To conclude my birthday celebrations this year, I was so excited to try out a brand new restaurant in Edmonton with my girlfriends. In the past couple months, so many places have popped up on my radar, I almost can't keep up! But celebrating with dinner at one of the newest places on 124 Street was the perfect decision.

The Makk on 124 - 10418 124 Street - Edmonton AB

Stepping into the warm restaurant from the chilly outdoors revealed a clean, chic interior. With bright lighting strategically placed around the restaurant, the dark decor contrasted the red walls beautifully. It was a quiet evening at the restaurant, which created a great environment for an intimate birthday dinner.

After sending our orders off with our server, she brought along some bread to the table. But this wasn't your average bread and butter - it was homemade vegan bread served with green onion & dill creme fraiche. Totally an unexpected twist, and I loved it. The bread was nice and soft, and the herbed creme fraiche was a great accompaniment.

To start our evening we all shared the Mango Chili Prawns with Basil ($15): Shell-off Tiger Prawns, Fresh Mango, Bell Pepper, Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce. The savoury prawns were cooked perfectly, retaining the "elastic" nature when biting into them. The salsa-esque blend on the side was slightly too sweet for my liking on its own, but was much better combined together with the shrimp.

And because we all love to share, my stomach was happy with me trying out a bit of everyones food that night. The Truffled Mac n’ Cheese was a definite favourite at the table ($18): Macaroni, Truffle Cream, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan . Creamy al dente pasta amongst gooey cheese with the essence of truffles? Sign me up.

My main for the night was the Smoked Duck Breast ($29): Slow Braised Red Cabbage, Macaire Potatoes, Cassis Jus. As if I hadn't had enough protein already on the nights leading up to this one, it didn't matter, because whenever I see lamb or duck on the menu, it has to be mine. The presentation of this dish was beautiful, with a bowl lifted off to reveal the duck still smoking away, waiting to be eaten. The duck was smoky and tender, while the crisp skin of the macaire potatoes revealed the smooth, soft interior. I found there wasn't much aside from natural flavours, so the cassis jus was a necessary pairing to give the duck and potatoes a savoury kick. The sweet red cabbage gave the dish a nice contrast.

Being the birthday girl, I was determined to have a dessert all to myself. No ifs, ands, or buts! The Coconut Panna Cotta served with a sorbet of my choice ($7) was calling my name. The panna cotta was quite thick compared to what I am used to, but it was smooth and creamy with a hint of coconut. I had chosen to go with the watermelon sorbet (all ice cream and sorbet is homemade!), which was really refreshing. Only thing is that it was slightly too sweet to pass for all natural sweetness coming from the watermelon, but nonetheless it was a nice light finish.

The girls had chosen to share the Vanilla Creme Brulee ($8): A Rich Custard Base Topped with Caramelized Brown Sugar, Seasonal Fresh Fruit and House Made Sorbet, and the dish delivered as promised. The strawberry mint sorbet they had chosen was not too sweet, giving the classic custard dessert the illusion of being very sweet. The torched sugar had a nice crack to it, giving way to the creamy vanilla custard below.

Being brand new to 124 Street, I'm sure The Makk is a very welcome addition to the unique, locally owned businesses in the area. What I really love is that they strive to use fresh, local ingredients in all their dishes, and they have been conscious to provide vegan and gluten free options on their menu to be inclusive for all patrons. Although this restaurant is on the pricier end of the spectrum, it would be great for a date night or celebratory dinner. What I'm really interested in now is their Sunday Brunch - I'll have to go try it out and report back.