99-year-old pensioner stuns Instagram by trying out hip vegan cafe in Hackney

It is thought that the older people get, the less interested they are in trying out new things. This isn't the case for a certain old-aged pensioner, whose picture stood out like a sore thumb on my Instagram feed today, which mainly includes images of food and dogs (and the odd Ed Westwick shot) – if we're valuing honesty here.

As I was casually scrolling through said snaps of acai bowls and Shih Tzu's while sipping my morning tea, a certain image prompted a belly laugh. Vegans of London's account posted a picture that was originally taken on food blogger Emilia Leese's Instagram page – founder of website Emi's Good Eating.

The snap was of her friend, 99-year-old Jim, eating a delicious-looking dish at one of Hackney's most fashionable vegan restaurants – Black Cat. I haven't even made it down there yet in fear of not being trendy enough.

The restaurant is 100% vegan and includes drool-worthy dishes such as veggie curries, pancakes, pasta and hearty soups.

Emilia captioned the shot: "Jim and me at @blackcathackney getting our phones out. We both know the camera eats first. He's having a burger and I had the seitan sandwich. He had never tried the burger (loved it) and I had never tried the seitan (loved it). And loved seeing the place so full and buzzy!!".

Italian-born Emilia, 46, met Jim when she volunteered at a pensioner lunch club in Clerkenwell in 2010. She has been vegan since 2013 and has lived in London since 2001. She said about her friend: "He is only vegan when we meet up, unfortunately. But he now goes to Black Cat regularly and loves their food."

Unlike many older people, Jim – who was born in the Paddington area and currently lives in the hip area of Shoreditch – completely embraces veganism. But he admits he cannot relate to the concept at all. Emilia added: "He doesn't really relate at all, but respects it. He has a great attitude. We've been meeting for lunch once a month for the last six years.

"We used to go to a pub and I would either have a salad or a baked potato. Then he said it wasn't good enough.

"We had to go somewhere where I'd eat. I took him to Amico Bio in Smithfield and he liked it, but there were too many raw vegetables for him – he doesn't like that.

"So I mentioned Black Cat to him. He went to suss it out and tried it on his own. He loved it. And we've been meeting there since," she added.

Open-minded Jim has shown a curiosity about Emi's way of eating since she told him she was vegan upon meeting. She said: "He asked me what it meant.

"I said that I had decided that it was wrong to eat or use any animals so I was no longer going to do that. He was concerned about what I'd eat at the regular places we would go. And I always found something, as we always do."

If you hadn't noticed, Jim is clasping a mobile phone in the Instagram snap – and looks as if he's about to take a picture of his impressive looking meal. Emilia said: "He is so tech savvy. He uses Facebook, Google maps, YouTube, his smartphone – everything." That'll put me in my place when I struggle to turn my computer on in the mornings.

Elaborating on her inspirational older friend, Emilia said: "Whenever someone says, 'Oh, I can't do that', I tell them about Jim. He is truly extraordinary – and I am extremely lucky to have him as a friend."