Vivek Singh on 25 years of pushing the boundaries at The Cinnamon Club

He continued: "I could sense the affection, the affinity for Indian food. The love for it was very palpable.

"There were probably already the best part of four or five thousand Indian restaurants in the country, no matter which village, which high street you went to.

"I didn't know that, of course, but I could sense a love for Indian food, so it was there. But what struck me was that there was a sameness in the offering, and perhaps I sensed a slight lack of ambition or experimentation. That's what I saw as my opportunity to really shake things up.

"The ambition for The Cinnamon Club was always this could be the new benchmark for Indian restaurants, completely take it to the level of fine dining, getting the same amount of attention and respect that any other fine-dining restaurant in the country would command."

How The Cinnamon Club changed Indian dining in London

And it has worked, with London alone now boasting numerous fine dining Indian restaurants, with the likes of Gymkhana, Benares, Trishna, Ambassadors Clubhouse and Quilon all currently holding Michelin stars.

"The impact that The Cinnamon Club has had on the Indian restaurant scene, the modern Indian movement, not just in London but, dare I say, all over the world, is something I'm most proud of," Vivek said.

"We were almost the pioneers of it. The kind of experience we managed to set up in the restaurant and run for the best part of 25 years is the kind of restaurant that people didn't dream of in those days."

What did people first think of the cinnamon club?

The early menus of The Cinnamon Club did not include the dishes Brits had become accustomed to.

"There was no chicken tikka masala, there was no lamb rogan josh," Vivek explained.

"There was calves' liver, tandoori chicken breast, saffron-poached pears and mango rice idli for dessert. Very cutting-edge and slightly uncomfortable for many.

"There was quite a lot of resistance. I'd almost get to the point of asking people to leave, but there were so many of them that we couldn't.

"All I'd say was, look, you're not getting your chicken tikka masala, but here's an opportunity to experience something different. You're getting grouse or venison cooked in an Indian way, so give it a go. You either like it and come back, and you'll be converted, or you've always got the other 3,999 restaurants to go to.

"It was very challenging, very divisive for many. But I suspect that's what kept the levels of interest up, because it created a dialogue.

"I think the sense of adventure is so much more than it used to be 25 years ago. I think that's got to be something to be celebrated."

Why Hari Nagaraj has stayed for 25 years

Someone who has been on almost the whole journey with Vivek is operations manager and former head chef Hari Nagaraj, with the two meeting in India 30 years ago.

"Being there at the beginning was amazing," he said.

"We were a small team and the menu used to change every day. That was really exciting, our opportunity to play with new ingredients.

"It changed gradually and now our menus are very seasonal, with the set menu running for about three months.

"We were trying to educate people, saying you need to have the food in a three-course format, which wasn't really heard of then.

"Now you've got quite a lot of restaurants who have followed the trend, and I think it's all come back full circle now, glorified curries are being served."

He added: "From the time we opened, we had 12 or 13 chefs and seven are still in the business. That should tell you something about Vivek. He's a great mentor and he guides you well.

"He's got great business sense as well, a visionary in hospitality, I'd say.

"In India, game is banned, so when we came to this country, we had the opportunity to get our hands on grouse, pheasant, partridge, which we don't get the chance to cook with in India.

"We're one of the restaurants to look out for when it's game season."

Check out Vivek's roast saddle of red deer with pickling sauce recipe

Dining inside an old library

The setting itself is not as you would expect to see from a traditional restaurant, with The Cinnamon Club set inside a Grade II-listed building, formerly a public library. Books still adorn the shelves around the restaurant seating.

"In 2015, when we had a refurbishment, we exposed the shelves behind, and we've had a lot of people donate books to us," Hari said.

"When it opened in 2001, it looked very different."

What 25 years means to Vivek Singh

Asked what it means to him to have completed 25 years at The Cinnamon Club and how he sees the future, Vivek said: "When I first started here, I of course wanted to have a restaurant that people would talk about for years, and a philosophy and a team that would go on forever, because that's what people want when they set up a restaurant.

"But did I ever actually think we'd go on for as long as we have? I would have wished it, but could never have asked for it.

"Could I have guessed that we'd receive the amount of recognition and love that we have, from everyone, our teams, our guests, our community and the industry? Could I imagine this? No, absolutely not.

"So on every level, the extent of gratification is way beyond anything I could have imagined, and my gratitude for this is so much more than anybody can imagine.

"The fact that we're still here, still inspiring and exciting people to come and experience something, and still relevant enough for people to want to look at us, is a thing of joy."