Tribes is owned by Paul Foley, the owner of Monkstown's longestablished Valparaiso. It's on the main road, but quietly so. The room is long and narrow, with low lighting and comfortable seats. The waitress told us we could sit anywhere and we instinctively moved towards the back, discovering when we got there that the only available table for two was right beside a middle-aged couple. Sitting beside them would be a statement of intent . . . "hello, we're here to make your night awkward" . . . but then the waitress gave us our own table for four and we relaxed at a distance. So did the couple.

They didn't say anything but I saw them unclench.

It's an interesting menu.

Apart from what's actually on it, the pricing ranges between 6 and 15 for starters and 18 to 32 for mains. They have quite a few wines for under 20 but from there they quickly jump up. That range in prices is a recognition of the ambition of their chef and the kind of ingredients he's using, balanced by the reality that this is a neighbourhood restaurant.

The upshot of all this is that your bill could be 60 for two or over 75 a head, depending on the kind of night you want.

Scallops wrapped in bacon with a rocket salad was a simple dish that was very well-executed, the scallops perfectly seared and picking up great smokiness from the bacon, with the salad as a foil to that milky richness.

Potted blue swimmer crab came with tomato fondue, more rocket and a slice of fried soda bread.

Blue swimmer crabs are native to Australia and, thanks to the miracle of Google, I know a lot more about them than I'll ever need to . . . their very unsettling mating ritual, for one thing. Delicious creatures though, a light fresh citrusy mix of what seemed to be all white meat, backed up by an intense slow-cooked rich tomato sauce and crisp fried bread.

All simple flavours, but very thoughtfully combined, fresh and sweet and rich and sharp.

Our first main course was a special of Scottish loin of venison with garlic confit, fondant potatoes and a gin and beetroot jus. That's some jus, as my companion noted when the waiter described it, and it really was: an intense dark fruity thing that took on the gamey depth of the tender meat, with the garlic always there in the background.

Steamed and roasted noisette of veal was a little ball of melting delicate meat, topped with a foie gras mousse in a morel sauce. This was all about texture and the contrast between the light flavour of the veal and the earthy woody darkness of the morels, with the foie gras mousse a medium to bring them together. It was beautifully presented, with a swirl of creamy pommes mousseline doing a yin-yang thing with the almost black sauce, a wonderful combination.

We had a bottle of Zenato Ripassa with this, its spicy dark fruit appropriate in the company of such distinct flavours. We shared a cheese board, ripe Pont l'Ev'que, Comte and Cashel Blue served with biscuits, apricots and membrillo paste. Including coffee, two glasses of white wine and good service the bill was just under 155.

Trying to combine being a local restaurant, good for a quick midweek meal, with being ambitious and creative enough that the place becomes a destination in itself is a challenging thing to do.

After a year, Tribes is still around and the quality of Karl Whelan's cooking is absolutely apparent. Quietly and stylishly impressive.