Ichiban Boshi. Sydney.  Japanese dining with a dash of modern simplicity. Believe this brand name may be found around Asia and in Russia.
Soba noodles had been heard of in Japanese recipes and only recently it was realized they are buckwheat noodles with a distinctive appearance but the name soba can apply to a range of noodles. Determined to make a certian Asian salad it was unclear whether genuine soba noodles would be to our liking and supplies were not plentiful, so thin rice noodles were used instead and were aok and buckwheat noodles remain to be sampled another day.