**Suzhou cuisine highlights**: The signature squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with sweet and sour sauce that strikes the right balance; the osmanthus braised pork melts in your mouth, sweet and savory without being greasy; other Suzhou classics include crab roe tofu, shepherd's purse and whitebait soup, and Dongpo pork with bamboo shoots.
**Local specialties**: Fresh live shrimp drizzled with sauce on site, Yangcheng Lake drunken crab in Huadiao wine, crab roe noodles, and Jiangnan-style snacks such as white jade square cakes, taro paste mochi, and mugwort rice balls with iced tofu pudding.