BRITAIN’S culinary scene took a dramatic turn for the better in the 1980s and 1990s and these photographs from our archive show Brighton was very much part of the trend.

In our main image we can see three smartly dressed restaurant staff, who look as if they are just about to toast the opening of their new establishment.

On the left, a waiter in white shirt and long black tie holds out a champagne flute, looking forward to tasting a glass of bubbly.

Is the woman in the centre of the picture the owner of the new Chardonnay restaurant?

The venue had opened shortly before this photograph was taken, in May 1988.

On the right, a chef wearing a white apron is pouring champagne for his colleagues.

All three would have been hoping they were about to be rushed off their feet with hungry customers.

Thirty years on, it could well be Sussex champagne they were cracking open, a notion which was probably unimaginable back then.

These photos, which date from the late 1980s and early 1990s, are sure to prompt memories from many of our readers.

How many of you remember the Chilka House in Brighton? Or Bar de la Mer? Or the earlier days of the Bali Brasserie?

Our picture on the left shows a cheery a pair of workers at the then newly opened Cripes restaurant in Brighton.

The creperie was considered highly original when it opened in Victoria Road and quickly became extremely popular.

Sadly it is no longer there – but please let us know if you have any happy memories of it?