was Soho House like back then? “It was full of people coming off stage from the West End. It only got going at 11pm.”

Any stories, anecdotes? “I don’t really talk about that sort of thing. And, truly, I can’t remember.” Safe to say, the celebs poured in.

Perhaps, to some degree, London was missing good food in the decades before. There were exceptions to the rule — the River Cafe, Harvey’s and Langan’s all existed. Alastair Little, the godfather of “modern British food”, was well established by 1985. Anyone who wanted to eat well back then, could — but to do so was much harder and certainly more exclusive.

Jones concedes perhaps there was truth to the capital’s skewed reputation. “It was more limited for a time,” says Jones. “It was simpler then, you mostly either went to the pub or to a restaurant.” It took the roaring 1990s to democratise, to expand the scene.

Soho was full of pioneering chefs by 1990. Mark Hix was there, taking over as head chef at Le Caprice in that year before moving on to become the executive head chef for Caprice Holdings — the work of feted restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King — and overseeing venues like The Ivy. “The Ivy was amazing in the 1990s,” says Jones.

Across town, the parade of new, dynamic restaurants continued apace. The Eagle, cited as the country’s first gastropub, launched in Farringdon in 1991. St John opened nearby in 1994, wooing Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain among countless others.

Jones’s list of hotspots is long, beginning with the River Cafe, in town since 1987. It made its mark in the 1990s. “River Cafe stood out as easily the best. I think it still is. It’s my favourite, anyway. Terence Conran was incredible. He’s a bit forgotten now. But he set up wonderful restaurants like Bluebird and Le Pont de la Tour. They’re still going now (under different ownership) and that speaks volumes.

“I used to go to the Savoy Grill, an old-time place, and Simpson’s in the Strand with my dad. And then there were places like Moro, by Sam and Sam Clark — that place was so cool and groundbreaking.”

Cafe Boheme was among Jones’s first restaurants, opening on a Soho corner in 1992. It’s still there, serving oysters, steak frites and tuna Niçoise. “It was my first successful place,” says Jones. “It’s still doing omelettes.”

Today, when it comes to restaurants, London is well formed. It will always evolve, shift and surprise us, but it’s not uncommon to hear visitors declare the city as one of, if not the best place to dine in the world.

Jones, 63 now and living a far quieter life, says Covid hurt the industry, but thinks people are coming back out en masse. His latest venture, the St Clement hotel near the Strand, includes an all-day café, high-end restaurant Lunette and Bobbi’s Bar, open until 3am.

“We discourage the use of phones there,” Jones says. “No photos. I think London has always been a fun, lively place — it was only the pandemic that halted that. But people are back out meeting people. I don’t think people want to connect digitally anymore. My daughter met her boyfriend in a pub. I’m quite proud of that.”

Quite a 1990s move. If we can learn anything from Jones? Get off your phone.