King’s Premium Seafood opens in Great Neck

Idiosyncratic doesn’t begin to describe King’s Premium Seafood, which opened this summer in Great Neck. “Asian,” “seafood” and “restaurant” begin to get at its essential nature, although those descriptors would not prepare you for the Spanish Ibérico de Bellota ham, the bone-in rib-eye “tomahawk” steaks, the brisk takeout business or the deli counter and glass-fronted soda cases.

In fact, King’s took over what used to be Michelangelo’s Deli, on a parking-challenged stretch of Great Neck Road dominated by auto-repair shops. Proprietor Samantha Fung, a Manhasset resident, was looking for a small shop, close to home, where she could establish a business, and the modest storefront needed very little tweaking to meet her needs.

Fung’s husband, Andy, runs a wholesale seafood business that supplies Asian restaurants and markets. Access to his wares means King’s can serve very high-quality sushi and sashimi at reasonable prices, often with special guest fish such as queen snapper, white-fleshed with a pleasantly chewy skin. The daily chef’s special sushi is $28.

King’s has a dedicated sushi chef, Sky Zhou, and also an experienced kitchen chef, Rico Lui, who also makes good use of exotic fish. One night a whole madai snapper (actually an esteemed bream) is showered with vegetables and steamed. It was more than enough for three and cost $38. Another of Lui’s specialties is fried rice — with king crab, smoked salmon or Kobe beef ($15).

Both the sushi and kitchen menus are constantly evolving, and the staff at King’s is happy to help you navigate.

The home cook can buy such marine exotica as king crab legs, soft-shell crabs, wild jumbo shrimp, clams, oysters (French and West Coast kumamotos), escargot or sushi-grade tuna.

King’s Premium Seafood is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day but Sunday at 374 Great Neck Rd., Great Neck, 516-439-4778

SEE PHOTOSTry something new: Recent LI restaurant openings