Professor and The Pigeon

Professor and the Pigeon is my go-​to café when I need a place to sit down and get work done, or when I’m about to take a CouchSurfer visitor for a tour of the town. The almond milk lattes are fantastic. The sandwiches, paninis, and wraps are both filling and incredibly tasty.
Have a look at the walls around you — the décor is actually quite well done, despite some reviewers’ opinions; try to spot the professor and the pigeon among the pages of the books… There’s also a children’s play area, which gives the place a very friendly feel. Tim is friendly and polite, and happy to chat with any customer who wants to.
Located just a few short steps from the 99 B-​Line Alma stop, but wayyy less crowded than Grounds for Coffee. UBC students get a discount!

This class was a lot of fun. I purchased a Groupon for the macaron making class for two and attended with a girlfriend. The Groupon is $ 85, but with a 20% off promotion we saved even more. $ 85 is already a pretty good deal for two people though, as the class was really informative, and in the end we all successfully created authentic macarons!
I had tried making macarons on my own a couple years ago but as most people know, it’s a very finicky recipe where measurements need to be very accurate, and factors such as your oven type and humidity of the room you’re baking them in can make all the difference. Tim explained all these issues and more. The class is not too long, about 2 and a half hours, but I did not feel particularly rushed. After a demonstration we all got to take turns piping out the macarons onto the baking tray before separating into groups and making our own batches. All the ingredients were ready and pre-​measured for us which was efficient. I couldn’t believe how easy the whole process felt. Having tried to attempt these on my own before, it was helpful to learn from a professional and see a demonstration in person.
In the end we had lovely macarons with various flavours of buttercream (earl gray, salted caramel, raspberry, peppermint chocolate). As someone who doesn’t actually have a sweet tooth, I enjoyed all the flavors. The macaron cookies themselves were left unflavored, but the emphasis should probably be on the fillings anyway. I did not find them overwhelmingly sweet, but I probably wouldn’t eat these by the handful either. Our class was short two people as they could not make it so we all had almost twice more to take home. Bonus!
For someone who wants a very hands-​on class where you measure everything yourself, this might not be for you. But considering the amount of information I learned and the fact that we still got to make our own batches, the value for this class is too good to pass up. I can no longer justify paying $ 100+ for a class.

I attended the Macaron Making Class with a girlfriend as a gift for her birthday. I had purchased a Groupon for 2, and Tim honoured the Groupon despite it being expired. The store /​space itself isn’t anything to write home about.
The reason I am giving this 4 stars is that Tim makes things incredibly easy to replicate. I’ve made macarons twice since taking the course 3 weeks ago with 100% success. Prior to taking the class I hadn’t ever had any success making them. They’re not hard, but you do need to know the right technique. For that reason, I would recommend the class to anyone who actually wants to learn how to make them.
The class moved too slowly for my girlfriend and I, and ran overtime. Tim was on his own with no assistant, so that may be why. He offered some great treats, mimosas, and juices during the break. Quirky fellow, very matter-​of-​fact. The space where we did the class (with 10 other people) felt crowded. There are 4 people to a Mixer, so you don’t really get to do everything. The ingredients come pre-​measured, which is smart for efficiency.
Overall good lesson!