Jalapeno South-West: Affordable & Authentic Halal Mexican Fare In Clementi

Most people won’t associate Mexican food with the heartlands. But with Jalapeno South-West opening at 321 Clementi Mall, you can now satisfy your Mexican food cravings without having to travel all the way to town.

We’ve heard quite a lot about this place since Jalapeno South-West is actually one of the few halal-certified Mexican eateries in Singapore.

Jalapeno South-West is a quick service-styled restaurant with a well-decorated interior and sufficient seating. I particularly liked the bay window seating as it had good lighting and gave me a view of the mall’s surroundings.

We kicked off with Chicken Nachos (S$9.90), which I could only call an upgraded version of your regular nacho chips. Regular tostada chips are layered with queso and cheddar for contrast between punchy and mellow cheese flavours.

I really liked the jalapeno slices on each chip which gave a little peppery kick to every bite.

The dish was served with sour cream and a side of salsa picante, made in-house. I definitely can see why these were included as they helped to balance out the intense, strong taste of the nacho chips.

However, the salsa picante didn’t really meet my expectations as taste-wise, it did not stand out.

We also had their Buffalo Wings (S$8.90 for half dozen wings, S$16.90 for a full dozen). The meat was tender and well-cooked, but the marinade might be a little of an acquired taste.

Slightly tangy and reminiscent of Tabasco sauce (which I highly suspect was used as an ingredient here), expect big flavours to come in this small package.

It packed quite a punch too in terms of spice, with the spiciness kicking in only after the tangy notes dissipated. The housemade ranch dip helped to cool my mouth, which was a nice touch. This is definitely a dish to try if you love Tabasco sauce!

I had the Chicken Quesadilla (S$9.90) which I personally loved. This dish is absolutely amazing and I would come back here just to have it.

The combination of smoky, grilled marinated chicken, sharp cheese, slightly caramelized and subtly sweet sautéed onions and salty pickled jalapeno just came together to create something absolutely harmonious and delightful.

I couldn’t stop myself from finishing every last piece on the plate.

I can see how this dish would make for the perfect to-go snack too with each small quesadilla package containing the entire spectrum of flavours present in the dish.

I must commend Jalapeno South-west for creating such an amazing dish.

Who would go to a Mexican place and skips the burritos? I had the Chicken Burrito (S$9.90) which was pretty worth it.

You get the standard black beans, pico de gallo, grilled chicken, bell peppers and lettuce all within a fluffy tortilla wrap.

However, the inclusion of mixed cheese in this dish really elevated the flavour profile by helping to gel all the different flavours together. Furthermore, the serving size for the burrito is pretty big for the price tag.

Coupled with the fact that it is served with a side of Mexican rice (which was pretty well-seasoned), it amounted to a filling meal on its own.

The Chicken Fajita (S$14.90) is pretty much the same as the Chicken Burrito, but you have the option to build it yourself.

You have more control over the flavours in the wrap, as you add more or remove ingredients when constructing your fajita.

I must say that the tortilla itself was super soft and fluffy when I held it. However, I would go for the Chicken Burrito instead, as the build-it-yourself experience does not really warrant the heftier price tag.

I also took a bite out of the housemade New York Cheesecake (S$5.90). I opted for the strawberry sauce but you can go for the chocolate, caramel or butterscotch sauces too.

The New York Cheesecake at Jalapeno South-west is pretty good. Thick yet airy at the same time, it had the punchy sweetness of cheesecake on a crumbly base of graham crackers.

We also had a sneak peek of dishes that they are still developing in the Jalapeno South-West kitchen. We were pretty excited about the Garlic Cajun Prawn Pasta with perfectly cooked and seasoned prawns, paired with pasta tossed with a sweet tomato cream sauce.

You can expect their Striploin Steak to make some waves when it comes out. The meat might not be the most tender, which we pointed out to the chef as an area of improvement. But it’s certainly flavourful, and I understand that the Jalapeno South-West team hopes to price it reasonably.

The Mexican food at Jalapeno South-West might just be one of the most authentic renditions you can get in Singapore. The owner actually spent three years living and interacting with the Hispanic community in San Andreas, Texas, bringing back techniques and recipes — in particular, the way that they barbeque and prepare grilled meats.

The punchy flavours, generous serving sizes and relatively reasonable price tags are a winning combination that will have me coming back here for more.

You should definitely try out the Chicken Quesadilla and Chicken Nachos when you come down to Jalapeno South-West. You won’t regret it!

Expected Damage: S$10 – 15 per pax