Cover pic credits: (L): Instagram: Foodozers

As a tourist setting foot in Chennai for the first time, it’s easy to become bamboozled by the city’s food scene. I, too, was a victim of the same fate. Blame the score of eateries for this. But even as I let the thrill of ticking a fair few off my list settle in, conversations with the locals made me realise I couldn’t get complacent.

Turns out, far off the tourist trail, there’s a whole new world of flavour that awaits. So, if you’re on a shoestring budget and up for some experimentation, here’s what you should be adding to your Chennai menu.

1. Gulab jamun dosa

With slow fusion kicking into gear — think butter chicken pizza and thandai tiramisu (a fusion dish that combines the goodness of the Indian milk drink with an Italian classic) — the latest to join the bandwagon is the dosa (savoury Indian crepe).

In a fusion snack that pushes the envelope, the dosa is being paired with the gulab jamun (an Indian dessert made of milk solids) and food blogger Ashwin Kumar applauds the delicious dichotomy of contrasts. At Dosa Halt in Egmore, you can try this and 99 other fusion varieties of dosa too. These include pizza dosa, Japan paneer (cottage cheese) dosa, and (brace yourself) ice cream dosa.

2. Bangalore-style benne masala dosa

In the monsoons, food blogger Mahalakshmi’s favourite haunt is Tiffin Shastra in Chennai’s Anna Nagar area. Here, she sips filter coffee — a culinary lifeline in the city — as her order is readied: a Bangalore-style benne masala dosa (crisp buttery dosa with a delicious filling).

“Unlike the usual masala dosa, this........

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