FuMu (父母): A Proper Western Breakfast in Taipei

Taiwan loves breakfast. 豆漿Dòu jiāng and 油條Yóu tiáo (soy milk and fried dough) are the iconic breakfast. Then there is 飯糰Fàn tuán (sticky rice roll), which has recently been getting a moment on social media as a Chinese breakfast burrito. Then there are multiple chains and restaurants called 西式早餐店Xī shì zǎo cān diàn (Western breakfast shop), like 美而美Měi ér měi and My Warm Day 麥味登Mài wèi dēng. The thing is, while they do serve eggs, ham, toast, etc., it’s not served on a traditional plate. They’re generally served as a breakfast sandwich, and often alongside a plate of noodles.

It’s a common thing you will hear from foreigners that they would like to find a nice diner like back home, with sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, toast, maybe some hash browns. I’ve also heard about the desire to find a place that offers free coffee refills. Well, Fumu handles about 90% of those requests; they don’t offer coffee refills. But it’s not just for North Americans, but also for our English friends, offering both an American breakfast and a traditional English breakfast. Also, to make us Westerners feel at home, they serve alcohol all day, advertising Bloody Marys as well as cocktails. I’ve never been one for a Bloody Mary, but it’s nice to have the option for a drink in the earlier afternoon, since a lot of places that serve don’t tend to open until 4-5pm.

This trip, I arrived after 2pm on a Friday. It was the beginning of the Dragon Boat Festival, a national holiday in Taiwan, so I wasn’t sure if it would be busy because of that, or not, because everyone was out watching the races and eating 粽子Zòng zǐ (rice dumplings popular during this festival). Fortunately, there was no wait for me; the bar was empty, but the seating was about 75% full. I love the decor of Fumu - the wood slab bar, the retro speakers and lunchboxes behind the bar, the old movie posters and memorabilia plastered all over the dining area, and the open kitchen to make sure there’s no funny business while cooking the food. The server was friendly, always having a big smile on his face.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

They have been updating their menu, so from what I could tell, there’s no longer a hard copy; you order online by scanning a QR code — something becoming increasingly common in Taipei among restaurants. I was in the mood for breakfast, but I decided I didn’t want the pancakes, so I opted for the English breakfast. It used to come with baked beans, but those have been replaced by triangle hash browns. From my understanding, they’re both English. I think I prefer the hash browns to the beans, anyway.

It’s a good breakfast, and as mentioned, not something that’s very common in Taipei; unsurprisingly, every culture has its own breakfasts. The egg is always perfectly cooked, and you can have it sunny-side up, over easy, over hard, or scrambled. The bacon is slightly thick and has that nice balance of crispy but not only crispy. The hash browns are fine, basically like a McDonald’s hash brown, but small and triangular. The mushrooms are a nice addition; they’re still plump and a little oily, but with plenty of herbs, they’re a welcome change from the traditional American breakfast, which is mostly fat, sweet, and salty. I could be wrong about the sausage, but I thought it had a relatively strong garlic flavour, which I enjoyed immensely. The rye bread is lightly toasted and always pairs well with breakfast. The big surprise, as a Canadian growing up who never really ate a British breakfast, is the grilled tomato half. Grilling it mellows the flavour, making it just a pleasant pop of light acidic tomato amongst all the other food. I may start making this at home.

At NT$330 or US$10.40, it’s not a cheap breakfast in Taiwan, but it’s similar to, or even cheaper than, most breakfasts at Denny’s in the USA, especially when you factor in tax and tip. Fumu seems like the type of restaurant that would charge the 10% service fee because, well, they can, but they don’t. And while they have a tip jar out, it’s not expected to tip. I absolutely love this about Taiwan, or rather, so many countries outside of North America.

They have a full professional espresso machine and take the time to do latte art, which I appreciate purely for aesthetic reasons. It looks pretty, and I just think that’s neat. It’s a small latte, especially for NT$120, but it’s good and complements the breakfast.

Fumu's location is interesting as well. It sits on Xing’an Street and has drawn taxi drivers for a very long time because of all of the Taiwanese street food spots. So a Western breakfast spot serving eggs later into the afternoon, then Western-style cocktails and food into the early morning, is a peculiarity. This visit, I would say it was about 50/50 foreigners and locals. But the locals there were mostly younger. It’s a trendy place to go, even 7 years later since opening in 2019. The interesting thing is, they know where they put the restaurant: in my picture at the bar with my breakfast — behind that is a vintage Taiwanese taxi sign, signalling how popular this strip is with taxi drivers. I don’t personally know if taxi drivers have started coming to Fumu, but maybe I should ask next time I go.

You can make a reservation online, but it's only for sofa seating and high tables. Bar counter and outdoor seating are available for walk-in guests only. Also, the maximum number of guests for online reservations is 12 people. Reserve here.

Overall, Fumu is a lively, fun, and hip restaurant, with one of the best truly Western breakfasts available in northern Taiwan. Whether you live in Taiwan and crave a Western breakfast, or you’re a tourist and you’ve had the local breakfasts and now want a taste of home, Fumu’s a great restaurant to visit.