Tribes is a cozy, late-night drinking and dining spot with an engagingly exotic atmosphere. Every surface is covered with colorful African paintings and ornate wood carvings from the owner's collection, while the sound system pumps out lush Afro-pop. Wildlife videos projected on one wall add a charming Discovery-Channel touch to the proceedings. The young Japanese staff are friendly and enthusiastic, helping to set a relaxed mood.

Tribes's menu bills itself as French-African fusion, a sign that they're aiming for something more sophisticated than the typical ethnic eatery. Some of the dishes are less fusionized than others though - for example the kebabs are fairly straightforward skewers of grilled meat (with various dipping sauces), and our Nigerian BBQ chicken was simply coated with layers of spicy chili powder. Some of the meats are out-of-the-ordinary - we enjoyed the gamy flavors of our grilled ostrich with Egyptian moroheya (mulukhiya) sauce, but unfortunately the frog-meat dishes were unavailable (our waiter solemnly informed us that their frogs had all escaped).

A grilled sea bass with mayonnaise was the first sign of French influence, accompanied by a very nice dill-seasoned zucchini; the grilled scallops and zucchini were also very good. But the highlight for us at Tribes is definitely the couscous. It comes with tender chunks of stewed lamb (tajine) in a fantastically rich sauce, seasoned with an authentic palette of North African spices - our only complaint is that a single order isn't quite big enough to share.

(We should also note that the kitchen can be slow when the place is crowded, and many people seem to drop in for snacks and a drink rather than a full meal.) The wine list features some good values in African wines - we had an excellent South African Cabernet Sauvignon for Y4500. You can also opt for cocktails, African beers, and odd choices like Giraffe Beer, a Danish brew chosen solely for its Africa-themed name. Dinner for two with drinks generally runs around Y8000-11,000.