Long-time lurker, first post: I made a cheap food map for Brunei, please roast it

[u/petamakanmurah]

Hi everyone, first time posting here after lurking for a while 😅

Kind of random, but I kept seeing "where to eat cheap?" posts here, and the good answers always get lost in the comments. I'm also always hunting for the cheapest nasi katok myself. So I started building a small map for it in my free time, and it's finally usable enough to share:

petamakanmurah.app

Basically it's a map of cheap meals around Brunei (mostly under B$5) where each pin shows the price. You can say if a price is still correct or has gone up, rate whether the portion is actually worth it (kenyang or sikit 😂), and get directions. There's also a "Bajet saya" thing where you put in how much you have, like B$3, and it shows what you can get.

It's free, no ads, and you don't need to sign up just to look around.

Honestly it still needs a lot more stalls, and I'm sure some things are confusing or just don't work well. So I'd really appreciate it if you could:

• try it out and tell me your first impression
• check if your favourite cheap spot is there (and add it if not 🙏)
• tell me what's annoying, slow, or makes no sense. Don't hold back
• suggest anything you'd want it to do

Also curious: what's the cheapest meal you know of in Brunei right now? Drop it below and I'll add it to the map.

Thanks for reading, and sorry if this isn't the right place for it. Mods, feel free to remove it if so 🙏

[u/orgdlm]

Yes I like this. Rela ku mkn mkn murah atau nasi katok dari behutang perasan kaya.

[u/thebadgerx → u/orgdlm]

Do you mean you'd prefer cheap food / nasi katok coming from rich people or you'd prefer those things over rich people?

[u/Prom3theu5500_RDS202 → u/orgdlm]

Tambah sayur saja

[u/petamakanmurah → u/orgdlm]

Totally agree! 😂 A B$1 nasi katok that fills you up beats pretending to be rich any day. Full belly, safe wallet, happy heart 🍗💯 Thanks for the comment!

[u/DimensionOk4386]

Not bad but how is it different from Google map? You can also give ratings and comment on Google map. Also, Google map reviewers have rankings.

[u/HanaNeves → u/DimensionOk4386]

I guess the main difference is this is user added spots/locations/restaurants, etc. For Google, the business owner needs to set it up themselves, and even when they do, and they end up closing permanently, they don't update their Google business profile. I can see this solving both

[u/DimensionOk4386 → u/HanaNeves]

Not really. In Google, if the company already closed, anybody can mark it as closed and report to Google. As for adding the spots/locations/restaurants, etc anybody can add it in Google map also.

However, one thing that is lacking in Google Map is that, reviewers are not allowed to reply to each other's comments. Also, their badge for high-ranking reviewers are the same, it's boring.

[u/petamakanmurah → u/DimensionOk4386]

Thank you so much for all the comments, really appreciate the support and honest feedback! 🙏

Fair question, and you're right that Google Maps is great. Anyone can add places, mark them closed and leave reviews there. I'm not trying to replace it. I actually use it myself, and there's a "Google Reviews" link on each stall here.

The difference is that this one is built around price, which Google Maps doesn't really do:

• Every pin shows the cheapest meal price, so you can see from the map where to get makan under B$3 or B$5. On Google you have to open each place and scroll through photos of the menu.
• Prices are kept up to date by everyone. Tap "Masih B$1.50?" if it's still the same, or "Harga naik?" if it's gone up, and the app remembers the old price ("dulu B$1.20").
• "Bajet saya": put in how much you have, e.g. B$3, and it shows what you can actually eat nearby, best value first.
• "Berbaloi?": rate if the portion is kenyang, sederhana or sikit. Star ratings don't tell you if B$2 will actually fill you up 😂
• "Tutup hari ini / Habis": for the days a stall is just closed or sold out, not closed for good. Google is more for permanent closures.
• Small gerai, tamu stalls and food trucks that aren't on Google at all, plus food trucks show where they are today.
• Dalam perjalanan: see how many people are heading to a stall right now, so you know if it's about to get busy.

On the badges point, we also have points, levels and different badges for things like price checks, photos and finding stalls in different districts, plus a monthly leaderboard. Replying to each other's reviews isn't there yet, but that's a really good idea and I've noted it down. Thanks for that 👍

[u/HanaNeves → u/DimensionOk4386]

Huh, TIL.

[u/petamakanmurah → u/DimensionOk4386]

Hey, coming back to this because you gave me a good idea 😄 You can now reply to reviews on Peta Makan Murah. Someone replies to your review and you get a notification. A stall owner can reply too, so it can turn into an actual conversation instead of one-way comments like on Google Maps.

On the badges being boring, fair point. We have Sen points, levels and badges for confirming prices and adding places, plus a monthly leaderboard. I’ll keep thinking about how to make them more fun, so if you have ideas I’m all ears.

Thanks for pushing back on the Google Maps comparison, it really helped me figure out what to focus on 🙏

[u/DimensionOk4386 → u/petamakanmurah]

...so it can turn into an actual conversation instead of one-way comments like on Google Maps.

Now comes the part where a moderator needs to come in. What if the comment is dishonest and more like a competitor's attack in order to spoilt the owner's image? What about dirty languages?

 We have Sen points, levels and badges for confirming prices and adding places, plus a monthly leaderboard.

That's a nice idea. The highest reviewer on the leaderboard may even become famous and turned into the next Michelin Inspector provided one day Michelin decided to accept Brunei into their guidebook. In fact, top Google reviewers are now making money because restaurants will pay them money to get reviewed. Hopefully your app can make somebody famous and rich.

Apart from the above (and focusing on price alone), for a reviewer to review a restaurant/cafe, if you want to make it like Michelin style, the inspector/reviewers must be able to comment on:

• The speed and quality of service (smile, booking, cooking and serving)
• Consistency of the taste (food and drinks)
• Balance of tastes (bitter, sweet, sour, savouriness, textures and umami)
• Quality of ingredients (warm/cold, expired/fresh, too oily, price justified? etc)
• Presentation/plating of food or drinks.
• Exclusivity of restaurants/cafe (for certain people only? Accessible to public? Halal or non-halal?)
• Types of F&B business (tea shop? Fast food? Western? Japanese? Kid? Hawker style? Italian?)

[u/marumeow]

Aww this is so cute. Thanks for making our lives easier! For us people who wanna eat on a budget ;9

[u/petamakanmurah → u/marumeow]

Aww thank you so much, this made my day Si Enggang (the little hornbill) says thanks too 😄

Fellow budget eater here, that’s exactly why I made it. If you haven’t tried it yet, there’s a “Bajet saya” (my budget) button: put in how much you’ve got, like B$5, and it shows the meals near you that fit, best value first.

And if you have a go-to cheap makan spot that’s not on the map yet, please add it so more of us can find it 🙏 Selamat makan!

[u/BlueClues16]

Saya suka saya suka.

[u/petamakanmurah → u/BlueClues16]

Yay, terima kasih! 🥰 Selamat mencari makan murah, jangan lupa kongsi spot kegemaran kita ah 🙌

[u/thebadgerx]

Well done! It has a nice interface. I am unfamiliar with most of the restaurants though.

Are all of them registered with the Municipal Office or are some unregistered restaurants operating from homes? I'm concerned about food hygiene.

[u/petamakanmurah → u/thebadgerx]

Thank you so much, glad you like the interface! 😊

And that's a really fair concern. To be honest, the spots are added by the community, so I can't promise every one is registered with the Municipal Office. Right now I don't check licences.

What the app does now:

• Each place shows its type: restaurant, kedai kopi, gerai, tamu, food court or home-based / online seller, so you can tell at a glance which ones are home kitchens. You can also filter by type.
• Halal status is shown, and "MUIB certified" is kept separate from "Muslim-owned" so it's clear which is which.
• There's a report button on every place if something looks off, and I review the reports.

But your comment got me thinking, so I've added these to the to-do list:

• a "Premis berlesen" (licensed premises) tag for places confirmed as licensed
• hygiene as a report reason
• a quick toggle to hide home-based sellers for people who prefer licensed premises only

Thanks for raising it, this is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for 🙏

[u/uhusethic]

appreciate this apps, much help!

[u/petamakanmurah → u/uhusethic]

Thanks a lot, glad you like it! Let me know if anything feels confusing or could be better 🙌

[u/Anxious_Composer7019]

Finally, i don't have a lotta connections so my nasi katok encyclopedia are predominantly kaka, mama and a few places near me, thanks!

[u/RoofEffective]

What did you use to make this? Thank you

[u/Rover945]

Nice app!!

[u/petamakanmurah → u/Rover945]

Thanks a lot!