IT'S easy to think of the Alisala as one of Ringwood's best-kept secrets, tucked away as it is just off the town's market place.

But even if it does lurk just a few steps further than most shoppers will wander, there's no secret about this place, as everyone I've ever known dine there is keen to extol its many virtues.

I first visited the place about seven years ago, and it was one of the first restaurants I took my wife to (before she was my wife). But I hadn't been back since our eldest son was born three years ago, so with a wedding anniversary to celebrate, a return to the best UK Thai restaurant I've ever been to seemed more than overdue.

Could it live up to my memories, though? Certainly, on our arrival, impressions were promising. There's always a friendly greeting, and our smiling hostess quickly ushered us to our waiting table.

The Alisala isn't the largest of venues (which makes booking ahead strongly advisible), but it has that deceptively spacious feel. There may only be about a dozen tables, but you never feel cramped or eavesdropped on.

The size of the dining area allows for an delightful atmosphere, too, even if the place isn't full, so it's a perfect balance.

Our drinks arrived quickly - the excellent Thai beer Singha is a must, really - accompanied by a complimentary basket of Thai crackers. Now I could spend many happy hours just drinking Singha and munching on Thai crackers (and, indeed, have done) but this wouldn't be a very searching review if I did, so we ordered starters, opting for a double helping of peek gai tod.

Ah yes, the dish names. Whereas chow mein and tikka masala have become an integral part of the English language, there's still something exotic and impenetrable about Thai dishes.

No matter, for the menu adds a full description of what you're getting, so we were able to confidently await our peek gai tod in the knowledge that deep-fried spicy chicken wings with chilli sauce were imminent.

Jolly nice they were too. Succulent, not at all crispy, and generously coated with a sweet chilli sauce that contrasted nicely with the spiciness of the meat.

For the main course, my better half chose nuea yang, thinly-sliced sirloin beef fried Thai-style with chilli sauce, while I selected the splendidly-monikered ped pad prik, which is spicy stir-fried duck with fresh chilli, onion, and bell pepper.

We also ordered a bowl of steamed rice, rather less exotic than some accompaniments on offer, but fluffy and moist, and the perfect companion to our spicy choices.

Luckily, they don't believe in rushing your dining experience at the Alisala, the staff striking exactly the right balance between attentiveness and discretion. So we had enough time between courses to allow our appetites to recover.

My duck dish was suprisingly meaty, with a pleasant spicy aftertaste that added to, rather than disguised, the taste of the food.

My wife, being rather keen on onions and peppers in her food, was a bit envious at my choice, but thoroughly enjoyed her own meal, generously allowing me to sample the beef, which was done to perfection.

There's a wide range of dishes at the Alisala, with soups, salads, curries, meat dishes and seafood all on the menu - there's even a generous vegetarian selection, and no fewer than nine set menus.

After our main course, we were ready to call it a night, but in the cause of good journalism we forced down a couple of desserts, my wife picking the less-than-Thai chocolate fudge cake, while I went all exotic and chose roti, the pastry-based pancake, with a generous dollop of ice cream.

Even sated as we were, these were wolfed down with enthusiasm, so delicious were they (in fact, I'd go back just for the roti).

The price of our meal, including drinks, came to £48.50, and not a penny of it was begrudged. If anything, the Alisala has got even better since my first visit all those years ago.

As someone who's very fussy about standards of service, and who has eaten high quality Thai food in Thailand itself, I'm not easy to please when it comes to Thai restaurants. So you'd better take notice when I say that the Alisala is not just the best UK Thai dining experience I've had, it's very high on the list of my favourite restaurants.

Or perhaps you'd better not; after all, I don't want to have trouble getting a table when I make my next visit!