Ek, bistro under the leadership of Saša Kralj, which specialized in brunches such as eggs Benedict and French toast but also offered a short yet lovely menu throughout the day, is closing its doors after a little more than a year of operation.

We can blame the location (the extended end of the Petkovšek Bankalong by the bridge called Žitni most), the lack of skilful management, insufficient enthusiasm of the people of Ljubljana over the extended breakfast … but the fact is that the capital has lost yet another bistro. At a time when Slovenia is being recognised as a new culinary destination, this should not have been happening, at least not in principle.

The Biro, a bistro opened last year by Robert Henigman, did not even last a year. Henigman gave up after half a year at Gornji trg (another allegedly “cursed” location), even though Bill Murray himself dined there last June during his promotional visit to Ljubljana, which should have given the bistro an additional impetus.

Ljubljana has become a tourist destination and, particularly in recent years, tourists are looking for authentic local dishes and ingredients – in short, what bistros usually offer at a high quality level. And the tourists had been coming to Ek, but it is illusory to expect that such places will be full every day and at every hour. Unfortunately, Ljubljana's reality is that many places simply do not have the time to wait for more than a year for a breakthrough due to high rents.