The big story in the offices of The National here in Abu Dhabi today … or most talked about, anyway … was the bar tab at a Dubai nightclub for 387,988 dirhams — or $105,638.

Dubai is the biggest city in the UAE, and the best-known — which kills people in Abu Dhabi, the actual capital of the country, to concede.

Dubai is known for conspicuous consumption, but even there this photo of the bar tab got lots of attention.

The story is unsettling in several ways, not the least being the crass consumption in a region where many expatriate workers labor for a few dollars a day.

The tab was rung up at the Cavalli Club at the Fairmont Hotel, in Dubai, and the bulk of the expense is for Cristal champagne, in particular a six-liter bottle of it. I have been told that Cristal is seriously overrated, but if someone is willing to pay those prices …

The event might have been a birthday party, because the bill includes 120 dirhams (about $33) for what is described as “Birthday Cake small.”

I have not been to the Cavalli Club, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be going any time soon, if you can walk out $105,000 lighter at the end of the night.

The operations manager of the club seemed nonplussed by the event, telling The National: “Spending of this nature is not unusual at Cavalli Club,” and added that the club “has seen high spenders consistently frequent the venue since its inception.”

Anyway, Abu Dhabi pumps far more oil and sells far more gas than does Dubai, and almost certainly is richer, but it is Dubai that is known for the world’s tallest building — and over-the-top consumption.