As Rosso is directly opposite Torero, many couples must be faced with a choice between the two. If they want to spend less OR they have kids, they go for Rosso. It’s part of a chain: there are Rossos in many Finnish towns. Decoration mixes garish bright colours with a kind of Italian, rustic theme – there are fake onions hanging from the ceiling. There’s also a children’s section (a life-saver or irritant, depending on your point of view) where kids can play, looked after by the ‘Happy Squirrel,’ who also has his own section of the menu. Service is normally good, though the seats are a bit low and seemed to be designed for very tall people. Meals begin with as much salad and bread as you want, which is certainly a bonus. The menu has a reasonable choice, including steak, pizza, and pasta, but, for some reason, an upmarket hamburger is not an option. The food is reasonably nice, though sometimes a bit sloppy, especially in relation to chips – of which there were too few and, on occasion, undercooked. If you want a cheap meal slightly above the ‘fast food’ standard and have children, then this might be a good place to go occasionally. Though, any date might be a bit bad-tempered if you take or her or him here rather than the restaurant opposite. Personally, I would not go there often.

Fransmanni, Pakkahuoneenkatu 16     * * *

Fransmanni has a great atmosphere and serves quite good food. It’s just that the food is so similar to so many other restaurants in Oulu, although that’s not specifically Fransmanni’s fault. Perhaps the best thing about Fransmanni is the decoration. It’s like sitting in a Third Empire Drawing Room with old-looking chairs that have intricately designed legs. There are nineteenth century-looking hanging lamps above the tables, which you should be careful not to hit your head on. This is certainly romantic in terms of atmosphere, though for some reason when it is quiet they do not play any music. The kitchen is in open view and the service okay, although it could be quicker and I don’t know why the waitress assumed I wanted my steak cooked medium. The view from the window is awful which makes me wonder why they insist on such massive windows. As with Rosso – but looking very out of place here – there is a small ‘Happy Squirrel’ kid’s play pen. The food is of a good standard and not particularly expensive, but the menu is relatively limited. Considering the huge size of the restaurant there really seems no reason why the menu – typical, French-style steak, fish, pork fare – could not have included more options. And some of the desserts are really bizarre concoctions, like raspberries in syrup with chocolate ice-cream, and are perhaps worth giving a miss. Fransmanni is a good restaurant with limited choice. It’s so similar to other restaurants in Oulu that it’s hard to tell the difference. But if you’ve already been to Torero, there seems little point going to Fransmanni where the choice is much smaller – though they’re good if you like fish.