I think I might at last have identified one good thing about growing older: your children turn into young adults whose company can be delightful. I learnt this elemental truth this week when I took my daughter out to dinner. Like many fathers I know, I suffer from the conviction that our young look at us with something verging on pity - the sort of kindly indulgence that's reserved exclusively for old farts. Eager not to appear to be too much of an old fart, when Isabella asked me where we were going, I said in a carefree way 'let's leave it in the lap of the gods', a response that I hoped might show me to be open-minded, adventurous, spontaneous, keen to deal with the extemporaneous and impromptu - in short the sort of dad a young woman might like to dine with.

We headed towards the Rathmines, Rathgar and Terenure area, since there are a number of restaurants there that are still on my 'to visit' list. We drove past a few; Isabella scrutinised them from the car. 'Too small' she said at the first; we drove on a bit, 'don't like the look of it'; another stop, 'looks a bit empty'; then down the Rathmines Road, 'Stop, that looks nice.' We were outside a smart-looking building that appeared to be teeming with young life called 'Tramco'. 'Carmines it is, then,' I said, for 'Carmines' was the name above the door of the restaurant entrance. You go up a flight of stairs with photos of movie stars on the walls and arrive in the dining room, whose principle feature is large picture windows overlooking the road below, teeming with humanity.

Although we had no reservation we were made instantly welcome and shown to a table where we went through a fairly long menu, which begins with a page of brunch alternatives. Starters are in the €5-€7 range and you can choose from focaccia, crostini, soups and salads of various kinds. There's a page of pastas; rigatoni with strips of chicken, penne with smoked bacon, penne arabbiata, then there's a page of pizzas. Main courses include staples like fillet and sirloin steak as well as tuna steak, chicken escalope and veal, which run from under €14 up to €19.

The wine list is short, about a dozen reds and whites, but it's very reasonably priced and there are good wines on it. I picked out a Riesling from Tasmania, because I've been tasting a few Australian Rieslings this week and have been impressed. It was the most expensive white on the list at €25.33, so you can see it's not a heavily marked-up list. It turned out to be a really wonderful wine, full of fruit and yet refreshingly tangy - just right for a meal. It impressed Isabella as well, so right from the start things were looking good.

What also impressed me about Carmine's is the level of service. I'm not talking here about how quickly things come and go from the table, I mean the extras. Our order was taken by the restaurant manager, who really does help you through the choices, explaining the dishes and describing what you can expect. It's something that I'd like to see more of; you're a deal less likely to get an unpleasant surprise if someone takes the time to go through the dishes with you. As a result of this dialogue Isabella picked the feta salad as a starter and then the fillet steak for a main course. I decided that I seemed to be in the hands of a professional and on that basis picked the most adventurous things I could find on the menu; a caramelised pear and Gorgonzola tart as a starter and crusted veal with Parma ham as a main course.

I'm rarely adventurous in my choices in restaurants that I don't know, I'm more inclined to pick something easy from the menu on the basis that it's more likely to be edible, but in Carmine's I'm delighted I picked what I did. When the starters came in big, generous plates, Isabella had a salad with an excellent dressing and plenty of cubes of feta cheese, while my tartlet was served on a bed of rocket which was also very well dressed. Both of these dishes were as good as they could be, which left both of us eager to try the next courses.

I watched Isabella's face as a dauntingly large piece of beef fillet was put before her and I guessed then that there was little chance of her finishing it. We swapped a few forkfuls, me tasting her soft-as-butter fillet and Isabella enjoying the mix of flavours and textures in my veal dish. More than once she said 'this is a really great place', which made me bask a little in reflected glory. She was right, of course - the food was very good, the service attentive and the room stylish and uncluttered.

As I suspected her fillet was too much for her, but she asked if she could take what was left home to the dog. It came back wrapped in foil, artistically shaped so that it looked like bird. Nice touch. Despite her lack of hunger I persuaded her to share a dessert with me and so we picked the lime cheesecake. This was really excellent; zesty and tangy it made an excellent palate cleanser to end the meal. I ended up with two espressos and Isabella ended up with a loyalty card, which she vows she'll be using. Frankly I wouldn't blame her, this was as good a meal as I've had in a very long time and considering I'd picked the most expensive wine, a bill for less than €80 was an added bonus.