You've probably walked past it a million times, but never dared to venture down the steps.

Well if you haven't, that's a habit you need to break today – Dolce Sicily on Dawson Street does some pretty special things with the humble panini (yes, we know it's technically called a panino, but we're succumbing to the masses here).

We popped in there yesterday, lured in by the promise of a panini and soup for just €8.50.

Expecting to be confronted by the usual selection of ham, cheese and tomato combos, we were seriously impressed by the creativity and inventiveness that goes into these things... as you can see below.

The ingredients are a bit of an unusual bunch for this particular form of sandwich – ranging from olive pate to turkey, and from iceberg lettuce to a tuna mayo – and while it's not exactly molecular gastronomy, it's great to see places shake up the old faves once in a while.

The Siracusa still accounts for the more traditional panini aficionados out there – smoked cheese, fennel salami and sundried tomatoes – and needless to say the coffee is top-notch.

Oh, and there's one dessert option that we're going to be going back for today. If it's not there, we'll be the ones outside throwing a strop and quite possibly crying.

Time to stop walking past this place – a venture down the steps reveals a gorgeous interior, a great atmosphere and a fairly special selection of sambos. Get in.