“Dosa in South India is like bread in New Zealand — everyone eats it, any time of the day, and every house has dosa batter,” says Lakshmi Chanrasekaran. 

Food Point

“Dosa in South India is like bread in New Zealand — everyone eats it, any time of the day, and every house has dosa batter,” says Lakshmi Chanrasekaran. 

Through Food Point, he’s introduced many of the TLBM regulars to his gourmet take on dosa. Lakshmi is a classically trained chef from Chennai, so he’s brought his own refined touch to the dish, which is a crepe-like recipe made from stoneground lentil and rice (so gluten-free), which encases delicious masala fillings such as lamb or tandoori chicken, and served with slaw, coconut ginger chutney and lentil dip. He notes that Tauranga has no South Indian restaurants (it’s pretty much all North Indian food), so you’re unlikely to find other great dosa here.

 Everything’s made from scratch (except the cheese and butter), and he buys all his spices whole. Food Point’s slow-cooked lamb, for example, has about 36 spices. “Nothing is processed.”

“I wanted to travel overseas and create something of my own,” Lakshmi says, about choosing to study as a chef in India. “Before culinary class, I didn’t even know how to boil water,” he laughs. Sure enough, his cooking did take him around the world, including Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, on a Miami-based cruise liner, then eventually New Zealand.

Food Point started in March 2019 when he and his wife Uma bought a lunch bar in Macdonald St in the Mount, and soon after, he started bringing his dosa to markets under the ‘Delicious Dosa’ banner.

Lakshmi’s sights are set firmly on the whole country getting to know dosa — he’s currently working seven days a week at markets in Auckland, Rotorua, Hamilton and of course TLBM. “I want to reach everywhere and create the audience,” he says. “Just like like pizza or burgers have become global, it’s my dream is to take South Indian food to everyone.

“At food courts, you see the menu and order, but at markets, people see the skill, see the food, they get excited  — it becomes a show!” he says. “Nobody knows what dosa is here, but I’m gaining regulars!” 

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