Basant takes its name from the festival marking spring and new beginnings, and that idea of freshness runs through chef/owner Jeet Singh's menu, which he built around twenty years of wanting to open a restaurant centered on personal food memory. Dishes translate specific recollections — his mother's kichad chole, a reworking of his father's stroganoff sauce, a salmon curry that traces back to recipes improvised with college friends.
The regular menu also runs a 22-ingredient Chettinad marinade reimagined as a coating for fried chicken, a Vindaloo Pork Belly Tonkatsu served with plum murabba, and a Signature Series built around Duck Basant, Fish Basant, and Chicken Basant, each defined by its own sauce.
Separate from the regular menu, Basant runs Sunday Food Memories, a rotating offering tied to personal and family recollection rather than a fixed lineup.
On the drinks side, Jeet Singh works with the bar team on a cocktail program that's developed its own following in North Center, part of a local reputation for cooking that stands apart from Chicago's usual Indian food formula. The Infatuation rated Basant 8/10.
The regular menu also runs a 22-ingredient Chettinad marinade reimagined as a coating for fried chicken, a Vindaloo Pork Belly Tonkatsu served with plum murabba, and a Signature Series built around Duck Basant, Fish Basant, and Chicken Basant, each defined by its own sauce.
Separate from the regular menu, Basant runs Sunday Food Memories, a rotating offering tied to personal and family recollection rather than a fixed lineup.
On the drinks side, Jeet Singh works with the bar team on a cocktail program that's developed its own following in North Center, part of a local reputation for cooking that stands apart from Chicago's usual Indian food formula. The Infatuation rated Basant 8/10.