When I first walked into J. Red & Co I thought “is this Brampton?”

Owner Jason Rosso says indeed it is. His restaurant, which opened late 2015, is nestled on the corner of Main Street and Vodden Street, close to where I grew up where the only food offerings I remember were chains and fast-food. J. Red + Co replaced Portobello, an Italian restaurant I do remember, but Rosso’s new venture is something entirely different.

“We knew Brampton was missing something a little more urban, a little more fun,” Rosso said. “We wanted an urban experience that you didn’t have to go to Toronto for.”

Gone are the days when you dread driving into downtown Toronto to enjoy a pint and a burger with some live music. J. Red + Co offers that and more. The menu features a wide selection of internationally-inspired items carefully curated and prepared to be approachable to a range of customers. Executive chef Cal Sandford says that’s the goal of the menu, to never be one thing, and to take things people wouldn’t normally try and present it to them in an inviting manner.

“I’m trying to make food that’s approachable,” Sandford said. “Soft enough in flavours that they don’t scare anybody, but strong enough that people come back for more.”

One of their appetizers — Butter Chicken Nachos — does just that. Sandford says it introduces people to the popular Indian dish who would have otherwise ignored it. Another signature dish — Thai Fighter — is a great entry point into Thai cuisine for those who’ve never tried.

Sandford ultimately describes the menu as Canadian, him and his team experiment with not just Canadian sourced ingredients, but ingredients and dishes inspired from across the globe. J. Red + Co offers a specialized menus every few months, its last menu featured South African dishes, and before that they offered a wild game menu. Starting Oct. 1, J. Red’s will offer a specialized menu inspired by the Philippines.

“We have such a multicultural society, we’re in Brampton, a melting pot of cultures,” Sandford said. “I want to take things that people wouldn’t try and give them a vessel to that.”

Rosso and Sandford believe in procuring Canadian products, first and foremost. Even their draft beer features selections from Brampton’s own Hop City Brewing Co., pints of which pair wonderfully with the food.

Did I mention the wood-burning pizza oven? If it wasn’t hard enough to choose an item on the menu, J. Red + Co offers five varieties of ‘za made Italian-style in 750 degrees.