The Pavilion of Pines and Cranes and the Deyue Pavilion were both long-established restaurants in Suzhou. They both served squirrel mandarin fish as their signature dish. Squirrel mandarin fish was a traditional banquet dish. It was delicious in color, aroma, and taste. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was sweet and sour. It was said that Emperor Qianlong had once tasted this dish at the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes in Suzhou and was very satisfied. The Squirrel Mandarin Fish in the Building of Pines and Cranes had a diamond-shaped pattern on its body. After being fried, it was golden in color and shaped like a squirrel. Meanwhile, the squirrel mandarin fish of the Moon Gaining Restaurant was fried with pig fat. Its entire body was golden, and the meat was as smooth as hair. When it was hot, it would make a sizzling sound when it was poured with marinade, just like a squirrel chirping happily. The Squirrel Mandarin Fish served by these two restaurants was highly praised and was one of the representatives of Suzhou cuisine.

Both the Tower of Pines and Cranes and the Moon Pavilion were well-known restaurants in Suzhou, but overall, the dishes and service of the Tower of Pines and Cranes were better. Although the Moon Obtaining Pavilion was more famous, some locals recommended the less famous small round building. Therefore, it could be said that the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes had a better reputation.
The Moon Pavilion and the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes were both famous restaurants in Suzhou, each with their own specialties. Some people thought that the Pines and Cranes Restaurant's dishes and service were better, but the Moon Obtaining Restaurant was more famous. However, there were also people who said that the environment and service of the Moon Restaurant were poor, and the dishes were still cold when they were served. In addition, the Moon Pavilion and the Pines and Cranes Pavilion both used squirrel mandarin fish as their signature dishes, and the taste was at the peak of Jiangsu cuisine. Overall, there was no clear answer to the question of which was more delicious, the Moon Pavilion or the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes.
Moon Pavilion was a famous hundred-year-old restaurant in Suzhou. One of its signature dishes was squirrel mandarin fish. Squirrel mandarin fish was the representative dish of Jiangsu cuisine and had enjoyed a long-standing reputation at home and abroad. This dish had color, fragrance, taste, and form. What was even more interesting was that it could make a sound. When the deep-fried mandarin fish was served, it would squeak when it was poured with steaming marinade. The steps to make squirrel mandarin fish included removing the scales, cutting the fish body, marinating, and applying starch. There were also other signature dishes of the Moon Pavilion, such as Drunken Life and Dream Death, Drunken Duck Feet, Braised Lion's Head, etc.
The Tower of Pines and Cranes was earlier than the Tower of the Obtained Moon. The Tower of Pines and Cranes was built in the 16th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1418), while the Tower of Obtaining Moon was built in the 26th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1428).
The Pavilion of Pines and Cranes and the Pavilion of the Obtained Moon were both long-established restaurants in Suzhou. Although the Moon Pavilion was more famous, the Pines and Cranes Pavilion's dishes and service were better overall. However, there were also some locals who recommended the less famous small round building. Therefore, it could be said that the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes had a better reputation.
The signature dish of Suzhou's Deyue Restaurant was Squirrel Mandarin Fish. This dish was made with mandarin fish fried in pork fat as the main ingredient. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and had a good color, aroma, and taste. When fried, the mandarin fish would be golden all over, and the meat would be opened up like hair. When the marinade was poured on the mandarin fish while it was hot, it would make a sizzling sound, just like a squirrel chirping happily. Squirrel mandarin fish was one of the specialty dishes of the Moon Pavilion and one of the representatives of Suzhou cuisine.
The specialties of the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes included squirrel mandarin fish, fried eel paste, stir-fried shrimp, and noodles with onion oil.
The signature dishes of the Pavilion of Pines and Cranes included squirrel mandarin fish, Gusu braised duck, crab powder tofu, marigold sweet beans, duck gizzard with black bean sauce, preserved sausage, Ruyi abalone, hand-peeled river shrimp, etc.
The four famous dishes of Suzhou's Pine and Crane Restaurant were garlic white pork, crab feet in ginger and onion sauce, shark's fin soup, and squirrel mandarin fish.
The top ten specialties of Suzhou's Songhe Pavilion included squirrel mandarin fish, braised duck, fried eel paste, beggar's chicken, cherry meat, snail shrimp, female oil duck, barbel lung soup, sauce, and watermelon chicken. Among them, nine dishes used meat as the main ingredient, indicating that the specialty dishes of Suzhou's Pines and Cranes Pavilion were mainly meat.